We are pleased to announce the application for the Virginia Library Leadership Academy (VALLA), 2024 cohort is now available.

Who:

We are looking for:

• Individuals who are interested in developing their leadership skills over the next year, regardless of where they are in their leadership journey or position in a library. 
• A diverse group of individuals who would like to grow as library leaders across Virginia and are willing to invest in themselves through this process over the next year.
• Individuals who are willing to learn from others, build their leadership network, and view leadership development through an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion lens.

When: Sunday, March 10, 2024 - Wednesday, March 13, 2023

Where:

In-person workshop:
Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center
710 S. Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 2281
Post-workshop Mentor Sessions:
Zoom

Cost: Free to 2024 participants, thanks to generous sponsorships by individuals and library organizations.

Deadline to apply: November 15, 2023

Has your interest been peaked? Click here for more information about the 2024 VALLA Cohort. A link is available to the application through the 2024 VALLA Cohort page, or you can click here to apply now.

If you have any questions, please contact the 2024 VALLA Planning Chair:

Dr. Jennifer Brown

[email protected]

 -Posted September 25, 2023

VLA 2024 Election of Officers Results

Please join us in congratulating the newly elected members of the Virginia Library Association Executive Committee for 2024!

Vivian Washington has been elected to a 3-year term as Vice-President/President-Elect. Vivian is currently the Central Library Manager for Chesapeake Public Library.

Kelsey Cheshire (she/her) has been elected to a 2-year term as 2nd Vice President. Kelsey is the Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Librarian and Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

Maryke Barber has been elected to a 2-year term as Treasurer. Maryke is the Information Literacy, Outreach, and Arts Liaison Librarian at the Library at Hollins University.

Vivian, Kelsey, and Maryke will begin their roles at the conclusion of the VLA Annual Conference Business Meeting, Tuesday, October 24, at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles in Chantilly, VA.

They will join the other members of the 2024 VLA Executive Committee:
Nan Carmack, President
Kimberly Knight, Immediate Past-President
Rebecca Purdy, Secretary
Kerri Copus, ALA Councilor
Lisa R. Varga, Executive Director

2024 Cardinal Cup Committee: Seeking Members

Are you a history buff?  Do you enjoy reading new juvenile and young adult literature? Apply to be a member of the 2024 Cardinal Cup Award Committee!  

Applicants must be willing to make the time commitment to read and discuss the books submitted for consideration, as well as attend physical and/or virtual meetings. Complete the application linked below and return it to Hailee Coleman, Cardinal Cup Committee Chair, by October 7, 2023. Email your completed application to [email protected].

The Cardinal Cup honors the most distinguished biography, historical fiction, or American history book for children and young adults published in the previous year. Presented since 1983, the Cardinal Cup Committee’s goal is to promote reading about America’s past; to encourage the quality writing of United States history, biography, and historical fiction for young people, and to recognize authors in these disciplines. Read more and see previous winners here.

The Cardinal Cup Committee selects the winning title. The committee has eight members: a chairperson and vice-chairperson (selected by the previous year’s committee) and six members selected by the current chair and the past chair of the previous year’s Cardinal Cup Committee.  It is the goal of the committee chair to cultivate a committee of diverse perspectives that include representatives of different VLA regions, backgrounds, occupations, and identities. All committee members must be members of VLA. Members may be employed by public libraries, schools of any type, or bookstores; they may also be unemployed or retired.

You may nominate yourself or a colleague for consideration. Persons selected must be willing to commit a large amount of personal time to read and evaluate books; committee members may receive over 200 titles. Members will also have to attend daytime meetings held virtually. The final meeting will be held in person. Persons who serve on the committee should be knowledgeable of literature for young people and have book evaluation experience. Cardinal Cup Committee members are expected to present programs at the annual VLA and, possibly, VAASL conferences, so a supervisor must sign the application, indicating he or she will allow the person to attend the conferences and will assist with the member’s expenses.

2023 Cardinal Cup Award Winner Announced

The Cardinal Cup Committee, previously the Jefferson Cup Committee, is excited to announce their 2023 winner, honor titles, series of note, and overfloweth selections. Our 8-person committee selected these from 189 historical fiction, historical nonfiction, and biography titles that ranged from picture books to young adult.

Winner

The 2023 Cardinal Cup winner is Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers).

We couldn’t be more excited to select a title written by a lifelong Virginian for our first winner under the Cardinal Cup name. L.M. Elliott was previously a Jefferson Cup honor author for her book Under a War-Torn Sky and received an Overfloweth recommendation for the companion title Across a War-Tossed Sea.

Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves is a historical fiction novel set along the Virginia coastline during World War II. 13-year-old Louisa June’s life changes instantly and drastically when the war reaches the American homefront. When Nazi U-boats appear off the once peaceful waters outside the Chesapeake Bay, there are devastating consequences for Louisa June’s family. Can Louisa June navigate her changing world and become the anchor her family needs? Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves is a story of resiliency and friendship, set in an unexpected place in American history. A rich author’s note is full of historical detail that flesh out this eye opening and detailed story even further. This wonderfully evocative story is a must have for historical fiction collections across the country.

Honors

The Cardinal Cup Committee is pleased to announce two honor titles:

Curve & Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams by Andrea J. Loney, Illustrated by Keith Mallett (Knopf Books for Young Readers, Penguin Random House)

• Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp (McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster)

Series of Note

The Cardinal Cup Committee recognizes a series of note. The Committee must read at least two titles from a book series for it to be eligible for this honor.

The Deadliest by Deborah Hopkinson (Scholastic Focus)

Overfloweth

 About Cardinal Cup Award

Established in 1982 and presented since 1983, the Cardinal Cup Committee’s goal is to promote reading about America’s past; to encourage the quality writing of United States history, biography, and historical fiction for young people, and to recognize authors in these disciplines. From 2012-2021 two books were selected: one for geared toward young adult readers and one for young readers. Beginning in 2022, the Committee returned to the original model, honoring the most distinguished biography, historical fiction, or American history book for young people. In 2023, the Committee and award were renamed. The Cardinal Cup Committee’s mission remains the same, with a commitment to celebrating titles that honor the diverse history of the United States.