The Vermont Library Association is now accepting applications for the Librarian Relief Fund. The deadline to apply is February 15th, 2012. Please contact VLA President Joe Farara with any questions, Joseph.Farara@jsc.edu.

Librarian Relief Fund Application (PDF)
Librarian Relief Fund Application (DOC)

The Vermont Library Association Librarian Relief Fund assists librarians who suffered personal property damages as a result of Hurricane Irene.  Many of our colleagues need support beyond what is offered them by governmental agencies, so please donate generously to their cause.

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Posted on Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 9:34 am in the Academic Libraries, Advocacy, News, Personnel, Public Libraries, School Libraries, Support Staff, Urgent Action category.

In our rural state, many libraries are staffed by a single staff person, or by a very small staff. This can make it a challenge to accomplish large projects within a short time period, have an extended vacation, or take advantage of a professional development opportunity. Also, those librarians who work part-time sometimes would like to expand their experience, network and income with additional work within their profession.

The Vermont Library Association (VLA), Green Mountain Library Consortium (GMLC) and Vermont Consortium of Academic Libraries (VCAL) are excited to introduce the Vermont Library Substitute Pool!

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Posted on Monday, December 6th, 2010 at 5:27 pm in the C&SL, Personnel, Public Libraries, School Libraries, Support Staff, Technical Services, Technology, Youth Librarians category.

The Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Rhode Island invites library and information service organizations to register possible professional field experiences (PFE) on their PFE database. This database is intended to help students in the Professional Field Experience (LSC 595) course locate placement sites, and to help potential host institutions attract appropriate student interns.

Students taking LSC 595 (Professional Field Experience) must complete forty-five hours of work for each credit. Students may take the course for anywhere from one to six credits. Details regarding the course may be seen at http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Academics/Courses/PFE.html. Instructions for viewing the PFE database are also given on this page.

A PFE may be primarily service oriented. For example, the student might work on the Reference Desk and teach information literacy courses in an academic library or the student could catalog new entries in the digital collection of archival institution. The PFE could also be project oriented, where a student could develop a new website or redesign an existing website for a public library or work on a research project for a corporate library. The PFE may also involve a combination of service and projects. The details of each PFE are worked out cooperatively between the student, the supervising library, and the full-time faculty member teaching the course.

If you would like to be listed in the PFE database, please complete the Site Supervisor’s Form at http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Academics/Courses/PFE/SiteSupervisorForm.pdf and send it to GSLIS as indicated on the form. The full-time faculty member teaching LSC 595 will be happy to work with you and the student to try to find a good match for the PFE.

Posted on Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 at 11:36 am in the Blogroll, C&SL, Funding Ops, News, Personnel, Public Libraries, School Libraries, Trustees, Uncategorized, VCAL (excluded from VLA main) category.

Atlanta, GA, September 17, 2009 — LYRASIS announces the launch of a discount program to support currently unemployed librarians and the library community during these difficult economic times. These librarians may take advantage of a 50% discount on classes and workshops offered by LYRASIS, whether or not they were formerly employed by a LYRASIS member institution. There is no limit to the number of classes they may take.
“This is LYRASIS’ own economic stimulus package,” said Heather Dray, director of educational services for LYRASIS. “It is critical for librarians to upgrade and expand their skills to stay marketable in 21st century libraries and LYRASIS is equipped to help.”
LYRASIS classes are offered in live online and self-paced online formats, enabling librarians across the country to participate without incurring the cost of travel. A wide array of topics include: Metadata & Cataloging; Digitization & Preservation; Technology Trends & Applications; Reference and Resource Sharing; Internet and Web Design; and many more.
To participate in the program, unemployed librarians may call LYRASIS Member Support at 800.999.8558 and request the promotional code for the discount.
About LYRASIS
Created in April, 2009 by the merger of PALINET and SOLINET and joined shortly thereafter by NELINET, LYRASIS is the nation’s largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals – providing opportunities for networking and collaboration, offering innovative solutions, and significant cost savings through group purchasing for products and services. For more information, please visit www.lyrasis.org.

Posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 5:18 pm in the Educational Ops, Jobs (excluded from VLA main), Nelinet/Lyrasis, News, Personnel category.

As public libraries enter the budget writing season, the Personnel Committee of the Vermont Library Association urges library directors to take a hard look at staff salaries. Here are some points to keep in mind:

* Qualified library directors should be paid at least $40,300 annually, or $19.38 per hour, as recommended by the Vermont Library Association Executive Board.
* If the library does not pay for medical insurance, offer compensatory leave or a lump sum payment instead.
* At a minimum, increase staff wages by the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) as set by the Social Security Administration annually in October. There will be no increase to social security payments in 2010. However, now is a good time to “catch up” if you have missed COLA in previous years.
* Consider whether your library has experienced increased usage this year. More visits, more items borrowed, more usage of resources, more programs — all mean more work for the staff. Even if job descriptions haven’t expanded, the workload may have.

Check the attached budget memo for more details. Share the information with library trustees as you build the annual budget. To study appropriate compensation, view the Personnel Committee’s 2009 revision of “Increasing Public Library Compensation: A How-To Guide for Vermont Libraries” at http://www.vermontlibraries.org/publibcompensation2009.pdf

For further information about or assistance with the above or any other personnel questions, please contact the committee chair:

Rubi Simon
Burnham Memorial Library
898 Main Street (Rte. 2A)
Colchester, VT 05446
802-879-7576
rsimon@burnham.lib.vt.us

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Posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 5:55 pm in the Personnel, Public Libraries category.

ALA has launched MentorConnect in ALA Connect so you can find or become a mentor.

MentorConnect (”MC”) allows ALA members to create mentoring profiles that highlight their expertise and experience. After they’ve joined MC, ALA members can search for a mentor using a variety of criteria (gender, type of library, ethnicity, etc.) and request mentorship. Once created, the mentorship is tracked within MC, with a space for providing and archiving feedback. The system will prompt mentors and mentorees every few months to ensure they are staying in touch.

To learn all about this new service, see Mentoring Starter Questions and Mentoring and MentorConnect FAQ at (http://www.students.ala.org/studentmemberblog/?p=344)

Don Wood
Program Officer
Chapter Relations Office
American Libraries Association
dwood@ala.org
1-800-545-2433, ext. 2429

Posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 4:28 pm in the ALA, Advocacy, C&SL, Educational Ops, News, Personnel, Public Libraries, VCAL (excluded from VLA main), Youth Librarians category.

Sometimes we just need a little help from our friends.  You may be a new librarian who feels at sea.   Or you may have a library project or issue that you would like to talk with another professional about.  The Vermont Library Association can help you connect with people who can help you out.  Over a dozen VLA members from all over the state have agreed to act as a mentor for public librarians.  Contact Lucinda Walker 802-649-1184 lucinda.walker@norwichlibrary.org if you would like to find a mentor in your area.

Posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 1:59 pm in the Educational Ops, News, Personnel, Public Libraries, Trustees, Youth Librarians category.

Librarians, please note:

1) 2009 Best Small Library in America Nomination postmark deadline is Nov. 3; http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA606273.html

2) 2009 Movers & Shakers Nomination submission deadline is Nov. 10; http://www.libraryjournal.com/movers2009

3) 2009 Librarian of the Year Nomination deadline has been extended to Nov. 17; http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA606276.html

The first award is only for public libraries (those serving populations of 25,000 or less). But the librarians in Movers & Shakers and Librarian of the Year are professionals working in any libraries, school, college, academic, or special.

Amy Howlett
VT Department of Libraries

Posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 10:12 am in the ALA, News, Personnel, Public Libraries, Publications category.

As public libraries enter the budget writing season, the Personnel Committee of the Vermont Library Association urges library directors to take a hard look at staff salaries. Here are three points to keep in mind:

* Qualified library directors should be making at least $40,300 annually, or $19.38 per hour, as recommended by the Vermont Library Association Executive Board.
* If the library does not pay for medical insurance, offer compensatory leave or a lump sum payment instead.
* At a minimum, increase staff wages by the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) as set by the Social Security Administration annually in October. The increase for 2009 is 5.8%.

Check the budget memo below for more details. Share the information with library trustees as you build the annual budget.

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Posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 9:00 pm in the Personnel, Public Libraries, Publications category.

In October 2008, the Executive Board of the Vermont Library Association approved the following recommended minimum starting salary:

For a public library director with the Vermont Department of Libraries “Certificate of Public Librarianship,” the recommended minimum starting salary is $40,300, with a complete benefits package. For directors who work less than full time, the hourly wage is $19.38, with a pro-rated benefits package.

“Increasing Public Library Compensation: A How-To Guide for Vermont Libraries” is available at http://www.vermontlibraries.org/compensation5.07.pdf.

The Personnel Committee of the Vermont Library Association can help you review and study your library salaries and job descriptions. Contact committee chair Amy C. Grasmick at kimball_acg@hotmail.com or (802) 728-5073 for more information.

Posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 11:48 am in the Personnel category.