Author Archive: admin

Library Snapshot Day (Any Day April 10 – 16)

Taking place during National Library Week (April 10 – 16), Library Snapshot Day is a great way of documenting all the vital services libraries provide to the citizens of Vermont. For more information, please visit: www.vtlibraryday.wordpress.com
The more libraries we have participating, the better our final statistics will be, so be sure to join us for this exciting initiative!  We look forward to getting a vision of Vermont libraries!

 

ACTION ALERT: Cuts to the Department of Libraries

Call Your Legislators Today!

Contact Your Legislators Today!

A full picture of the cuts is still emerging, but we know that the State Law Library is now slated for elimination. Additionally, it is clear that the cuts as prescribed will result in a loss of federal funding that is likely to continue beyond the FY 2016 budget cycle. As we fail to meet the matching requirements for federal funds, DOL will likely lose positions (20 out of 26 are funded in part by federal money) and will then be less equipped to meet matching requirements moving forward. The likely effect has been described as a “spiraling” or “cascading” loss of federal support.
The Vermont Library Association is deeply concerned about the magnitude of these cuts and their certain impacts on our libraries and the patrons we serve. We’ve written a press release from the Vermont Library Association sharing our concerns and itemizing many of the services that DOL provides in collaboration with libraries around the state.
Please contact members of the House and Senate Appropriations committees to share your concerns with them:
House Appropriations
Senate Appropriations
You may also share brief and timely requests and concerns with committee chairs and members by contacting the Sergeant at Arms at: (802) 828-2228 or sgtatarms@leg.state.vt.us.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Government Relations Committee Chair Selene Colburn at 802-233-1358. We will continue to update you as the situation develops in the coming days and weeks.
Thanks,
VLA Government Relations Committee

VT Libraries Listserv change

After much discussion over the course of the year, the VLA Board voted to change the default reply for the VTLibraries listserv to Reply to Sender.  Messages sent to the listserv will now automatically have a footer that more easily gives the listserv address so that anyone wishing to reply to the whole list (currently 271 people), can easily do so by simply copying and pasting the list address into the To: field of their message.  This change will eliminate accidental replies to the list intended only for the sender, but it still allows people to reply to everyone on the list if they so choose.   See instructions for joining the listserv if you are not yet on the list. 

The 2009 Vermont Library Conference Needs Your Help!

Volunteers are needed to support work on the May, 2009 Vermont Library Conference.  Conference proposals are coming in, and we are lining up some great speakers and exciting events for May 12 & 13, 2009.  Our keynote, Marshall Keys, is ecstatic to speak to the librarians of Vermont about library advocacy – a topic more important now than ever.  It is our hope that the Vermont Library Conference is a meaningful, worthwhile, professional experience for all of Vermont’s librarians, library staff, boards, school boards, teachers, and administrators.  We hope to broaden our scope and invite all the people who make our jobs a reality.

 However, in order to put on a fantastic conference, we need your help.  We are operating with a much smaller conference planning committee than in years past, and have identified areas in which we need your support.  If you are interested in any of the jobs listed below, please contact me as soon as possible.  You will be given all the information you need to fill these jobs – please don’t feel like you can’t volunteer for lack of experience.  We will make sure you have all the support you need to do the job. If you have any questions about the conference, volunteering, or program proposals, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I look forward to hearing from many of you! Sincerely,http://www.vermontlibraryconference.org Barbara Doyle-Wilch

Director of Cultural Activities

Middlebury College

252 Columbus Smith Road

Salisbury, VT 05769

802-352-9315

bdoylewi@middlebury.edu

802-238-7608 cell

 Read more→

2009 Vermont Library Association Conference Theme: Speaking Up! Advocacy for Libraries

“Isn’t the Internet going to put public libraries out of business?”
“Why do we need school libraries when everything is online?”
“Why do we need a campus library when students can do their research on the Internet?” (Library Advocate’s Handbook, ALA).

Library advocates must adapt to a changing and not always sympathetic political and social environment. We need to be able to explain the role of libraries in the 21st century in order to maintain funding, to be a voice for policy issues ranging from intellectual property to intellectual freedom and protection of privacy.

It is our hope that the 2009 Conference will offer programs that give us the tools and knowledge to explain the importance of libraries to our communities, legislators and funders. We would like to build our own strength as advocates, and also help others – boards, friends, principals, administrators, and community members – to become strong advocates for libraries.

Read more→

Government Relations Committee meeting June 12, 2008

The VLA Government Realtions Committee met at Mid-State Regional Library.

Members present: Lisa von Kann, Hilari Farrington, Paula Baker, John Shullenberger, Marty Reid, Deb Spackman

In May, Lisa, Martin Hahn (leaving the committee having served with Lisa as co-chair) and John Shullenberger had a wrap-up meeting to review the year and make some plans for the future. An agreement was reached to pay John a stipend of $1000 during the 2009 legislative session to keep us “in the game” despite the expectation of a poor economic outlook. The committee all agreed. We are deeply grateful for the work that John did for us and feel that his connection to the legislature on our behalf us is vital.
We plan to have conference call meetings when possible to avoid driving.
Marty and Paula reported on their day at the Snelling Center conference on: Vermont E-State. Legislative Breakfasts are important and we want to encourage libraries to schedule them for the week of November 17, 2008. This is before the session but after the elections. We will meet in late August around this topic and prepare packets to mail out. Hilari has agreed to do the update on packet materials. Lisa will retain the Card Room for Library Leg. Day with the help of John Shullenberger. Naturally, we are all very pleased with Marty’s new position and feel excited about the possibilities ahead for Vermont libraries. Way to go, Marty! Special thanks to Martin Hahn for the dedicated work he has done to promote the state funding initiative. Good luck Martin in your interesting journey ahead. We welcome Robert Coleburn from the Fletcher Free Library as a new member. Robert has agreed to take over the responsibility of developing our collaboration with the Vermont Telecommunications Authority.

Lisa von Kann, St. Johnsbury Athenaeum