Career Resources

Here is a list of resources that meet all of your professional development needs. Use the buttons below to jump to the category you are interested in.

VLA Resources

VLA's Jobline - Library job openings from Virginia and beyond.

Job Search Resources from the Continuing Education Committee - During the course of recent job search workshops, members of the Continuing Education Committee compiled a list of resources on cover letters, resumes, job interviews and more.

MLS Programs for Virginia residents (updated 11/2015) - We've compiled a list of distance MLS programs provided by American Library Association accredited institutions.

VLA Scholarships - The Virginia Library Association is proud to offer three, $3,000 scholarships for students pursuing a Masters degree in Library Science at ALA accredited schools.

Virginia Libraries - Virginia Libraries seeks to publish articles and reviews of interest to the library community in Virginia. This link will take you to the archive of past Virginia Libraries issues, hosted by Virginia Tech.

Virginia Library Association on Facebook - Get updates from VLA, covering topics of interest to Virginia library staff and new opportunities available from VLA.

VLA Regions - Are you wondering what region you work in so you can better tailor your experience with VLA? We've got you covered with a map of the VLA regions and a listing of the public libraries that fall into them.

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State Resources

Virginia Public Libraries Extranet - This site puts everything you need to succeed as a public librarian in Virginia in one place, including best practices, webinars, a directory of public libraries and a variety of listservs.

Virginia Librarian's Professional Certification - Public libraries in Virginia serving a populace of 15,000 or more are legally required to ensure all professional-level librarians can attain this certification before they are hired. Visit this link to learn more and get the Virginia Librarian's Professional Certification application form.

Directory of Public Libraries in Virginia - Find your local library with this handy database created by the Library of Virginia.

Special Libraries Association (SLA) Virginia Chapter - The Virginia Chapter of the Special Libraries Association has a diverse membership, with librarians and information professionals employed in many types of specialized libraries and organizations including law, business, university, school, medical, newspaper, museum, and military.

VA Association of Law Libraries - The Virginia Association of Law Libraries's objectives are to develop and increase the usefulness and efficiency of law libraries, to promote librarianship and to foster a spirit of cooperation among members of the profession.

Virginia Association of School Librarians (VAASL) - The mission of the Virginia Association of School Librarians is to be the recognized voice for excellence in Virginia’s school libraries through the promotion of literacy, information access and evaluation, love of literature, effective use of technology, collaboration in the teaching/learning process, intellectual freedom, professional growth, instructional leadership and lifelong learning.

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Other Resources

American Library Association - The American Library Association (ALA) was founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”

Webjunction - Learn a new skill or brush up on old knowledge with Webjunction, which aims to promote learning for all library staff by providing an open online learning community. You can find an archive of webinars you might have missed as well as upcoming webinars for all your professional development needs.

INALJ.com - Part jobs listing categorized by state and part advice blog about all aspects of the job search, INALJ.com (which stands for I Need A Library Job) is a must-read for everyone on the hunt for a library job. It even lists jobs that meet the skillset of any information professional, even if they are not found in libraries.

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- Updated 3/10/2022