VLA Treasurer's Corner: Cori Biddle

At January’s meeting the Council approved 2018’s budget.

The budget remains fairly consistent with last year’s. Below are some highlights:

• Increase expenses in Administration line are due in part to increases to subscription to GoToWebinar, SurveyMonkey, and the addition of Basecamp to help with Project Management. Memberclicks costs also increase due to growing membership in the organization.
• Executive Committee also voted to increase the salary for the Executive Director to bring her salary closer to the national average for her position and to recognize the hard work she does for the association.
• There was also an increase in compensation for our Legislative Liaison to a level more appropriate for the work he does on our behalf.
• The budget includes two scholarships for the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color, one donated by the Tidewater Area Library Directors and the other approved by the Executive Committee, covered by 2017 earnings on the professional development endowment.
• We expect revenue from JobLine to remain consistent, though it may also decrease this year with institutional and organizational members taking advantage of their free job posting.
• We also hope to implement a new advertising revenue stream through ad space on our website, so a line for that was included.
• Though there is no funding yet, the budget does include a line for the Association to explore the option of a Disaster Relief Fund to assist libraries in need of recovery after a natural disaster or other qualifying event.

At April’s meeting, the Council also added the following lines to the budget.

• Continuing our support from last year, VLA donated $1,000 to the Library of Virginia for their participation in this year’s State Fair.
• The Council also voted to form an ad hoc Logo Committee to explore options for creating a new logo for VLA, the Virginia Libraries journal, and potential adaptation the association’s other committees and forums. Funding of $1,000 was allocated to the committee as they explore vendor options.

If you have any questions about the budget, please contact Cori Biddle, VLA Treasurer.

Library of Virginia LDND Introduces InfoCenter

LVA's Library Development and Networking Division (LDND) has been busily drafting a new resource, replacing what was previously known as the "extranet." The new InfoCenter will be your first stop resource for development, continuing education, programmatic resources, stakeholder advocacy, Evergreen and Wordpress support, as well as the digital collections provided by the Library of Virginia. The link will remain the same so bookmark it now:  http://vpl.virginia.gov/

In an effort to support Virginia library professionals in a more efficient way, the pages of Programming and Continuing Education will hold offerings for both Youth Services and Adult Services under the same headings, as many of the material there will support both, with cross over content on both sides. We are also looking forward to developing a repository of "lesson/program plans" for sharing successful programs with one another in an organized fashion. To this end, visit the "programs" page and click on the Program Plan Submission and a form will appear that can be completed. After it is reviewed, the plan will be added to the repository. A .doc of the form will also be available for download for personal use.  Similarly, a Training Request form will also be available so that you can communicate training needs to us when you think of them, rather than having to find the time to email or call us with that request. Training requests can be as vague as "I would like to know more about..." or as specific as scheduling a staff day with LDND staff.  

Please know that the InfoCenter is a work in progress and suggestions for improvement are welcome (yep, there's a link for that). Next up: a whole new life for Find It Virginia!

The sole purpose of LDND is to serve-Virginia's libraries, staff and citizens. How can we serve you?

Nan B. Carmack, Ed.D.
Director, Library Networking and Development
Library of Virginia
800 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
804.692.3792

Letter from VLA President Todd Elliott: April 2018

Greetings VLA Colleagues!

I write this little piece on National Library Workers Day (April 10) which means two things. First, this article is coming out much later than you deserve (my apologies), but this was also a day that we in Portsmouth were able to celebrate the important work we do. Our children’s librarian, Rachel Enrich, makes sure that we have goodies, incentives, and a handwritten “thank you” to each staff member from the director.

I am experiencing a touch of writer’s cramp – we have 40 staff receiving them – but it has become a tradition that means something to my coworkers and it makes me feel good to do this.

What do you do to celebrate each other? NLWD is a point on the calendar but we can share something positive anytime.

Behind the scenes at VLA, we continue to advocate for libraries across the Commonwealth such as “Dear Appropriator” letters to Senator Warner and Senator Kaine asking for them to support federal library funding, including funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). As an independent grant-making agency, IMLS provides more than $210 million for libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and its Grants to States program. In just the past five years, libraries in Virginia have received a total of $18.5 million through this program. That’s an average of $3.7 million annually. VLA believes that Virginia officials, not the federal government, decide how best to use LSTA funds to promote innovation, lifelong learning, research and access to information for patrons across the Commonwealth. In addition, Virginia is required to provide a 1/3 match for LSTA funding, which means that a cut in federal support likely means a cut in state support for libraries.

Ensuring that libraries have a voice is another reason to support your state library association – if you haven’t renewed your membership yet, now is as good a time as any. 2018 VLA Professional Associates Forum (VLAPAF) Conference is happening at Newport News Marriott May 21. The theme is "Other Duties as Assigned" which is something that ALL of us can relate to, and keynote speakers will be Mauricio Velasquez of the Diversity Training Group and local author Lydia Netzer! Here is an excellent opportunity for professional associates across the Commonwealth to come together to network and learn and a great opportunity for managers to show their support. For more information and online registration, scurry over to www.vla.org.

Thank you for taking the time to peruse the newsletter. Questions? Comments? Rude remarks? Feel free to give me a shout at [email protected].

Cheers,
Todd

CaTS Technical Services Learning Lunch