Vermont Library Association 2025 Annual Conference Registration Open

Registration is open for the Vermont Library Association’s 130th annual conference, “Rooted in Community,” scheduled for Monday, May 19, in Killington, Vermont.

For the best price, first join VLA or renew your membership. Go to the Membership Information page for details.

Conference registration costs are as follows:

Early Bird (Deadline Friday, April 4)
VLA Members: $120
Nonmembers: $155

Regular Registration (After April 4)
VLA Members: $145
Nonmembers: $200

Discounted Registration
For staff working at libraries with budgets under $100,000: $65

Primary presenters may register for $120.

To register, visit the VLA “Rooted in Community” Conference Registration page.

A limited number of conference scholarships are available, thanks to the generous support of the Vermont Library Association and the Vermont Fairytale Festival. Compete the application by Friday, April 4. Recipients will be notified by Friday, April 11.

If you have any questions about the conference, please email conference@vermontlibraries.org

Keynote Speakers Announced for Vermont Library Association 2025 Annual Conference

AnnaLee Dragon, Executive Director of the New York Library Association, and Dr. Hannah K. Miller (they/them), Associate Professor of Education at Vermont State University Johnson, are the keynote speakers for the Vermont Library Association’s 2025 annual conference.

Prior to her tenure at the New York Library Association, AnnaLee was director of Kinderhook Memorial Library in Columbia County, New York, where she led the organization through a successful capital campaign and building renovation and expansion. AnnaLee has experience at both large urban and small rural public libraries, having also worked as a reference librarian and a branch librarian at Albany Public Library. She will be speaking at the start of the conference.

Dr. Hannah Miller teaches in the educator preparation program at Vermont State University Johnson. The program interrogates the process of social change in educational systems, with a focus on privilege, power, justice, and liberation. Hannah’s current research project, TeachOut Vermont, aims to build social and professional networks for queer, nonbinary, and transgender teachers in Vermont.

Hannah is currently on a quest to knit in every public library in Vermont. The project is her way of spending time in Vermont’s public libraries to learn more about the role that libraries and librarians play in preserving the freedom to read, safeguarding civic rights and institutions, and building resilience in local communities. She will be speaking during lunch.

VLA’s 130th annual conference, “Rooted in Community,” will be held on Monday, May 19, at the to Killington Grand Resort Hotel and Conference Center, 228 E Mountain Road in Killington, Vermont. For more information about the conference, including registration details, please visit the conference webpage.

2025 VLA Annual Conference Call for Proposals

The Vermont Library Association is accepting presentation proposals for its 130th annual conference “Rooted In Community,” scheduled for Monday, May 19, 2025, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel and Conference Center. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, March 3.

“We seek sessions that can be scaled to suit libraries of all sizes and types, on varying topics,” said 2025 Conference Planning Committee co-chair Maria Avery. “We especially encourage presentations that exemplify ways libraries and librarians are essential to the communities they serve, are fundamental community-builders, can increase their community impact, and can engage more effectively with their professional community.”

Sessions will be 50 minutes in length, and can include:

Hands-on workshops with an activity / discussion
Traditional presentations with time for questions
Panels with best practices / case studies
Author talks with readings
Vendor presentations
Spark presentations: A five-minute/20-slide maximum presentation of a single example or project. This will be included in a session with other Spark presentations.

Submit your proposal by Monday, March 3 using this online submission form.

If your proposal is accepted, one person will receive the member early-bird rate for attending the conference. Conference attendance is not required to present a workshop.

If you have any questions, please email conference@vermontlibraries.org.

Vermont Library Conference 2024 Presentation PDFs

Libraries Empowering Communities: Standing Together in Uncertain Times was the theme of the Vermont Library Association’s 2024 annual conference, held on Monday, May 20, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel and Conference Center in Killington, Vermont. Following in alphabetical order by title are presentations made available to us by the speakers. Click the link to view and/or download the pdf.

PRESENTATIONS

Brick by Brick: Building Empowered Communities through LEGO Robotics
Presented by Mary Neffinger.

Career and Professional Development Resources for Your Patrons
Presented by April Shaw, Vermont Department of Libraries Government Services and Reference Librarian.

Creating a Share and Repair Library of Things
Presented by Suzanne Krohn (she/they), Richmond Free Library outreach and programming assistant.

Empowerment Through Access: An Update on the Statewide Shared Digital Collection
Presented by Jillian Scarson, Palace Project Partner Success Leader, and Lauren Kelley, Vermont Department of Libraries Technical Services Librarian

Fun & Friendly Competition: Trivia Night 101
Presented by Meg Malone (she/her), Burnham Memorial Library (Colchester) Young Adult Services Librarian and Interlibrary Loan Coordinator.

Keynote Address (on YouTube)
Presented by Emily Drabinski, American Library Association 2023-24 president. Her presentation begins at 22:30 in the recording.

Making Space in Vermont: A New NASA Grant to Support Vermont Public Libraries
Presented by Ellen Brennan, program administrator for the Vermont Space Grant Consortium and NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Recognizing Stress, Employing Self Care, and Avoiding Burnout in Today’s Library Landscape
Presented by Nicole Klett, assistant librarian at Essex High School CTE Library, and a board-certified health and wellness coach.

Red Clover: Beyond the Classroom
Presented by Hannah Fjeld, Liv Perry, Kate Lucia, and Abby Adams.

Vermont Golden Dome Books Awarded and Nominated for 2024
Presented by the Golden Dome Book Award Committee.

Why Patron Privacy Matters and How You Can Protect It
Presented by Trina Magi, award-winning librarian at the University of Vermont Howe Memorial Library.

Young Adult Diverse Books Book Club Takes “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” to Boston
Presented by Susan Piccoli, Woodstock High School and Middle School librarian, and 2021 Vermont Humanities Victor R. Swenson Award recipient.

Other VLA Conference Resources:

2024 Vermont Library Conference Home Page

2024 Vermont Library Conference Session Descriptions

2024 Vermont Library Conference Speaker Bios

2024 Vermont Library Conference Presentation PDFs

Vermont Library Association Conference Committee

Vermont Library Association Past Conferences Archive

Last update June 27, 2024 (sl)

Vermont Library Association Conference 2024 Call for Proposals

The Vermont Library Association (VLA) is seeking presenters for “Libraries Empowering Communities: Standing Together in Uncertain Times,” our 129th annual conference scheduled for Monday, May 20, 2024. Proposals are due by Monday, March 4, 2024.

Libraries are facing unprecedented challenges to our profession. Through this one-day conference, we seek ways to empower and connect our communities with resources, prepare to protect intellectual freedom, and offer solidarity from our smallest libraries to our biggest. Learning from each other is powerful and we hope you will share your expertise with fellow library professionals.

We seek presentations of varying topics, but especially encourage proposals on the topics suggested below and sessions that can be scaled to suit smaller and larger libraries.

Topic suggestions:

Intellectual Freedom
- Banned books
- Book and/or program challenges
- Censorship
- Privacy
Writing policies to prepare and protect our communities
Mitigating the effects of climate change on our collections, buildings, communities
Providing services to unhoused populations/underserved populations
Practical ideas for smaller libraries
Protecting the self (e.g. self-care, managing stress, preventing burnout)

Sessions will be 50 minutes in length and will include:

Hands-on workshop with an activity / discussion
Traditional presentation with time for questions
Panel with best practices / case studies
Author talk with reading
Vendor presentations
Book Awards and VLA Awards
VLA Division roundtable discussions
Brief presentation of a single example or project as part of a longer program: 5 Minutes of Fame/Spark presentation

Please submit your proposal online using this form. If your proposal is accepted, the main presenter will receive free admission to the conference. The deadline for proposals is Monday, March 4, 2024.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Maria Avery, she/her
VLA 2024 Conference Planning Committee Co-Chair
Community Outreach Manager, University of Vermont Libraries
VLAConference24@vermontlibraries.org

Vermont Library Association 2024 Conference Set for May 20

Join the Vermont Library Association at our 2024 annual conference on Monday, May 20, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel and Conference Center, 228 E Mountain Road, in Killington, Vermont.

This year’s conference title is Libraries Empowering Communities: Standing Together in Uncertain Times.

Save the date! We will share updates on our conference webpage and on our Facebook, Instagram, and X account, as they become available.

Call for Proposals
We seek presentations of varying topics, but especially encourage proposals on the topics suggested on our Call for Proposals webpage and sessions that can be scaled to suit smaller and larger libraries. The deadline for proposals is Monday, March 4, 2024.

2024 Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs
Dena Marger, she/her
Director, Lydia Taft Pratt Library
150 West Street
Dummerston, VT 05357
802-258-9878
VLAConference24@vermontlibraries.org

Maria Avery, she/her
Community Outreach Manager, University of Vermont Libraries
VLAConference24@vermontlibraries.org

2024 Conference Planning Committee Members
Oceana Wilson, she/her, Dean of the Library, Bennington College
Randal Smathers, he/him, Director, Rutland Free Library
Emma Parks, she/her, Library Support Senior and GIS Consultant, University of Vermont Dana Health Sciences Library
Mary Danko, she/her, Director, Fletcher Free Library
Cory Stephenson, she/her, Director, Moretown Memorial Library
Erin Davison, she/her, Youth Services Librarian, Norwich Public Library
Kelly L. McCagg, she/her, Director, Burnham Memorial Library
Susan Ujka Larson, she/they, Vermont Library Association Digital Communications

Last update January 22, 2024

Submit Your College and Special Libraries Section 2024 Conference Proposal

The Vermont Library Association College and Special Libraries Section hopes to host an online conference in the spring of 2024, and we need YOUR participation to make it happen! The application process is quick and easy. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

– Has your organization recently gone through some changes? – – How have you managed those?
– Have you redefined roles in your library? What does that look like?
– What is your organization or library’s position on using AI for educational purposes?
– What new approaches has your library taken to enhance equitable access for your patrons?
– Are there new tools you’ve found that helped you streamline a process, enhance the functionality of your library website or catalog, etc?

Please complete the proposal form online by Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.

Thank you,
Sarah Scully (she/her)
President, College and Special Libraries Section, Vermont Library Association
Electronic Resources & Technology Librarian
Cornell Library at Vermont Law and Graduate School
South Royalton, Vermont

VLA Annual Meeting 2022

VLA Annual meeting 10-11 am - Wednesday June 2

Dear VLA Members:

The Vermont Library Association Annual Meeting will be held from 10 – 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, on Zoom.
You can register at this link.

For those unable to attend, you can request an absentee ballot by clicking this link.

Here is the agenda:

Call to Order
Approval of Minutes from 2021 Annual Meeting
Budget Report
Election of Board Members
Reports from Working Groups, Roundtables, etc.
Proposed changes to membership structure
Remarks from the State Librarian Cathy Delneo
Remarks from VLA President-Elect Kelly McCagg

Best,
Mike Roy
President, Vermont Library Association

2022 Vermont Library Association Conference

posted which repeats the details of the confrence and has an image of the main guy who is handling the unconference

Better Together!

This year, VLA is again doing things a little differently. On the heels of a very successful 2021 virtual conference, we’ll be hosting a participant-driven conference on June 1, 2022, at Castleton University. The theme is Better Together, which embodies two defining principles for the day: the chance for us to see each other in person after a long time apart, and the idea that sharing our knowledge helps us all improve ourselves and our libraries.

5th Annual ACRL-NEC Vermont Virtual Conference

The Association of College and Research Libraries – New England Chapter (ACRL/NEC) has just announced that registration is open for its Spring 2014 Conference: We’re All in This Together: Strengthening Librarians through Professional Development. It should be a great time, but if you cannot make it down to Worcester, MA and want an opportunity to network with other Vermont librarians, then…

Register now for the 5^th Annual ACRL-NEC Vermont Virtual Conference on Friday, May 9^th, 2014!