Civic Engagement, Voter Outreach, and Your Public Library

“We live in a democracy; it should never be dismissed as political when we empower, encourage, and enable participation in our democracy,” said Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas in the civic engagement and voter registration webinar co-hosted with the Vermont Department of Libraries.

The presentation provided guidelines and resources for voter outreach and civic engagement programming. “Civic engagement compliments the mission of the library, and centers the library as a community engaged center for civic engagement,” said Joy Worland, Vermont Department of Libraries Consultant for Continuing Education and Small and Rural Libraries.

Everything libraries do must be nonpartisan. “You want to invite people in, not alienate people,” Worland said. “The library is for everyone.”

“Time and time again I am reminded how important libraries and librarians are to the social and civic fabric of our towns, and the critical role you play in helping people connect with information and resources,” Secretary of State Copeland Hanzas said.

For those who could not attend or who want to revisit the presentation, the webinar recording is available here: Civic Engagement, Voter Outreach, and Your Public Library

For ease of access, resources mentioned in the webinar are listed below. The Vermont Department of Libraries presentation slides are posted at the end of the list.

NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY RESOURCES (September 17, 2024)
National Voter Registration Day Website

National Voter Registration Day 2024 Social Media Toolkit

Hashtags: #NationalVoterRegistrationDay #VoteReady

VERMONT SECRETARY OF STATE RESOURCES
Vermont Voter Registration Drive Information Flier

Vermont Voter Registration Drive “Your Voice, Your Vote” Request for Free Print Resources

Vermont’s My Voter Page, where people can check:
Voter registration status
Absentee ballot status
Mail-in application and ballot status
Poll location
Elected Officials
Registration information on file with the town office
Sample ballot for the upcoming election

Office of the Vermont Secretary of State Social Media Tookkit

Vermont Secretary of State Civics Program Resources

Office of the Secretary of State Social Media:
Instagram: @vtsecretaryofstate

Facebook: Vermont-Secretary-of-State

X (Formerly Twitter): @VermontSOS

Election Security in Vermont Video

ALA RESOURCES
Reader. Voter. Ready.

Libraries and Voter Engagement

2024 Election Collaboration Toolkit

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC): Register Parents and Caregivers to Vote at Storytime

BOOK LISTS
Denver Public Library Voting Books for Adults

Denver Public Library Books on Voting for Teens

Social Justice Books: Voting Rights (Children, Youth, and Adults)

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS RESOURCES
Vote 411

VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES PRESENTATION SLIDES

Vermont Secretary of State Presentation Slides presented by Robyn Palmer, Director of Civic and Voter Engagement.

Written and compiled by Susan Ujka Larson, MLIS (she/they), VLA Digital Communications Volunteer
Last update September 7, 2024

Vermont Libraries Receive American Library Association Disaster Relief Funds

Two Vermont libraries significantly damaged by flooding in July 2023 received money through the American Library Association (ALA) Disaster Relief Fund. Ainsworth Public Library in Williamstown and Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier each received a $2,200 grant to be used for repairs.

“Kellogg-Hubbard Library suffered nearly $1.5 million in damage from last July’s floods, with all of our mechanical systems destroyed,” said Dan Groberg, executive director of Kellogg-Hubbard.

Flood waters cover the ground around Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, VT, on July 11, 2023.

Flood waters surround Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, VT, on July 11, 2023. Photo provided by Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Piles of trash outside Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, VT, following destructive flooding in July 2023.

Piles of trash outside Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, VT, following disastrous flooding in July 2023. Photo provided by Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Ainsworth Public Library’s basement flooded. “In addition to our furnace, we lost about $25,000 in books, supplies, electronics, and furniture,” said director Sarah Snow. That amount does not include the cost of cleanup. “We had to hire professionals to remove everything from the basement because of hazardous materials there,” she said.

“The American Library Association promoted the needs of Vermont libraries through the ALA Disaster Relief Fund, and managed the many generous donations that came from all over the country,” said Vermont Library Association (VLA) vice president/president elect Mary Danko, director of Fletcher Free Library in Burlington. VLA managed the administration of the grants.

“We are so grateful for the support of VLA and libraries across the United States in helping us restore and upgrade our historic building so that we can better serve our community and be more climate resilient,” said Groberg.

The American Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund provides money to libraries in the U.S. and around the world that have been damaged or destroyed due to natural or man-made disasters. Donations to Vermont libraries are still being accepted through the ALA Disaster Relief Fund web page. Please type “Vermont” in the tribute line.

Note: At the time of this writing, Vermont libraries are assessing flood damage caused by Hurricane Beryl’s remnants on July 10 and 11, 2024. The Vermont Department of Libraries is asking libraries impacted to report the level of damage using this online form: https://forms.office.com/g/U1su9yeiGU

By Susan Larson, MLIS, VLA Digital Communications Volunteer

Professional Development Grant Winners Fall 2022

The Vermont Library Association (VLA) Scholarship and Awards Committee is pleased to announce two winners for the Fall 2022 VLA Professional Development Grant.

Natacha Liuzzi (left in picture), Children’s Specialist at South Burlington Public Library, will attend “The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future,” a six-week Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) online course. The class will give participants a solid grounding in the history of the Newbery Medal and how it has changed over time; an opportunity to read, discuss, and consider past and present Newbery winners; a chance to talk to former Newbery Committee members and a Newbery author; and suggestions for programming using Newbery-winning books. The VLA grant will help defray the cost of the class.

Erin Davison, Youth Services Librarian at Norwich Public Library, will attend the New England Library Association (NELA) 2022 Annual Conference from October 23 through 25. The conference will give her the opportunity to connect with and learn from librarians in the region as she navigates rural librarianship for the first time in her career. The VLA grant will help defray the costs of the conference.

VLA’s Professional Development Grant, managed by the Scholarship and Awards Committee, provides the recipient with up to $250 for a professional development program such as a workshop, conference, or continuing education course. Applications are accepted twice a year (deadlines are May 1 and August 7), and priority is given by monetary need, library involvement, leadership, and commitment to Vermont libraries. Grant recipients are required to write a brief account of their professional development opportunity for VLA News, our quarterly email newsletter. For more information, and to apply, visit the Vermont Library Association Professional Development Grant webpage.

VLA Professional Development Grant Applications Open

The Vermont Library Association’s Scholarship and Awards Committee is accepting applications for the fall round of their professional development grant. Up to $250 is available to attend a workshop, a conference, or a continuing education course. The deadline for applications is Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022, with the awardee notified by September 1. (Please note the deadline has been changed to August 14.)

To be eligible, applicants must:

Be an active VLA member;
Live in Vermont and/or work in a Vermont library; and
Not have received a scholarship from VLA in the past two years.

For complete details and to apply, visit the VLA Professional Development Grant web page.

If you have additional questions, contact one of the Scholarship and Awards Committee co-chairs:
Pamela Cartier at clic@vermontlaw.edu

Mary Danko at mdanko@burlingtonvt.gov

VLA Covid-19 Vaccination Statement

A letter sent to Governor Phil Scott from the VLA Executive Board.

To the Honorable Phil Scott, Governor of Vermont:

Secretary Smith indicated at the press conference on February 2nd that Vermont is “open to discussions about what comes next” with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. In this spirit, the Executive Committee of the Vermont Library Association asks the State of Vermont to prioritize library workers alongside other front-line workers.Read more→

2019 Vermont Library Association Friends and Trustees Section Feedback Survey

The Vermont Library Association (VLA) would like feedback from VT library trustees and members of Friends groups. We’d like to know how we can better serve you in your roles. We want to hear from you, even if you are not currently a VLA member.
We have created a quick 5-question survey where we are looking for your thoughts on VLA: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JWB78XX
This survey should take just 3-5 minutes. There’s no login required, and no names or library affiliations are collected.
Your participation is GREATLY appreciated, and will help us better serve all Vermont libraries.
Thank you!
Dana Rozycki
President, Friends and Trustees Section
Vermont Library Association
drozycki@rocketmail.com
914-235-3630

VLA Calls for Macmillan to Reverse Library eBook Embargo

Dear Mr. John Sargent,
The Vermont Library Association Calls for Macmillan to Reverse Library eBook Embargo
On July 25, Macmillan Publishers announced it would become the only major (Big 5) publisher
to limit eBook lending for U.S. libraries. Under its new licensing model, scheduled to begin November 1, 2019, a library may purchase one copy upon release of a new title in eBook format, after which the publisher will impose an eight-week embargo on additional copies of that title sold to libraries.
As American Library Association (ALA) President Wanda Brown asserted that same day, “Macmillan Publishers’ new model for library eBook lending will make it difficult for libraries to fulfill our central mission: ensuring access to information for all. Macmillan’s new policy is unacceptable.”
And Public Library Association (PLA) President Ramiro Salazar stated, “Access to digital content in libraries is more than a financial issue: it is an equity issue. We encourage Macmillan Publishers to reverse course before libraries and the people they serve are harmed.” Millions of people now use digital content as their preferred or only access to books, music, and movies. As a rural state, many Vermonters rely on digital content from their libraries. Digital content is portable, accessible to people with print disabilities, available anywhere 24/7, and brokered by libraries to provide diverse options to our diverse communities. Libraries not only pay for books; they market them. Lost marketing means lost publicity and sales for publishers and authors.
The Vermont Library Association joins the ALA in denouncing this measure and calling for Macmillan Publishers to cancel the embargo and restore full access to its complete eBook catalog upon release to the public.

Furthermore, the Vermont Library Association affirms the principles that:
All published works must be available for libraries to purchase and lend to library users.
Access to use of eBooks must equitably balance the rights and privileges of readers, authors and publishers.
Digital content must be accessible to all people, regardless of physical or reading disability.
Library patrons must be able to access digital content on the device of their choosing.
Reading records must remain private in the digital age.

VLA Organizational Chart

Here is a copy of the org chart that was voted on by VLA membership at the May Conference in 2019.

Millions of pages of Vermont newspapers freely searchable online

screenshot of hte landing page at newspapers.com
Vermont residents have access to a free searchable archive of millions of pages of Vermont newspapers thanks to a partnership between the Department of Libraries and Vermont State Records and Archives Administration (VSARA). Here are simple steps to get set up:

1. Sign up for a MyVermont.gov account at vermont.gov/myvermont.
2. Log in and fill out your profile information including your contact information in the upper righthand corner.
3. Follow the link from the Featured Item section to Newspapers.com

Let us know if you have any questions. Please share this with your patrons! Here is a four page PDF handout going through all the steps with screenshots. Read more→

VLA Statement on Clovis-Carver Public Library shooting

The VLA sends condolences and strength to those closely affected by the tragic violence at the Clovis-Carver Public Library in New Mexico, including the wounded, the families of the victims, library staff,the community, and our colleagues in the New Mexico Library Association.
Joy Worland, VLA President