Nominations for a fifth award, the Senator Patrick Leahy Library Advocate of the Year Award, are provided by the Government Relations & Advocacy Committee.
Fall 2022
The VLA Scholarship and Awards Committee is pleased to announce that the Fall 2022 VLA Professional Development Grant has two winners!
Natacha Liuzzi
Erin Davison
One recipient is Natacha Liuzzi, Children’s Specialist at the South Burlington Public Library. She will be attending a 6-week online ALSC course taught by K.T. Horning, called The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future. The class will give participants a solid grounding in the history of the Newbery Medal and how it’s changed over time; an opportunity to read, discuss and consider past and present Newbery winners with their colleagues from across the nation; a chance to talk to former Newbery Committee members and a Newbery author, and suggestions for programming using Newbery-winning books. This grant will help defray the cost of the class.
The other recipient is Erin Davison, Youth Services Librarian at Norwich Public Library. She will be attending the NELA 2022 Annual Conference. 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. This grant will help defray the costs of the conference.
Spring 2022
Bree Drapa
The VLA Scholarship and Awards Committee is pleased to announce that the Spring 2022 VLA Professional Development Grant has a winner! The worthy recipient is Bree Drapa, director of Westford Public Library. Bree is part of the Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) Outstanding in Their Field Leadership Institute, and she will be attending the ARSL Conference in Chattanooga. This grant will help Bree defray some of her traveling costs.
Fall 2019
The VLA Scholarship and Awards Committee is pleased to announce that the Fall 2019 VLA Professional Development Grant (formerly the Continuing Education Grant) has two winners! The worthy recipients who split the grant monies were Margaret Woodruff, Director of the Charlotte Library and Abigail Maier Johnson, Children’s Librarian at the Cobleigh Library in Lyndonville. Both recipients participated in continuing education through the Library Juice Academy – Margaret’s class was titled “Incorporating Sustainability into Information Literacy, Library Programs, and Library Organizations” and Abby’s “Technology, Literacy, and Young Children: Media Mentorship for Newborns to Five-Year-Olds and Their Families.”
Read Abby’s report on Media Mentorship with Our Youngest Library Users and Their Families
Graduate Student Scholarship Recipients
2022
Wendy Sharkey
The VLA Scholarship and Awards Committee is pleased to announce that the 2022 Graduate Student Scholarship was awarded to Wendy Sharkey. Wendy was born and raised in England and still has a bit of an accent even after living in Bennington, Vermont, for 30 years. When she first came to Vermont, she was unable to work, so she volunteered at the library, volunteering became part-time, part-time became more time until she became a full-time employee. Wendy is currently head of circulation, IT, and the lone cataloger, enjoying her 24th year at Bennington Free Library.
Wendy’s background is in engineering. She earned a Masters in Applied Mechanics almost 40 years ago, and started her career working for British Aerospace and Jaguar Cars. Wendy has a passion for problem solving and an eye for detail, and both of these attributes have helped in her current position. Life is always offering opportunities, and Wendy is a firm believer in grabbing them with both hands, and embracing them. Because of this belief, she is pursuing a Masters in Library Science at the University of North Texas.
Last update April 4, 2026. (sl)