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