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.