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

2024 Fall Professional Development Grant Applications Due August 1

Applications are due by Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, for the next round of Vermont Library Association Professional Development Grants. Up to $250 is available for VLA members to attend a professional development program such as a workshop, conference, or continuing education course. Priority is given by monetary need, library involvement, leadership, and commitment to Vermont libraries.

To be eligible, applicants must:
– Be an active VLA member;
– Live in Vermont and/or work in a Vermont library; and
– Have not received a scholarship from VLA in the past two years.

Winners will be notified on September 1. Grant recipients are required to write a brief account of their professional development opportunity for VLA News, our quarterly email newsletter.

Please visit our VLA Professional Development Grant web page for complete details and the application.

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)

The Working Group on the Status of Libraries in Vermont Receives 2024 Green Mountain Award

The Working Group on the Status of Libraries in Vermont received the Vermont Library Association’s 2024 Green Mountain Award, which recognizes outstanding service, support, or exceptional contributions to Vermont libraries.

“The final, comprehensive report authored by the group lays out a series of important recommendations which are already resulting in significant legislative discussion at the Statehouse,” said VLA President Oceana Wilson in presenting the award.

Vermont Department of Libraries State Librarian and Library Commissioner Catherine Delneo served as the Working Group’s Chair, and Assistant State Librarian Tom McMurdo served as chair prior to her tenure. Other members of the group were:

Kelly McCagg – Vermont Library Association President (2022-2023) and Past President (2023-2024), and Director of Burnham Memorial Library
Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup – Executive Director of the Vermont Humanities Council
Jeannette Bair – Public Library Representative, Retired Director, Rochester Public Library
Susan O’Connell – Public Library Representative, Director, Craftsbury Public Library
Wendy Sharkey – Public Library Representative, Director, Bennington Free Library
Meg Allison – Past-President, Legislative Concerns Chair, Vermont School Library Association, Librarian, U32 High School, Montpelier
Karen McCalla – Vermont School Library Association Representative, Teacher Librarian, Mill River Union Middle/High School, North Clarendon
Maria Avery – Academic Library Representative, University of Vermont Libraries, Burlington
Denise Hersey – Academic Library Representative, Director, Dana Health Sciences Library, University of Vermont, Burlington
Andy Kolovos – Friends and Trustees Section Representative, Vermont Library Association, Trustee, Brownell Library, Associate Director and Archivist, Vermont Folklife, Middlebury

Thank you to Jonathan Clark of the Vermont Department of Libraries for the photo of members of the working group receiving the award at VLA’s May 2024 conference.

Last update June 12, 2024

Vermont Library Freedom to Read Statement

Intellectual freedom is the right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedom is one of the core values of the library profession and a basic right in our democratic society; it promotes access to information and guides the defense against censorship.

In 1953, the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers jointly released The Freedom to Read Statement. This statement reminded us that, “The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack” (ALA, 2004). Now, seventy years later, a resurgence of attacks on the freedom to read again threatens our democracy. Calls for book bans, the adoption of unconstitutional legislation, and campaigns to criminalize librarians for distributing materials protected by the First Amendment threaten our fundamental liberties.

Vermont librarians are joining together to emphatically reaffirm their commitment to the values expressed in the American Library Association’s intellectual freedom documents, including The Freedom to Read Statement. We believe all Vermonters deserve free access to materials that function as windows and mirrors, both reflecting individuals’ experiences and providing expanded, diverse views of the world (Bishop, 1990). We also believe that people are only truly free when they can read freely.

Jointly issued by the governing boards of the Vermont School Library Association and the Vermont Library Association, January 2024.

REFERENCES

American Library Association. “The Freedom To Read Statement.” ALA Advocacy, 2004,
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement

Bishop, Rudine Simms. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, vol. 6, no. 3, 1990.
https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf

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

Procedure for Developing a Vermont Library Association Issue Statement

1 – Any Vermont Library Association (VLA) member may propose that VLA develop a statement around an issue by emailing their suggestion to VLA’s executive committee. Executive committee member names and emails are on this page: https://vermontlibraries.org/about/directory

2 – The executive committee votes on this, assigns someone to draft the statement, and alerts the entire board and the person who submitted the suggestion that this is in progress. The board has three to five days to finalize the vote. If the executive committee votes not to write a statement on the suggested issue, the president will email the person who made the suggestion with the reason.

3 – Once the statement is drafted, it is reviewed by the entire board with suggestions to the author. The entire board has three to five days to comment on the draft.

4 – A second draft based on edits from the suggestions is shared with the entire membership for comment. The membership is given five to seven business days to comment on the draft.

5 – If there are no significant changes to the substance of the statement based on edits from the comment period then the statement is final. If there are significant changes to the substance of the statement based on edits from the comment period then the revised statement should be approved by a majority of the board. The board has three working days to approve.

6 – The final statement is emailed by the president to the digital communications coordinator/s (https://vermontlibraries.org/about/directory) for posting to VLA’s website and social media accounts; and to all current members. The board may decide to also issue a press release.

7 – These timelines are guidelines and may be adjusted due to unforeseen issues.

Informational press releases may be published by a variety of section leaders without prior approval.

Adopted by the Vermont Library Association Board of Trustees, November 2023

Franklin County Vermont Public Library Tour November 17

Franklin County is chock full of wonderful public libraries. Come see the buildings, meet the staff, and admire how these libraries do what Vermont libraries do. This is a great opportunity to meet other librarians and other library lovers. This Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, tour is organized by Josh Worman, director of Haston Library, and the other libraries of FLARE — Franklin Libraries Are Really Excellent. Youth librarians, you won’t want to miss the light-filled second floor spaces dedicated to youth at St. Albans Free Library.

10 a.m. Enosburgh Public Library
11 a.m.. Haston Library
12 p.m. Swanton Public Library
1 p.m. Lunch at St. Albans Free Library – BYO lunch or buy locally

2 p.m. St. Albans Free Library (with coffee bar – yay!)
3 p.m. Fairfax Community Library

Catherine Goldsmith
President, VLA Public Libraries Section
Director, Starksboro Public Library

Working Group on the Status of Libraries in Vermont Final Report

The Working Group on the Status of Libraries in Vermont submitted their final report to the Vermont General Assembly on November 1, 2023.

The group was formed in 2021 when the Vermont State Legislature passed Act 66 (S.115) “relating to making miscellaneous changes in education laws”, which was signed by Governor Phil Scott on June 7, 2021. The group was charged with studying the state’s libraries with the goal of strengthening and supporting libraries of all sizes and improving library services for the public.

The 939-page report is available on the Vermont General Assembly website at Working Group on the Status of Libraries in Vermont. It covers facilities, technology, collections, programming, inclusive and accessible services, intellectual freedom, library structures and organizations, staffing, continuing education, emergency preparedness, safety, and social services.

“Not only will the report start important conversations among municipal and library leaders, but it will also serve as a reference about the invaluable services libraries provide in this state for many years to come,” said State Librarian and Commissioner of Libraries Catherine Delneo, who chaired the working group. “It is an important mirror for the library community that provides context for decision makers, library workers, and the Vermonters we serve.”

The members of the working group were:

Maria Avery, MA, Community Outreach Manager, University of Vermont Libraries (Burlington), Academic Library Representative

Jeannette Bair, Retired, Former Director of Rochester Public Library (Rochester), Public Library Representative

Meg Boisseau Allison, M.Ed., High School Librarian, U-32 High School (Montpelier), Past President (2020-2023) and Legislative Concerns Chair (2023-2026) of the Vermont School Library Association

Catherine Delneo, MLS, Working Group Chair, State Librarian and Commissioner of the Department of Libraries (Barre)

Denise Hersey, MA, MLS, Director, Dana Health Sciences Library, University of Vermont (Burlington), Academic Library Representative

Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup, MScm, Executive Director, Vermont Humanities (Montpelier)

Andy Kolovos, MLS, PhD, Associate Director and Archivist, Vermont Folklife (Middlebury), Trustee, Brownell Library (Essex Junction), Friends and Trustees Section Representative, Vermont Library Association

Kelly McCagg, MLS, CPLA Director, Burnham Memorial Library (Colchester), Vice President (2021-2022), President (2022-2023), and Past President (2023-2024) of the Vermont Library Association

Karen McCalla, MLS, Teacher Librarian, Mill River Union Middle/High School (North Clarendon), Representative, Vermont School Library Association

Susan O’Connell, MLSm Director, Craftsbury Public Library (Craftsbury), Public Library Representative

Wendy Sharkey, MSc, MLS, (Expected December 2023) Head of Circulation Department, IT, and Cataloging, Bennington Free Library, Public Library Representative

Last update January 16, 2024

ALA Donates $3,500 to Assist Vermont Libraries Damaged by Floods, Encourages More Donations

Catastrophic flooding in July 2023 impacted the state of Vermont, including many libraries. Seventeen public libraries suffered damage to their buildings and loss of resources. Thanks to support from American Library Association (ALA) members and other library supporters around the country, the ALA Disaster Relief Fund is sending $3,500 to the Vermont Library Association (VLA) to disburse to those libraries hardest hit and in need of financial assistance.

Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, the state capitol, suffered major damage to infrastructure and was not open to the public for several months. Staff provided curbside pickup of library materials and provided internet access outside the building.

Johnson Public Library is providing library services from its temporary location in the Johnson Masonic Temple, while work on the library building continues. Post-flood building repairs at the Johnson Public Library building include heating, electrical, flooring, and insulation installation.

Water flooded the South Londonderry Free Library through both the roof and the basement during the storms. The library continued service to the public despite having on-going repairs.

“ALA thanks the Vermont Department of Libraries and the Vermont Library Association for their support and assistance to library staff and the communities they serve,” said Michael Dowling, director of the ALA Chapter Relations Office, in a press release.

The American Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund provides monies 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 can be made on the ALA Disaster Relief Fund web page. Please type “Vermont” in the tribute line.

The American Library Association is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services.