The Virginia Library Association (VLA) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

whose purpose is "to develop, promote, and improve library and information services, library staff, and the profession of librarianship in order to advance literacy and learning and to ensure access to information in the Commonwealth of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

."VLA Manual & By-Laws 2013 Revision http://www.vla.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Manual-February-2013-Revision-A.pdf The VLA is divided into six regions. It maintains the VLA Jobline, a list of jobs available in libraries throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

History

The VLA was founded in 1905 when

John Pendleton Kennedy John Pendleton Kennedy (October 25, 1795 – August 18, 1870) was an American novelist, lawyer and Whig politician who served as United States Secretary of the Navy from July 26, 1852, to March 4, 1853, during the administration of President Mi ...

, who served as Virginia State Librarian from 1903 to 1907, organized a meeting in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

to discuss forming a statewide library association. The state library was selected as the home of the new organization.The Virginia Library Association: A Retrospective http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VALib/v51_n3/altshuler.html

Membership

VLA membership is open to any person, organization, or library. Honorary Life Memberships may be bestowed upon nominated individuals selected by the Awards and Recognition Committee, approved by the Executive Committee, and affirmed by VLA members on the annual ballot.

Organizational structure

The Council of the Virginia Library Association is the governing body of the organization. A quorum consists of one half of the voting members of the Council plus one. The elected officers of the VLA comprise the Executive Committee. Those positions include: President, Vice President/President-elect, Second Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Executive Committee designates an Executive Director.

Advocacy

The VLA has been a strong advocate in support of adequate funding for libraries, convincing the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

to appropriate $50,000 for

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamenta ...

in the first such law to establish state aid in 1942. In the 1950s and 60s, the VLA took a stand to combat

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

and support

intellectual freedom Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas without restriction. Viewed as an integral component of a democratic society, intellectual freedom protects an individual's right to access, explore, consider, and ...

. In the 1970s, the VLA encouraged its members to become involved in letter writing campaigns to legislators and began participating in the annual Library Legislative Day, when members travel to Washington, D.C. to advocate concerns to congressmen and senators.

Major publications

''Virginia Libraries'' was launched in April 1928 and initially served as the unofficial vehicle of the Virginia Library Association. It is now recognized as the official publication of the association and continues to be published quarterly. Archived copies from 1996 to the present are located on the

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

Digital Library and Archives Electronic Journals website. The ''VLA Newsletter'' was published from 1987 through 2010. Archived copies from February 1995 through 2010 are located on the Virginia Library Association website.

Conferences

The VLA sponsors an Annual Conference and a

Paraprofessional Paraprofessional is a title given to individuals in various occupational fields, such as education, librarianship, healthcare, engineering, and law. Historically, paraprofessionals assisted the master professional of their field. In more recent tim ...

Annual Conference.

Awards

The VLA sponsors several awards, to include the following:Altshura, Alyssa (2005). "Virginia Library Association Awards," ''Virginia Libraries'', 51(3). *

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...

Award goes to an individual librarian; a library; a person or organization distinguished for advocacy for of libraries and/or information access; or to a person, business, or academic program whose activity has contributed to the development, growth, and extension of library and information services in the local community, the state, or the nation. *Trustee Library Award is given in recognition of distinguished service to libraries or a library in Virginia. *

Friends of the Library Friends of Libraries (also Friends of the Library and may be shortened to Friends) are non-profit, charitable groups formed to support libraries in their communities. Support from the Friends groups may be financial, political and cultural. Groups ...

Award is given to one or more Friends groups in recognition of distinguished service to libraries or a library in Virginia. *Honorary Life Membership is awarded to trustees or former trustees, Friends of Virginia libraries, and Virginia librarians and paraprofessionals who hold membership and have made outstanding contributions to Virginia librarianship. *Jefferson Cup Award is given in recognition of distinguished work of American biography, historian fiction, or history for young people. The awards seeks to promote reading about America's past, encourage quality writing of U.S. history/biography/historical fiction for young people, and to recognize authors in these disciplines. The Jefferson Cup Award is the only award that has been awarded annually since its inception.

References

External links

American Library AssociationVirginia Library Association

Southeastern Library Association
{{Authority control Virginia Tech Libraries in Virginia 1905 establishments in Virginia Library-related professional associations Organizations established in 1905