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May 2025 | |
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Adult Services Notes |
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LVA, LSTA Funding, & Virginia Libraries
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Some good news on the IMLS front from Librarian of Virginia, Dennis Clark:
As of [4/24] all state libraries (except for California, Washington, and Connecticut) received an FFY25 (10/25-9/26) award notification for their grants to states programs. Each of those awards, including ours, is for 50% of the FFY24 award. We do not know if we will receive the remainder of our allotment in the future, but I feel much better about expecting that we will.
What this means:
LVA doesn’t have to think about layoffs right now. Without this award, LVA would have to had made decisions by September – at the latest – about layoffs beginning in October. That eventuality has been pushed back, at least 6 months, and hopefully indefinitely. The state 5-year LSTA plan is still in effect. We’ll keep moving forward on those projects. The “Find It Virginia” databases, library consulting, Niche academy, and the like resources that are so important for public and school libraries remain in place.
This is a very positive note to start off the month of May. Feel free to use the infographic below to help answer questions your users might have about how LSTA funding supports Virginia libraries. |
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Recently Added LVA Training
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Volunteers in the Library
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Volunteers - when properly recruited, interviewed, trained, placed, and supported - provide a tremendous source of assistance for public libraries and the communities that they serve.
Seeing and treating volunteers as valued members of the library's team helps create productive, positive resources for the library that strengthen its connections to the community. |
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Working with volunteers can be tricky though; what are the best ways to communicate with them? What if they aren’t a good fit for your organization? How can you recruit them? Find out how to build a strong team of volunteers at your library with this Niche Academy pathway.
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Niche Academy is open to all Virginia library staff members and library associates such as trustees and Friends board members. If you do not have a Niche Academy account, please use your library email address to sign up. If you do not have a library work email, you may register with a personal email, and we will contact you to confirm that you are affiliated with a Virginia library.
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News from Library Development
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UniversalClass has added over 90 new courses that are available to all Virginia library users. These free self-paced, online classes, taught by real human instructors, offer ways to build new skills and explore topics of interest, from computers to health to the supernatural.
Recently added courses cover a wide range of topics, including: |
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Advanced Feng Shui Techniques Butterflies Cryptids: Creatures of Folklore and Reality Project Management Essentials for Office Productivity Digital Wedding Photography 101 Freshwater Fishing 101 |
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Google Analytics 101 Time Travel Mysteries and Paradoxes Understanding Cryptocurrencies River Rhythms: A Beginner's Guide into Canoeing Fashion Design 101 and lots more |
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RUSA Online Training Reports
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In partnership with ALA's Reference and User Services Association, LDND is delighted to offer training opportunities for Virginia library staff. This winter, we were able to offer seats in RUSA's Cirtual Forum.
Scholarship recipients are asked to report out on key points or topics. Read the reports below.
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| RUSA Virtual Forum
Kareemah Hamdan, Henrico County Library
All in all, I enjoyed the entire forum, found the platform easy to use, and find myself leaning towards renewing my ALA membership to join a few of the sections that presented today. Here are some highlights.
The Art, Science, and Practicality of the Cook Book
was interested to hear the lists of what the presenters thought of as pros and cons of cook books they've encountered recently. I can see the value of having a matrix to judge what books to purchase but would be cautious of making it the final arbiter of what gets purchased and what left behind. Cook books are a great way to travel without leaving home. A few of the limiters the group used make their decision would knock many cook books out of contention when libraries need to have a mix of levels of ability, interests, and cost on offer.
Partnering with Professors Expanding One-off Class Instruction for Custom Course Videos
This session basically underlined a problem with vendors not providing properly created support documentation and resources for their product. For what libraries pay for databases, it is unfortunate that staff have to take time out of their already heavy workloads to teach students basic use of something they pay for. The amount of work the presenter is having to do repeatedly is disheartening when they really could be doing in depth custom teaching.
Genealogical Research for African Americans and Asian Americans: Tools and Strategies to Support Family History Researchers
I am so glad I had been able to watch the whole presentation for Genealogical Research for African Americans and Asian Americans: Tools and Strategies to Support Family History Researchers. Within a day or two of the forum ending I received a chat question on this very topic and (I hope) I was better able to answer them than I may have been before. I was also glad to see the various websites for Asian Genealogy research websites and that the Roots Tech conference content was actually archived and available on virtual platforms for free.
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage |
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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) is an important part of the Virginia experience. The Library of Virginia has compiled a useful set of APIDA resources available in our collections as well as from other organizations.
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Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program
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"Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it."
The Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program provides $10,000 in funding for small U.S. cities and towns (populations under 30,000) to start the Community Heart & Soul program. |
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Community Heart & Soul efforts must be planned and led by at least five residents who are directly affiliated with and reside in the community. There must be a lead organization that is a local government, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or an informal resident-led group with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. Funding requires a $10,000 cash match. Grant applications are reviewed on a monthly basis.
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Readers' Advisory Tips and Tricks
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Whether it's a classic novel or a contemporary memoir, each year sees Hollywood and streaming services mining literature for movie ideas.
These films can be a great opportunity to connect with your reading community and to bring in new readers who might be interested in exploring the originals of a film they have enjoyed. |
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NoveList Plus has a great resource for keeping up with books made into films, the annual page to screen list. Check out the current 2025 Page to Screen list, which includes the Bob Dylan biographical drama A Complete Unknown, Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys, and Conclave, by Robert Harris.
The list is constantly being refreshed, so be sure to check back regularly to see what new titles have been added. |
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Featured Virginia Programs
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Appomattox Regional Library System
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Annual Weston Lecture Series |
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We are excited to share our Annual Lecture Series, a unique program that brings together history enthusiasts and community members for engaging discussions and presentations. Hosted in collaboration with the Historic Hopewell Foundation and the American Legion,
this series explores local history and culture every Wednesday from Noon to 1 PM during the summer quarter.
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This event is free and open to the public. Attendees can bring a bag lunch or order from the American Legion. Complimentary drinks and desserts are provided.
All lectures are posted on the Library's official YouTube page. Each week, the event spotlights a different speaker and topic, covering everything from the inspiring stories of local heroes to musical performances celebrating Americana. Attendees can enjoy engaging discussions, gain insights into local history, and meet fellow history buffs in a welcoming environment.
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For more info, contact Megan Ranes, mranes@arls.org
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Chesterfield Public Library
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Music of the Civil Rights Movement |
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Calvin Earl's efforts saw the African American Spiritual enshrined as a National Treasure in 2007. His musical performances touch on a number of genres, not just spiritual and/or music from the Civil Rights movement (we look forward to a concert from him using music from The Great American Songbook). He weaves stories throughout his performance and encourages audience participation.
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The library has hosted him twice and look forward to hosting him again. (https://www.calvinearl.com/). He travels from Charlottesville. Some comments from his most recent program:
The way the music was explained as a story that drew you in wanting more The program was very educational, engaging, well attended, and informative. The presenter was so knowledgeable and entertaining. The event was something I would have expected to have paid to attend. I hope the library continues to to offer such a wealth of informative and uplifting content. Bravo!!! Excellent!!! My husband and I really enjoyed the program. We grew up in Civil Rights era in New Orleans. The songs and the story telling by Mr. Earl were priceless. Even though this was a music program, I liked the fact that the performer talked to us. Example: you can hear that this song used the tune from an old spiritual. In one case he alternated verses from the spiritual and the Civil Rights song It was very educational. It was nice we could sing along sometimes. The performer obviously enjoyed the music |
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For more info, contact Jen Shepley, shepleyj@chesterfield.gov
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Recent articles on topics of interest to Adult Services |
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This newsletter is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is published by the Library of Virginia Library Development Division.
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