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Trustees, Friends, & Foundations |
August 2025 |  |
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Welcome to the Trustees, Friends, & Foundations Newsletter!
A monthly update on items relevant to those
who work as or with Library Trustees, Friends, and Foundations.
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| August 11, 2025
"What can I say about A Taste for Books? At Samuels Public Library in Warren County, Virginia, it’s more than a fundraiser — it’s the party of the year. As a one-branch system serving a community of around 41,000, we rely on fundraising not just for survival, but for growth. While local government support ideally provides for basic operations, fundraising is what allows us to expand services, improve facilities, and acquire new resources.
Our annual fundraiser has grown into one of the most anticipated events in the county. The event blends creativity, community engagement, and a touch of friendly competition — all in support of the library’s mission..." |
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August 19, 2025
"The Public Library Association (PLA) today launched a suite of outcome measurement resources developed as part of the Project Outcome toolkit. The new webpages culminate a decade of work dedicated to sharing the impact of public library services and programs via simple surveys and an easy process to measure and analyze patron outcomes. The “Utilizing Outcome Measurement to Improve Library Services” webinar on August 28 will guide participants through the templates and tools.
When first funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2015, Project Outcome aimed to enlist 250 public libraries in measuring outcomes. PLA more than tripled this number in the first year after launch with 900 libraries running surveys. In the last ten years, more than 2,600 libraries collected almost 500,000 patron responses through more than 38,000 surveys on the Project Outcome platform..." |
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Sign Up with the Virginia Library Association as an Advocate!
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Click HERE and sign up for the VLA Advocacy Center Mailing List to make sure you're receiving Virginia action alerts and updates on policy issues related to the library field. This will help you keep abreast of legislation that could affect your local library and community.
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Federal Funding & Virginia Libraries
(Status - As of August)
Regarding the federal funding as it applies to Virginia public libraries and Executive Order 14238 in the reduction of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Remains the Same:
All states that receive an annual allotment from the IMLS Grants to States program have now been awarded a full allotment for the next fiscal year. What this means is that Virginia LSTA funding, which is about $4.3M per year, will continue through September 30, 2026. There are no anticipated changes in funding for at least the next 15+ months. This is primarily due to the preliminary injunction in Rhode Island v. Trump that prohibits the continued dismantling of IMLS until that case is resolved. This means that things that impact your public libraries, like the Find It Virginia databases, library consulting, Niche Academy, and other resources, will remain in place for this same period. The Library of Virginia will continue to move forward on the various projects funded by LSTA.
New News: Federal funding levels for beyond the above are still unknown. The original budget only had $6 million in it to "close out" IMLS as an agency. That being said, the Senate Report 119-55 for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2026 has included $291,800,000 in its appropriations for IMLS in 2026, with the LSTA Grants to States being funded at $183,000,000. This latter amount is what funds the work of the Library Development division of the Library of Virginia in support of public libraries across the Commonwealth. It's important to note that while the amount is in the Senate Appropriations Bill, Congress is currently in recess, and the House version does not yet appear to be available.
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UNITED FOR LIBRARIES RESOURCES |
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Virginia library staff and stakeholders (folks like
you!) have access to a whole host of resources from United for Libraries.
Click to get the CHEAT SHEET signed up and in.
| Already signed up? Click HERE to access everything through the ALA eLearning Platform! |
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Practical Policy Management: A Guide for Trustees
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 -- 2:00p-3:00p
Policy is essential to smooth library operations, and ensuring equality of access for all patrons, but is often seen as an obstacle to progress or a difficult task to be accomplished once and never seen again. This program is designed to educate both library trustees and directors of the statutory responsibility of library trustees in creating policy, as well as practical steps for creating, maintaining, and managing effective policy, including ensuring collaboration between director, staff, and board during the process. The program will also offer practical suggestions for policy creation, procedures for periodic policy evaluation, and ways to streamline the policy process. |
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Library Policy Retreat for Boards: Intellectual Freedom and Artificial Intelligence
Saturday, September 27, 2025 -- 12:00p -- Free Registration for VA Libraries!
Retreat Description
United for Libraries presents a virtual retreat for library Boards/Trustees and those who work with them. This three-hour session is designed for board members and directors to attend individually, or as a group assembled in a library meeting room. The retreat will be held in two parts, with the first session focusing on library policies and intellectual freedom, including best practices for the everyday functions of the library and patron privacy. The second session will address how AI can be strategically implemented in the library, and what boards need to know about AI and policies. |
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Public Charities Can Advocate and Lobby: How Your 501(c)(3) Friends of the Library Group or Library Foundation Can Influence Policy for the Greater Good
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 -- 3:00p -- Free Registration for VA Libraries!
When our laws and policies work for us, our communities win. Nonprofits have a close-up view of community needs, and can and should take advantage of their right to influence law and policy. After this workshop, you will have a clear understanding of the advocacy activities you can engage in, and how to maximize your non-lobbying advocacy when representing 501(c)(3) public charities, including public and community foundations. |
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| Librarians, Legislation, and Media Training: Successfully Advocate for Libraries in Legislature and Your Local Community |
Learn how to track library-related legislation and testify in front of legislators from grassroots advocates and librarians who have successfully lobbied for libraries in their states. And hear from EveryLibrary's John Chrastka on how to craft the appropriate library message for your community and the audience, as well as when it's best not to say anything at all.
(Occurs: 8.22.25 - 3p) |
| Register Here
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10 Quick Tips to Super Charge Your Next Fundraising Appeal |
Join fundraising master trainer, Chad Barger, ACFRE, ACNP, for a review of the best practices in writing fundraising appeal letters. Chad will boil down the research from top fundraising experts to provide actionable tips on both how to write content that spurs action and how to actually get prospects to open the envelope.
(Occurs: 8.25.25 - 1p) |
| Register Here
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| Inclusive and Impactful: Reinventing Your Meeting Culture |
Meetings should be productive and have a purpose. Many times, staff members dread meetings and would rather do anything but attend them. This session will introduce and reaffirm various components of hosting and attending meetings. We will discuss group dynamics, active listening skills, conflict management, creating an inclusive environment, and communicating clear meeting guidelines, instructions, and outcomes.
(Occurs: 8.27.25 - 2p) |
| Register Here
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Trustee, Friends, and Foundation members have access to the Library of Virginia's Niche Academy, a place for online learning.
Please note, if you register with a non-library issued e-mail address, someone from the Library of Virginia will follow up with you to confirm that you are affiliated with a Virginia library before you can access the content. |
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Click on the image to learn more about each title, and then use your local library to request them from the Library of Virginia.
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"We are librarians. So let's go save the world."
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- Tara Cooper, Media Specialist, Columbus City Schools, OH - presenter at ALA Annual 2025
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This newsletter is brought to you by the Library Development division of the Library of Virginia. Funding for this is provided through the Virginia General Assembly and the Institute for Museum and Library Studies (IMLS).
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