Vermont School Library Association

The theme of the 2009 Vermont Library Association Conference will be
Speaking Up! Advocacy for Libraries
May 12 & 13, 2009
Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center ~ South Burlington, Vermont

“Isn’t the Internet going to put public libraries out of business?”
“Why do we need school librarians when we can find everything we need online?”
“Why do we need a campus library when students can do their research on the Internet?” (Library Advocate’s Handbook, ALA).

Library advocates must adapt to a changing and not always sympathetic political and social environment.  We need to be able to explain the role of libraries in the 21st century in order to maintain funding, keep
certified staff in school libraries, and to be a voice for policy issues ranging from intellectual property to intellectual freedom and protection of privacy.

It is our hope that the 2009 Conference will offer programs that give us the tools and knowledge to explain the importance of libraries to our communities, legislators and funding organizations.  We would like to
build our own strength as advocates, and also help others – boards, friends, principals, administrators, and community members – to become strong advocates for libraries and their staff.  We are looking for
programming at the 2009 Conference that will help us spread the word that libraries:

• are part of the solution to larger problems such as those related to literacy, workforce productivity, crime;
• have been shown to greatly impact student achievement when staffed with a certified school librarian;
  prepare children to live, work, and govern in the 21st century;
• are cultural and economic assets to democracy, by preserving and promoting our history and culture;
  are an information gateway for all, especially for poor, minority, immigrant and rural populations;
• libraries serve as centers for education, employment and recreation.

Some ideas for programs may include:

• Using statistics – where you find them, how to use them effectively
• Speaking to administrators, school boards, news, groups
• Handling difficult situations
• Creatively publicizing your work and the work of your students
• Shrinking budgets: justifying the need for certified school librarians in tight financial times
• Needs assessments of users, your school, and the community
• The future of libraries
• Celebrating the future of libraries in our schools: every student is a patron!
• School Libraries and Student Achievement
• Developing relationships with potential advocates and gaining community support
• Locating and tapping into creative funding sources

Please use the proposal form and instructions below, and send us your ideas!  The proposal could be a speaker you know, yourself, a panel discussion, a poster session about something your library has done that
has been effective, or some other type of presentation or discussion that will enliven, enthuse and inspire the attendees of the conference.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Barbara Doyle-Wilch & Sara Goldstein
Vermont Library Conference 2009 Co-Chairs

Email your proposals to vermontlibraries (at) gmail.com

Program proposals due on October 31, 2008.

Proposal Form and Instructions, both in .doc format 

Proposal Form and Instructions, both in .pdf format