Message from the President

Greetings, VALL members,

 

This is your friendly, neighborhood 2014-2015 President here with my first message and VALL update. It’s been nearly two months since the Spring Meeting, and things are already in full swing as we enter the summer (by the way, whatever happened to our spring weather?!).

 

The Spring Meeting was a great success, with close to thirty attendees. Members heard Kristin Glover from the University of Virginia Law Library talk about mindfulness and the law (why am I craving raisins all of a sudden?). Also, John Eller and Andrew Christensen from the Washington & Lee Law Library showed how law librarians can further service their legal communities outside of their traditional roles (I personally think every law library should have its own set of “librarian” trading cards).

 

Leadership Transition 

 

In addition, the leadership transition went smoothly. We welcomed new members to the Executive Board: Stephanie Miller as Vice- President/President-Elect, Chris Vassey as Secretary, and Andrew Winston as Director. Many thanks go to Lara Dresser and Heather Casey for their years of service to the board, and to Amy Wharton for her year-long tenure as President. Amy’s work as President has certainly set the bar high for me. So I will do my best to help make VALL an even stronger law library association this year! 

 

Membership Directory: 

 

One of the issues voted on during the Spring Meeting was the future of our VALL Membership Directory. By a majority vote, the directory will no longer be published in print, but exist as an online-only document. This move will ultimately save VALL a significant amount of money each year from publishing the directory. Because of security issues (personal names, phone numbers, etc.) and questions about where to have the actual online directory in place, the transition is currently an ongoing one. We will keep you informed as our membership directory goes through the change from print to online. 

 

VALL 30^th Anniversary Memory Book: 

 

We are continuing to acknowledge and celebrate our 30^th year as a law library association this year! As part of the celebration, the 30^th Anniversary Committee has been hard at work in creating a VALL Memory Book. If you have any VALL memories or thoughts that you would like to share, the committee would love to hear from you. Please contact Sally Wambold at swambold@richmond.edu or you can post your comments on the blog under the Memory Book entry.

In addition, keep an eye out on our blog for future posts from the committee, of interviews and remembrances from previous and current VALL chapter leaders and members.

 

Step up and volunteer in a VALL Committee: 

 

Do you want to become more involved in VALL? Volunteering in a committee is a great way to start. It really doesn’t take too much of your time. Plus, you’ll get to meet and work with your fellow VALL members. This year’s standing committees are currently being formed - the list of committees can be found on the wiki and on this blog (scroll down just past the Executive Board members). So if you are interested, please contact the appropriate committee chair, or you can contact me. Thanks! 

VALL at AALL: 

If you are attending AALL in San Antonio, please attend the VALL Lunch Meeting on Monday, July 14, at noon at Paesano’s Riverwalk Restaurant at 111 W. Crockett St. The venue is about an eight minute walk from the Convention Center. The registration fee is $20 for VALL members, $25 for non-members.

Please RSVP by Monday, June 30. For a registration form, you can visit the VALL Wiki at http://vall.pbworks.com/ or contact Stephanie Miller at millersc@wlu.edu.

Also, if you haven’t yet registered for AALL, do so by June 6 to save $100 on the registration fee!

 

Chapter Leadership Handbook: 

 

It has been several years since its last revision, so we are currently in the process of updating the VALL Leadership Handbook. We will keep you up to date of its progress.

Well, that has been your first message and update from me, VALL members. There are many more exciting plans in the works during our 30^th year. So be sure to keep an eye out on our listserv, Wiki and blog for up to date news and information.

A final note: I am truly honored to be your VALL President during this milestone year. As your President, I will do my very best to represent you and our association in the legal community. However, while I am the President, this is still your association - I am here for you! If you ever have any questions or concerns about VALL, please don’t hesitate to contact me at balmoite@courts.state.va.us.

Thanks and enjoy the summer, everyone!

 

 Ben Almoite