Cy STAFF
Coeditors Dillon Ferrum College P.O. Box 1000 Ferrum, Virginia 24088 [phone] [e-mail] C. A. Gardner 723 Lucas Creek Road Newport News, Virginia 23602 [phone] [e-mail]
Virginia Libraries
July/August/September, 2004, Vol. 50, No. 3
COLUMNS
Cy Dillon and C. A. Gardner Edwin S. Clay III Sara B. Bearss, Ed. 2 3 28 Openers Presidents Column Virginia Reviews
Editorial Board Lydia C. Williams Longwood University Library Farmville, Virginia 23909 [phone] [e-mail] Ed Lener College Librarian for the Sciences Virginia Tech University Libraries P.O. Box 90001 Blacksburg, Virginia 24062-9001 [phone] [e-mail] Karen Dillon Manager, Library Services Carilion Health System P.O. Box 13367 Roanoke, Virginia 24033 [phone] [phone] (fax) [e-mail] Douglas Perry Director Hampton Public Library 4207 Victoria Blvd. Hampton, Virginia 23669 [phone] (extension 104) [phone] (fax) [e-mail]
FEATURES
James Rettig C. A. Gardner Karen Dillon 4 6 13 Art for Everyones Sake Painting out of the Past: An Interview with Jay S. Paul Virginia Health Information Outreach Planning: An Assessment of Health Information Needs in Virginia VLA Paraprofessional Forum 2004 Conference
Lydia C. Williams
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Editor, Virginia Books Sara B. Bearss Senior Editor, Dictionary of Virginia Biography The Library of Virginia 800 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219-8000 [e-mail]
On the cover: Jay S. Paul
Virginia Libraries is a quarterly journal published by the Virginia Library Association whose purpose is to develop, promote, and improve library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to advance literacy and learning and to ensure access to information in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The journal, distributed to the membership, is used as a vehicle for members to exchange information, ideas, and solutions to mutual problems in professional articles on current topics in the library and information eld. Views expressed in Virginia Libraries are not necessarily endorsed by the editor or editorial board. The Virginia Library Association (VLA) holds the copyright on all articles published in Virginia Libraries whether the articles appear in print or electronic format. Material may be reproduced for informational, educational, or recreational purposes provided the source of the material is cited. The print version of Virginia Libraries is designed by Lamp-Post Publicity in Meherrin, Virginia. The electronic version of Virginia Libraries is created by Virginia Techs Digital Library and Archives and is available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VALib or as a link from the Virginia Library Association web site at http://www.vla.org. Virginia Libraries is indexed in Library Literature, a database produced by the H.W. Wilson Company. Items for publication and editorial inquiries should be addressed to the editor. Inquiries regarding membership, subscriptions, advertising, or claims should be directed to VLA, P.O. Box 8277, Norfolk, VA 23503-0277. All personnel happenings and announcements should be sent to the VLA Newsletter, Audrey M. Kelly, 2320 Park Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220, [e-mail], 804-359-1925. Virginia Libraries is available by subscription at $25 per year. The guidelines for submissions to Virginia Libraries are found on page 14.
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OPENERS
Living with Art
by Cy Dillon and C. A. Gardner
Thou, silent form! dost tease us out of thought As doth eternity John Keats computer lab users when they need it most. In fact you probably have your own memories of looking up, in the midst of grim concentration on study or work, and seeing a work of art with an appreciation that is born of being caught off guard by sheer beauty. Those moments of reection and appreciation are something our patrons and our coworkers deserve. With this in mind, perhaps the continuing expansion of libraries into new and popular formats might one day take in art as well. A more cost-effective program for sharing art with patrons both in the library and at home might be implemented using prints in poster frames. Likewise, with many patrons possessing posters of their own that they no longer wish to display, a poster exchange or donation program might take place in a librarys lobby, similar to the paperback swap or ongoing book sale offered in some locales. At the same time, just as libraries circulate newspapers and magazines online, technology is already available to allow us to get great visual art into our users homes. Libraries that participate in ARTstor, for instance, have a virtual, around-theclock museum available for their patrons to use on site or online. There are also many free digital collections sponsored by libraries, and they often include sound les and videos as well as digital photographs. Libraries, whether brick and mortar or virtual, are logical places to display and enjoy art. We conclude with a note of thanks to Lydia Williams of Longwood University for coordinating our coverage of the twelfth annual conference of the VLA Paraprofessional Forum. As always, Lydia had the help of the VLAPF Executive Board, and she selected photographs from an epic collection by Pierre Courtois. Nevertheless, her dedication and timeliness deserve recognition, and they reect the level of quality fostered by VLAPF. VL
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eading Jim Rettigs article, Art for Everyone, reminded me what a pleasure it has been to spend the working days of the past twenty years in a facility that honors and displays ne art, and, in fact, cohabits with an art gallery. The Greer Galleries at Ferrum College have offered our patrons and our staff access to an exceptional variety of exhibits just a few steps from the reference room. There is an annual rhythm in the shows, with guest artists giving way to theme shows followed by student exhibits and rounded out by summer faculty shows. Each new selection of work refreshes our taste for creative efforts, and allows us to pause just enough to be reminded of the larger questions of life so often mentioned in our book collection but so seldom considered during working hours. It has also been a pleasure to extend this opportunity to enjoy art outside our galleries by hanging art in hallways, lobbies, ofces, lounges, and even in our stacks. While we cannot change this part of our collection as often as the galleries, generous donations from artists and selective purchasing of student works have allowed us to replace most of the somber portraits of forgotten dignitaries with paintings, prints, and photographs that draw the eyes and soothe or stimulate the minds of weary readers and
In fact you probably have your own memories of being caught off guard by sheer beauty.
One public library in Hampton Roads was able to offer a unique service some years ago: a circulating art collection. A group of paintings had been donated to the library specically for circulation. With more than enough art to ll the library walls, the library was able to offer patrons their choice of one painting per household to check out for one month, with the possible selections displayed all over the library. This not only allowed patrons to brighten their homes with intriguing paintings, it also ensured that the art displayed on the librarys walls was constantly changing. Unfortunately, loss eventually forced the library to discontinue this practice, but it was enjoyed immensely while still in operation, particularly by those who could not otherwise afford to hang ne art.
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PRESIDENTS COLUMN
Celebrate Our Dening Moments
by Edwin S. Clay III
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nce a year, we in the information business across Virginia gather to share our stories. When we meet in Williamsburg, October 2728, we again will be reminded what an exciting, dynamic time it is to be in the library world. Our 2004 VLA Conference, Dening Moments, is an opportunity to experience an array of workshops, panel discussions, and keynote addresses by peers and experts. As Ive mentioned before in this column, I am interested in dening moments. We experience them as individuals, but libraries experience such moments each day. Libraries as we know them are changing. Technology, scarce funding, and new demographics have all altered the way we do business. This year weve designed a conference that fosters conversation about what libraries are and what they want to be. We will begin with our Graphic Novels pre-conference on October 27 that features Michele Gorman. The regular conference opens with FUNdamentals of Humor, presented by Ron Culberson, a consultant who specializes in balancing serious issues with a light touch. It closes with Dr. Carla Hayden, past president of
ALA and recently named one of ten Ms. Women of the Year honorees. Throughout each day, however, we will have additional speakers, including Nancy Tessman, Director of the Salt Lake City Library, on the Unquiet Library and Seattles irrepressible Nancy Pearl, the model for the Librarian action gure as well as the force behind the One
lets meet and greet old friends and enjoy ourselves, but also talk about our dening moments.
Community/One Book initiative. Dont miss our Nancy Pearl LookAlike Contest at the Thursday evening wine-tasting event hosted by the Williamsburg Winery. VLA Conference 2004, Dening Moments also continues a tradition of creative programs developed by VLA members to share ideas and encourage dialogue among us all. Thanks to the ne efforts of Conference Chair Fran Millhouser and her planning committee, there is
denitely something for everyone whether you work in an academic, public, or special library. You can choose among numerous subject tracks, ranging from Academic and Facilities to Marketing, Staff Development, and Youth Services. Workshop titles include Wireless Crazy? and Aged to Perfection The Secrets of Marketing Library Services to Seniors to Ah Ha! Moments for Library Trustees, When Did You Realize Your E-Mail Was Not Private? and more than 60 other topics. As we gather at the Williamsburg Marriott in October, lets meet and greet old friends and enjoy ourselves, but also talk about our dening moments. Lets share the stories of how we impact our customers lives. Lets talk about our challenges, such as the mass exodus of our Baby Boomer staff. Lets talk about balancing private funding with ethical issues. Lets explore our virtual services and how they coexist with brick and mortar. Then, lets return home and act! For registration and accommodation information about the 2004 VLA Conference, Dening Moments, visit our website at www.vla.org. VL
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Art for Everyones Sake
by James Rettig
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useum-library collaboration can be very rewarding. At the national level, the Institute for Museum and Library Services rewards these partnerships in its grant programs. On the local level, library-museum collaborations can enrich both institutions, with or without grant money. An ongoing partnership between the library and the art museum at the University of Richmond, initially funded internally and later expanded through a onetime foundation grant, can be a model for other colleges and universities, and perhaps even for public libraries. During the summers of 2001, 2002, and 2003, the University of Richmond made a substantial investment to transform the public areas of Boatwright Memorial Librarys two main oors. On the rst oor, old banged-up furniture, space-wasting index tables holding rarely used print volumes, computer tables encircling snake pits of computer cables, and worn carpet collectively had an off-putting effect. On the second oor, stacks of bound periodicals rmly anchored an expanse of very durable 1970s orange carpet. That collection continued in an adjoining room. Some of the stacks in that room stood very close to the buildings front windows, denying library users the view of the campuss small lake. The work done over three summers has been
as dramatic as if one of the lakes resident ducks had transformed itself into the proverbial swan. New carpet in warm tones, computer stations designed to allow two students to roll wheeled chairs together to work collaboratively, soft chairs, new study tables, improved lighting, and fresh paint prompted new use patterns after the very rst summer. At the end of the summer it wasnt uncommon for returning students to walk into the library and stop and gape at the transformed rst oor and its new Research Commons. The gate count that year increased eighteen percent. Work the next summer on the second oor opened space next to
lakefront windows for soft seating and study tables, consolidated the two parts of the bound periodicals collection in an improved arrangement in one room, eliminated the notorious orange carpet, created more computer stations, and repeated in the new Upper Commons the best features of the rst oors Research Commons. The project budget included an allowance for permanent artwork. In August 2001 the universitys interior designer invited several gal-
James Rettig is University Librarian at Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond. He can be reached at [e-mail].
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lery owners to come and show us paintings and prints. The librarians concluded that we are experts in librarianship, not in visual art. In recent years the University of Richmond has been aggressively building its permanent collection of prints. The Art and Art History Department added a studio art faculty member who specializes in prints. A signicant gift from an alumnus and his wife to sustain the prints collection led the university to name it the Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center. Given these factors and the limits of our expertise, we recommended that the allocation for permanent artwork be entrusted to Dr. Richard Waller, the executive director of University Museums, to purchase additional works for the prints collection. He, after all, is an expert in visual art. That recommendation included two provisos. The rst was that the Museums take responsibility for hanging works from the prints collection in the library. The second was that the exhibit change every six months. Dr. Waller agreed to this enthusiastically. The arrangement benets both the library and the Museums. For the library, the changing exhibits keep the appearance of the walls fresh. Exhibit rotation allows the museum to display more of its collections each year. Art education, in a subtle way, takes place continuously in the library. A gallery-style caption beside each work identies its creator, title, and medium. Faculty and students appreciate the quality and thematic unity of the works on display. The arrangement between the library and the University Museums was more than a win-win deal; it was win-win-win. The improvements made in the second year doubled the amount of wall space available for art. To build
upon success, we approached a foundation with which the University of Richmond has an ongoing relationship. For some time, this foundation has made small grants each year to build up the music collections in targeted areas. In 2002, the library and museum submitted a proposal to the foundation not for new music materials, but for funding for more acquisitions for the permanent prints collection. This would benet the library by providing a greater range of prints for display on its walls. The benet to the prints collection is selfevident. The proposal was funded, the prints collection has been enhanced, and the library has beneted. The additional space available in the fall of 2002 allowed Richard Waller to diversify the sorts of works displayed. The rst oor has become gallery space for faculty and student art while the second oor
is a showcase for works from the prints collection. An annual gallery exhibit of student artwork has long provided exposure for students creations. Nevertheless, among student artists the library has become the preferred venue for their works to be on display. Their friends may visit the gallery the rst time just to see their work; but those friends frequent the library and will see the art more than once. (In the third year the gate count was more than 63,000 greater than in the rst year.) Furthermore, since the library also has many more visitors than the galleries, students who would not otherwise see their fellow students work not only see them, but also spend hours in their midst. The presence of original art of high quality has enhanced the signicant improvements made to librarys physical environment. Furthermore, the art has an educational purpose that resonates with the librarys academic mission. Many colleges and universities have galleries and museums. In every one of them there is an opportunity for the library to initiate a mutually benecial collaboration that will please library users. Libraries can also look beyond the horizons of their parent institution or government. At least one academic library in Virginia has a successful program in collaboration with a local art gallery to exhibit works. The library has been spared the need to nd money for what some might consider a frill; the gallery is able to exhibit (and sell) more works; and the artists receive public notice. Public libraries can also help to bring art to all. They may be able to arrange similar collaborations with local art museums or galleries. If so, it will be a win-win-win situation for the library, the museum, and the public. VL
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Painting out of the Past: An Interview with Jay S. Paul
by C. A. Gardner
n addition to his poetry collection Going Home in Flood Time (Ink Drop Press, 1999, ISBN 1-88001628-1), Jay S. Paul has published over 250 poems and numerous critical studies, book reviews, and short stories. He has been a nalist for the Virginia Prize for Poetry in 1990, the New Letters Literary Awards in 1986, and the State Street Chapbook Competition in 1985. The Best American Short Stories accorded him honorable mention in 1983. An English professor at Christopher Newport University, Dr. Paul teaches advanced writing classes in ction, poetry, and prose and a seminar for the honors program, which he also directs.
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The small Hudson River town in upstate New York where you grew up has been central to much of your work. Considering place as a motif, how would you describe that setting? I lived in Castleton-on-Hudson until 1966. Its on a hill in the Hudson River Valley region. Everythings on a slope. We lived right at the top, so youre always conscious of going up or down the hill and where you are in relation to the river. My parents built our house with land from my grandparents, who lived next door in the house they had inhabited since about 1910. It was like a throwback to another time, when people werent
mobile they planned to live there forever, and they thought that the way things were was the way things are going to stay. It was the kind of setting that lets you dig in and really understand it. This was a relatively rural area. Our little village had about 1,750 people in it, in two consecutive censuses. It was a static place, just on the edge of going downhill. When I grew up, there were still independent mom-and-pop drugstores and grocery stores it was almost a self-contained commun-
ity. Not long after that, things started closing down, moving away. Its become a commuter lifestyle. But when I was growing up, some people were still walking from the village to the factory to work. Ive always been fascinated by hints of the past in the people and the way of life. I was born in 1945 right before the end of World War II, so the war has been a really big event in my life it was so much in the air and the way people acted. There were a lot of veterans, and Memorial Day celebrations in those days were really important events. I had uncles who were in the army. Those are the kinds of things you just puzzle out. How did these adults become the way they are? How did this world that I nd myself in end up this way? Where did we all come from? Answering those questions was both easy and sort of a deprivation because there was no hurry. The people were there; they werent leaving. The same people, year after year which made it a very limited world, too.
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Has Virginia also inuenced your work? How does it differ from your earlier setting? Do you feel uprooted, or have you come to see Virginia as home? My current setting is suburban and highly transient, so theres a really big difference. I see Virgin-
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ia as home, absolutely. I felt more dislocated when we lived in the Midwest. I like it here; I feel comfortable here. When we lived in Illinois for seven years, there was no promise of stability. I was clinging to the edge there for about seven years. There was just no certainty of whether wed stay or not, so that was pretty unnerving. But Virginias been a good place. I really do take to these coastal places, and Ive always been fascinated by water. Speaking of water, in the two poems that share the title Going Home in Flood Time, you describe the terror and majestic force of the ood. Flood time is a powerful metaphor throughout the book, which depicts the impact of destructive forces lightning, war, age, disease, time, death on human lives. Water imagery recurs frequently. What are some of your personal experiences with ood time? The ood there was a time when I was obsessed with it. The river in particular has been a haunting image. It was such a presence there. It seemed big, though the James River is far more impressive. But when I was a kid, the Hudson still ooded. It was a big enough problem that they spent millions of dollars to build dams to control the ooding. My uncle was one of those people who helped ght the ood, with sandbags and all the rest. As a kid, I can remember standing partway down that hill looking at water ow into peoples houses. That was pretty amazing. After the ood would subside, wed go out driving just to see what had happened. I can remember landslides, and restraining walls that had to be rebuilt. It was a major shock to my imagination.
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There are two poems in the book that bear the same title as the collection. Did the title for the poems or the book come rst? The poems came rst. I wrote that rst poem in the seventies; its one of the oldest in the book. Most of the others are from the eighties and nineties. That Going Home in Flood Time was like the rst emergence of the vision of the way ooding ties into mortality. It took a long time to articulate. A lot of the images from the longer Going Home in Flood Time originally resided in other poems. I didnt even realize it was a whole idea for a long time. Then I nally pulled it together in the nineties after really feeling like I nished growing up. That poem in a way seems to have commemorated the completion of a process. Once I wrote that, the river didnt have as much draw. That image, that metaphor, that whole lode
is emptied now. Its time to move on to other things.
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THE BIG-EYED
Once a sh, after the ice, bumped the gravel of a muscular thaw, and I caught it on my short pole, its eyes open, its bones small. I savored the bigness of boots on the oor and loved the butter in the kitchen air. Mine the feat, the feature of the day huddled at the foot of a path. But my mother, steadying over the big-eyed thing, squinting with the fork to fry it right, something must have made her bite and land weeping in a bed she didnt own, tall and brittle, with no buttery pleasure, not even with the quickness of the worst river freeze: no, lasting like a glacier, the occasional collapse of a face meaning nothing but more of a face to fall.
Certain themes and subjects recur in your work, as with the life and death of your uncle Edward A. Dorn, depicted in December and Tall House. These poems each get at the experience from different angles, creating different moods. Do you deliberately set out to write poems on related themes for a more complete treatment of a subject? Do I look at things from other angles? Thats exactly right. I think you just say okay, I think I understand that one now, lets try something new and see what else I can get to. To me, writing poetry is really nding the metaphors that allow you a medium to say things. You can say things better when you say them through the metaphor. You can say them more wildly than the way were talking now. Thats what I value, those moments of occasional craziness or recklessness. A lot of thats nonsense, but sometimes it leads to something thats better than anything you could think out. Sometimes you have lines and you dont even understand what those lines are for a long time. Theyre compelling, you say them over and over again, they dont change a whole lot, but you just dont know where they belong, what theyre becoming.
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You have returned to Moordenerskill, the last poem in Going Home in Flood Time, condensing it and giving it the title August and More. Do you often revisit published work, or do you usually view your poems as nished? I do usually regard the poems as nished, but I nonetheless revisit them even-
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vidual you are part of an organism, a bigger unit. Youre yourself, but in a way, youre also continuing what earlier generations have done. Youve got similar talents or similar leanings or the same name. I grew up in one of those areas where there were relatives up and down the street. It felt like you were pulling at a membrane when you acted independently. Thats why I think this is all so resonant to me. But now and then I do get to write something thats totally different. It takes longer to absorb those things because Ive got Youve also said, At one time, all this other stuff there already. I thought I was writing to reAnything thats really important, member the past. Many of your you cant write about immediately. poems provide glimpses of your If someone dies that you family. Aside from the cared about, it takes a long changes made for the sake time to get to that, to nd of metaphor and narrative, TORCH a focus, a metaphor, a situhow closely do you follow memory when creating? ation that will open up the Trousered legs crowd the den; smoke poem for you. Something I dont think my submarbles the higher half of the air. Ive that causes you to let your jects are sheerly nostalheard the motory mumble and step mental or emotional guard gic, but theyre obviously down momentarily, that rooted deeply in the past. sleepily downstairs into light. My father, opens a door. Maybe its Ive been writing about a my uncles, even my grandfather in his vest not inspiration at all; maylot of them for a long time, smoke cigars, raise glasses of beer struggling with them. I be its just relief, release, dont want to just recreate something that triggers the hooraying in the room usually womens what happened. Technicalpoem and pulls everything my men, who let me go without shoes together. Thats when the ly, one of the most interestthe night the kerosene rag popped into ame poem gets to be fairly easy ing questions to me is how to write when everything I can take what Ive expeand my tallest uncle raised the pole. Their faces gets sucked in and coheres, rienced and extend it into went up with it, to see the caterpillars like iron lings to a magnet. the present to capitalize burn before they ate more apple leaves. Suddenly, so many different on the way a child holds things are related theyre onto things in the imaginaLimb after limb it ickered, until the tent all part of something thats tion, but still deal with it as amed, the worms in silhouette writhed. now just dening itself. If an adult. The shape hung, red-blue, in the back of my eye. youre a writer, thats what I write about family beyou want. Thats what you cause thats what I know Tonight they tell of a new baby my mother has wait for, prepare yourself best. But just because I write my brother. My tall uncle shakes my hand for. about them, I dont think sore. My grandfather knuckles my scalp. theyre the main subject. I think deep down theres Some poems, such as Face quivering, I hate the smelly room, some personal, aesthetic House of Worship, and them, each one above, laughing back and forth. combination of things that Her Dream Was of Water, I hate this brother, whoever he is, for falling out Im really concerned with. and Tall House are clearly I grew up around all these commemorative. You conalive, not hurt. I hate Hold on! Dad says, people who are essentially vey a strong sense of the squatting into my breathing to heave me private and not particularshape these characters and high and steer my ight to every smoky lip. subjects have given your ly articulate. I didnt hear tually. I read Moordenerskill a number of times to audiences, and I realized it just wasnt right. Robert Lowell talks about that, too thats partly how he learned to rewrite his poems into that radically new style. In reading his poems, he often didnt read the printed version. Ive found that theres lard in there. Its like a bad research paper; Ive kept some things from my sources that I really didnt need. It takes a while to sort all that out. With some poems, it takes longer than others.
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a whole lot of stories, so Ive had to tease out a lot of this and try to gure out what made these people tick. When you sit around wondering what youre going to write, your mind runs over those little shards of the world that you still have in your head. Those are the ones that you hope are going to turn at least translucent, if not transparent to open up, become something of a lens. Theres a poem in the book, Lily, about a family photograph, and one of the lines is, I am more / than solitary body, body not all there is. The poem imagines this incredible gathering of people with the idea that you are not an indi-
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theres nothing wrong with writing seems a particularly apt metaphor. life. Others suggest autobiography, something that doesnt come toWould you elaborate on your probut lack references that would conrm a specic connection. How gether. Its just another step. So Ive cess of creation? do you decide how much autobioI learned a lot by looking at become much more patient. other practitioners of the arts Getting started is really hard. graphical detail to impart? One of the best things I can do is poets, writers, visual artists. I was In some cases, I was reticent write about poetry rst read a really struck by the paintings of Anbecause I felt if I declared all book and copy down lines, or write this, it would somehow bring the drew Wyeth. While reading books in a notebook about whats there. poem down to a quotidian level. and looking at published sketches, it It helps turn my mind in the right I remember having a long period dawned on me that this whole idea direction. Ive also learned that you of debate with other writers about of sketching is a really good metacan write as unconsciously as poswhether you should include place phor. Thats one of the things that names. Any number of Midwestnally helped me relax and realize sible while youre still conscious that poetry is a long process, and and then look back afterward. And ern writers used place names in if I dont get too far the rst titles, and that astonished time I do that, its better to me. It never seemed easy stop, to go outside and weed or appropriate for me to do HER DREAM WAS OF WATER the garden. To keep inviting that. In Memory of Teresa Van Dover the muse, but not presuming I feel less protective of that kind of thing now. For some to say when it may arrive. Her dream was of water. Water because of these, where theres no inOne of the things that it was blue and lustrous. Because it lay Henry Taylor has struggled dication of who the people below her and yet before her, risen with is the problem of tryare, thats partly a matter of boundlessness, swelling. Water and not point of view. I wasnt trying ing to nish poems too fast. other than her, as its temperature, to hide it, it just didnt come That seems to me very good like a bodys, told, as the soft way up. But in other cases I have advice. If you think its nit blended with air told. Her body was denitely tried to be more ished, put it aside and go forgetting strength, forgetting movement, direct. Sometimes it works on to something else, then but she saw she was of air and water. better to just write it, not to come back and see if its still turn it into something else pulsing. Does it want to give They watched her in the pillow bone and hair too arbitrarily. I do think birth to something else? and eyes. They saw life, falling as uid theres a lot of reticence in Maybe theres a line missing, from a soothing bag, could not stay in her. me, and its not easy to write or maybe theres something from that personality. else you havent gotten yet. She must swim herself across the water. The big problem for me When my poems work, A woman would be there, stooping for her. is Im so interested in metatheyre pretty elaborate. You Like a grandmother, garbed in cleanliness; dont write those poems easphor that I sometimes ignore like a therapist, hands open and smooth. the emotions that ought to ily. Its such a convergence of She herself in the water and she be attached to it. Im essenthings that even for a small would see who would be waiting there. poem of relatively few lines, tially skirting the issue. Ive theres a lot of work before it had to gure out how to That was winter and anyone thinking can happen. Its one of the bring a variety of things toof water might have imagined the idling most exhausting things I gether. I dont always get it know. By the time Im really right. It takes a while to nd steam of difference above an icing nished, my body is empty that moment where things stream, water climbed out of itself to hang and my brain does not procan nally be expressed. I like unapproachable birds inside glass. duce words anymore in any keep learning. kind of coherent fashion. Its There must have been a shining commotion, a very strange feeling. During the 23rd Aneyelids twittering to understand who, where. I dont want to lose the nual Writers ConferThen they closed a great towel around her. density of my poetry, beence at CNU this March, you encouraged participants not cause I really do value that. Winds are blowing today, drying, and those to set out to write a poem at I think its possible to make with eyes and hands are looking for a print once, but to begin by sketchpoetry rich. But one of the of her on any edge she could have left. things Ive been trying to do ing, like visual artists. This
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You mention in the acknowledgements for Going Home in Flood Time that Hampton Roads at Dusk, The Place Came Over You, and West were inspired by paintings and collages of Jon Petruchyk. Has poetry always been a craft, Were these poems part of a a vocation? When did larger cycle of reections on you start to take your own his work? Have you writwork seriously? How have ONE SKIRT AND ANOTHER AND A THIRD you pursued a writing career? ten poems inspired by other And still they come and go works of art? I started writing poems Siegfried Sassoon in high school. I liked Jon Petruchyk and I were metaphor right from the befriends. Back in 1989-90, She whisked past the porch, a moment he thought of collaborating, ginning, because it allows of shade, sweaters over her coat, which turned out to be a reyou to be witty. Ingenuity marching her dandelions, her Queen Annes lace is obviously part of all this, ally interesting idea. I had to some funeral already over. She went trying to match up things been quite taken by some of and see what you can make. his paintings. I took my sabby often, like the bread man, the milkman, I really got hooked, but I batical that year, so I spent the garbage truck something since France didnt do any formal study of a lot of time trying to write shed always done, creative writing other than a from his work. I would take being a nurse in World War One. class in college and one in home a bunch of them and graduate school. I spent a just write about them, look Wherever in the decades she went, the way lot of time with friends and at them, describe them, freeared like re engines houses, trees, older writers when I was associate on them. I got some windows hoping to sleep night supposed to be writing my good poems out of that, and after night, going around going away. dissertation. We had a little he did some collages that inmagazine that we started I cluded some of the poems I Trenches, cut and citied with board and wire, can claim credit for being wrote. Then he did follow-up beaten by boots, linger in the earth. one of the rst to publish paintings, so we were going And the ways a person, ankles grown stout, Carolyn Forch. back and forth. I really like may pace in heavy stockings, torn or wet, I learned a lot about that kind of conversation. teaching writing while I was Im really interested in linger. Shell shock, they said, one skirt in grad school, and I went to music, too. In terms of the and another and a third, all at once like a closet every reading I could. With way I hear poems, music has or a history inside out, the teaching job came opprobably had as much of an hurrying opposite, whatever the street. impact listening to the portunities to do creative
is use a human voice to thin out that density, so that theres plenty to hear, but its easier to get the train of the narrative. Ive also gotten to be a lot more accurate in evaluating what I write. Some of the poems I published in the sixties and seventies were really beginners pieces. I had a long way to go before I got past that. At one time I was so glad to have things in print that I was cherishing everything, but I do know from reading other books that poets put out a lot of weak poems. Maybe they have a role in a book, but I dont look at poems that way. I think that each poem ought to justify itself somehow. And thats a really high standard, for a person who doesnt have all that much time to put into this in the rst place.
VL JP
writing. At NIU, I got chances to teach creative writing, and when I came here, I was actually hired to teach creative writing and American literature. By that point I had published quite a number of poems. I also continued to write scholarly and critical articles, which has been a really good thing, because I found myself dealing with the same themes in my poetry. Its a nice complementary activity. I think one of the most fortunate things for me is that coincidental with my career has been this explosion of interest in creative writing. When I was chair of the English Department, I put together the Creative Writing Concentration in the mid-1990s. What with keyword searching on the Internet, it really draws a lot of students. We can hardly keep up with it now.
VL JP
In addition to Going Home in Flood Time, where might an interested reader locate some of your work? Are there any plans for a new book? I have some poems posted at the English department website (http://www.cnu.edu/engl/jpaul poetry.html), including some that arent in the book. Ive been thinking a lot about putting together a new book, and thats one of the things I want to get started on this summer. Id like to just lay out all these poems and try to think about what can emerge, how this can nally cohere.
VL
JP
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way music is composed, and how you can play one movement off another.
VL
You do that with the title of Going Home in Flood Time the title of the collection also appears in the rst poem like an opening theme. Then the title is echoed in the nal section, and again in a longer poem within that section. Its like a recurring musical motif. Motif has always been an important concept to me. There are other poems in the book that do that. There are these little pieces called Morning, Up, and Down. And Morning acts as a prelude to Tall House as well. Id love to be able to do more of that, honestly. Its pretty hard to manipulate it that carefully.
JP
Youve mentioned that Part 4 of Going Home in Flood Time, What To Hand as Change, contains poems that are mostly set in Hampton Roads. I was particularly fascinated by Summerelds Daughter. What was the impetus behind that? Summerelds Daughter is denitely a Virginia poem. There was a Summereld family who were neighbors of ours. The poem is based on what really happened to him. He and his son got electrocuted by hitting a high power line. It was a horrible story. He stood out in his garden one day and told me about what it was like to have high voltage burning through your body. I wasnt thinking of a poem at that point; I was aghast. But what helped me write the poem was Dave Smith. Hes a really powerful narrative poet who weaves together all kinds of amazing things that stagger you. I think this whole idea of using direct ad-
VL
JP
dress, speaking to the daughter, and trying to use a lot of these rhetorical questions came out of reading his work its his rhetoric in a lot of ways, and probably to some extent his sensibility. The story was so shocking, and he writes a lot about violent stuff people doing hard labor, racial injustice as well as Virginia culture. A lot of the pieces in this section are about neighbors. Theres one about a woman who dies in a trafc accident, and another about a little kid whos mourning his dead father. Its always a matter of how you can get to the material. The poems were written about something in the past, but the present becomes the way to imagine it.
VL
It seems as though your neighborhood may have reawak-
ened your sense of being in a small town. Theres no question about that. Most of the people who lived there had once lived in towns at least as small as mine. It was that same kind of active neighborhood. People looked out for one another, helped each other, especially the older people who were sick. There were a lot of neighbors who did a lot for them over a period of years. One of the things I wrote about in the seventies was Old Testament subjects. Im really drawn to these stories, and I wanted to render them in my language. Looking back on it, I think I was trying to gure out how to write about a people, collectively. I think thats really what Ive been up to all along. Im interested in a people. I knew who that meant in my hometown. And in that neighborhood, there was just as much a sense of a people. A couple of them were born in the nineteenth century, and others were much younger; and though most of us were from Virginia, there were also military retirees, so you knew people from all over the place. In a sense, thats very similar to my hometown, because of all the immigrants. I like a sense of belonging to a place. Thats part of what I like about CNU the personal attachments. Ive always liked the camaraderie. When I walk around a place I like to say hello to people. Thats probably why I like working with students so much. Its really a lot more than teaching teaching is fun, teaching is great, but I like connecting with people and watching their development as they mature and get better at things.
JP
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VL Do you feelofconnected to a community writers? Ive been lucky to have a chance JP to be invited to some festivals
where a lot of writers from this area have participated. Probably the best connections have been with people at ODU. The workshops and friendships over there were very important to me for a long time. I met Phil Raisor the rst fall I was here, at the inaugural Writers Festival. Several years later, he started a workshop and invited me to attend. Though Ive run out of energy to keep doing it, I spent several years going over there once a month. I always liked the feeling of being over there for programs. When I had more time and energy, Id go to those writers festivals for half the week. There was another festival I really used to enjoy in Chesapeake at the Russell Memorial Library on Taylor Road. They always have
something focusing on poetry in February, but there were a couple of years where they had several dozen writers, mostly associated with Virginia, reading over a Friday and Saturday. Dave Smith was behind that. He has a pal who contributed to that library, and theyve got a great collection of poetry. Ive gone to VCU for a couple programs, and William and Mary. Id love to do more, but Ive gone to a lot of readings in my day. Ive heard some amazing people Jorge Luis Borges, Seamus Heaney, Derek Walcott. Theres a lot more I wish I had been old enough to hear some of these legendary writers. I can remember Robert Frost at Kennedys inauguration. He was so old at that point it was pretty hard for him to see in that blinding sunlight. So community has been important, theres no question about that. And it was true in Illinois, too.
That was one of the hard things about leaving Illinois I had already made so many friends who were writers. Has there been an editor with whom youve formed a close working relationship? There has been one Dabney Stuart. He was at one time the editor of Shenandoah, and he was immensely helpful and supportive. One of the biggest gifts Ive ever gotten was his interest in my poems. He not only wrote the introduction to the book, but he also looked at the manuscript and made a lot of suggestions. He helped me shape several poems. The connection with him was by far the richest Ive ever had. And hes a fabulous writer himself. He was really a godsend. VL
VL JP
Sir William Berkeley and the Forging of Colonial Virginia
WARREN M. BILLINGS
Despite his central role in the development of colonial Virginia, Berkeley, governor from 1641 to 1677, has been as misunderstood by historians as he was by his contemporaries. In an engaging and masterly biography, Billings offers the first full-scale treatment of this influential Englishmans life, revealing the extent to which Berkeley shaped early Virginia and linking his career to the wider context of seventeenth-century Anglo-American history.
Southern Biography Series Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Editor Illustrated, $49.95
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
[phone] www.lsu.edu/lsupress
Portrait by Sir Peter Lely, c. 1662. Courtesy the Berkeley Will Trust, Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire.
JULYSEPTEMBER, 2004
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Virginia Health Information Outreach Planning: An Assessment of Health Information Needs in Virginia
by Karen Dillon
W
ith funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/ LM), the Virginia Council of Health Sciences Librarians (VaCOHSL) conducted a multi-disciplinary state planning process to further collaboration among stakeholders and to improve access to health information in Virginia. The Virginia Health Information Outreach Planning (VHIOP) team rst met at TompkinsMcCaw Library in Richmond on October 3, 2003. The general purpose of the meeting was to facilitate access to a collaborating alliance leading to the timely provision of health information for the benet of the public, professionals, corporations and state institutions. The goals of the meeting were: Assess the current status of health information resources and services to health care providers, students, and consumers and assess the current status of providers of health information (libraries and librarians) across the Commonwealth. Identify unmet health information needs for resources, services, and training and identify an organizational structure to insure effective, ongoing services and resources and successful VHIOP project outcomes. Determine the actions required to meet current and projected health information needs in Virginia and identify potential NN/LM and other funding opportunities.
Key activities were identied: Promote awareness of available health information and educate the information user (e. g. providers, public, library staff). Train information providers so they are aware of and use available resources. Further collaboration among VHIOP participants and other
Establish plans to overcome lack of baseline data that is necessary to plan effectively and deliver health information throughout Virginia. Three projects were identied for action: INFO-Rx, Resource Directory, and Training. INFO-Rx: The goal is to expand the ACPF/NLM Information Prescription pilot project to more Virginia audiences, including health professionals, consumers, and librarians in Virginia. As background, Virginias sixmonth pilot Information Prescription project provided information and tools to assist physicians in referring their patients to MedlinePlus. The pilot focused on how libraries might promote MedlinePlus to consumers and local health care providers. Health Sciences Library staff conducted training for public library staff and promoted the project to local physicians, multitype library groups, and health care clinics. In July 2004, the Virginia INFO-Rx project received a Consumer Health Information Award from the National Commission of Libraries and Information Sciences (NCLIS). The nal report of the project may be found on the VaCOHSL web page, http://www.cbil. vcu.edu/mac/vacohsl/vacohsl.htm. Future strategies to expand the
Libraries are invited to use the web-based INFORx Tool Kit to participate in the program.
stakeholders to increase awareness of and use of existing health information resources. VaCOHSL conducted a followup planning meeting, again at Tompkins-McCaw, on April 23, 2004 to reconvene the VHIOP planning team and initiate the process for implementing the October ndings. The goals of the April meeting were: Provide a format for collaboration that improves access to and awareness of health information for Virginia residents. Establish plans to implement projects that promote awareness and access to available health information. Establish plans to train health information providers in Virginia.
Karen Dillon is Health Sciences Librarian for Carilion Health Systems.
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project call for additional MedlinePlus training, building upon existing institutional outreach activities, promoting partnerships with Virginia military and professional associations, and tapping into multi-type library structures. Libraries are invited to use the web-based INFO-Rx Tool Kit to participate in the program. The Tool Kit is available at http:// nnlm.gov/hip/infoRx/index.html. Resource Directory: A regional electronic directory of relevant health information resources will be developed and will also serve as a model for a state directory. Judith Robinson will work with the Tidewater Health Sciences Librarians (THSL) to identify available resources in the Tidewater region and how the resources may be accessed. The team will provide the Directory product for review by VHIOP and VaCOHSL members. Training: Presentations/training sessions will be held at annual confer-
ences and paraprofessional forums such as VLA, VEMA, etc. The team will create a train-the-trainer program, coordinate the delivery of additional public library courses, and develop a clearinghouse of health related educational courses/mate-
Library. Conference information may be found at www.vla.org. Next Steps: The VaCOHSL executive committee has met to review project implementation, and will make a report to members at the October 14, 2004, VaCOHSL Business meeting, which will be held during the 2004 MAC/MLA Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. The VHIOP planning team will reconvene October 28, 2004, in Williamsburg to discuss progress and establish future actions. The nal report from the April VHIOP planning meeting may be found on the VaCOHSL webpage at http://www.cbil.vcu.edu/ mac/vacohsl/vacohsl.htm. Contact VaCOHSL President Karen Dillon at [e-mail] or 540981-7258 for more information on health information outreach planning efforts in Virginia. VL
A health information track is planned for the annual VLA Conference in Williamsburg.
rials in Virginia that will also feed into the NN/LM (National Network of Libraries of Medicine) clearinghouse. A health information track is planned for the annual VLA Conference in Williamsburg on October 28. Program titles are: Information Rx and How to Find Reliable Health Information for Your
Guidelines for Submissions to Virginia Libraries
1. Virginia Libraries seeks to publish articles and reviews of interest to the library community in Virginia. Articles reporting research, library programs and events, and opinion pieces are all considered for publication. Queries are encouraged. Brief announcements and press releases should be directed to the VLA Newsletter. 2. While e-mail submissions are preferred (in the body of the message, or as rich text attachments), manuscripts may be submitted as rich text les on 3.5-inch computer disks. VLA holds the copyright on all articles published in Virginia Libraries. Unpublished articles will be returned within one year. 3. Illustrations, particularly monochrome images and drawings, are encouraged and should be submitted whenever appropriate to accompany a manuscript. Illustrations will be returned if requested in advance. 4. The names, titles, afliations, addresses, and e-mail addresses of all authors should be included with each submission. Including this information constitutes agreement by the author(s) to have this information with appear the article and to be contacted by readers of Virginia Libraries. 5. Bibliographic notes should appear at the end of the manuscript and should conform to the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. 6. Articles should be 750-3000 words. 7. Submit e-mail manuscripts to [e-mail] or [e-mail]. 8. Virginia Libraries is published quarterly: Jan/Feb/Mar (no. 1); Apr/May/June (no. 2); July/Aug/Sept (no. 3); and Oct/Nov/Dec (no. 4). Contact the editor for submission timelines. VL
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VLA Paraprofessional Forum 2004 Conference
by Lydia C. Williams
T
he Paraprofessional Forum of the Virginia Library Association held its twelfth annual conference on May 2325 at the Holiday Inn/Koger South Conference Center in Chestereld County. Mona Farrow and Carole Ray, both of Old Dominion Universitys Perry Library, served as co-chairs for this two-day event entitled Virginia Libraries, Many Voices, One Song: Service. Four hundred and two library personnel attended the conference. The majority of attendees were from Virginia; however, the conference also attracted attendees from Pennsylvania; Maryland; Washington, D.C.; New York; New Jersey; North Carolina; Tennessee; and Georgia. Of those who attended, 220 are employed in public libraries, 152 in academic libraries, 9 in special libraries, and 21 in other elds.
Many Voices, One Song:
driver Dale Earnhart. Needless to say, McCrumbs description of this Canterbury-type tale lled with unusual pilgrims had the audience chuckling. She is a wonderful speaker who has the ability to capture the attention and hearts of her listeners.
Mondays Opening Session
The Monday morning general session opened with words of welcome from VLAPF Co-Chair Carole Ray and VLA President Sam Clay, who welcomed everyone on behalf of the Virginia Library Association VLAPF Co-Chair Mona Farrow introduced the keynote speaker, ALA President Carla Hayden. Hayden was an enjoyable speaker who motivated the audience to feel that they are important to the successful operation of their respective libraries. She stated that librarians and library support staff are all players on the
Sundays Author Banquet
Virginia author Sharyn McCrumb was the speaker for the Sunday evening author banquet. She held the attention of her audience as she took them on one journey after another. Each journey was a tale of what inspired her to write each of her books. She closed with a story about the book she is currently writing, St. Dale. It is about a diverse group of individuals who come together to make a memorial pilgrimage in honor of racecar
same team, and that in order to provide quality services to our customers we need to support one another. She shared some personal experiences to illustrate how we can come together to provide good customer service, which is essential if we want to keep things going and encourage users to become library advocates. Hayden believes that continuing education and conferences are important to the success of library support personnel. She also believes that all library staff members should have an opportunity to improve their skills. She stated that ALA is now reaching out to library support staff in order to bring them into the Association. Within ALA there is a roundtable for library support staff (LSSIRT). Those involved with this roundtable have been addressing issues of concern to library support staff, including education, career development, and job-related issues. They are also working on ways to foster communication and networking among all those who work in libraries. Hayden is a true advocate for excellence in libraries. She inspired excitement among library support personnel about being a part of the library world.
Monday Evening Events
The Monday night social, with its tropical theme, Escape to the Islands Luau, was a huge success, with ev-
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ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY PIERRE COURTOIS
Peggy Poirer and Mary Fran Bell-Johnson assist in the registration area. Below: During registration, Linda Hahne gets some help from Susan Paddock and Carolyn Tate. Bottom: Marcia Cramer and Ona Turner Dowdy prepare for the sale of conference-related items.
eryone enjoying this time away from the work-related sessions. Two hundred attendees signed up to attend the social, and of that number it seemed like the majority danced at some point during the evening. DJ Ronnie Gilder of Richmond provided the music for the event, while Mary Fran Bell-Johnson made sure that almost everyone received a door prize. The evening was lled with fun and laughter as everyone enjoyed music, dancing, chatting with friends, door prizes, and refreshments. There were two additional activities scheduled for those who did not wish to attend the social. Candice Michalik led a one-hour book discussion group on Sharyn McCrumbs She Walks These Hills. During the evening, Pat Muller offered a slide presentation on teen programming that was a continuation of the Youth Services Institute.
Tuesdays Opening Session
The Tuesday morning session opened with words of welcome from Incoming Co-Chair Mary
Buckley of George Mason University Library. This general session was a time to recognize some special individuals, present awards, and hold the scholarship rafe. Carolyn Tate was recognized as the recipient of the 2004 Outstanding Support Staff Award given by Library Mosaics and the Council of Library/Media Technicians (COLT). This is an award given to a library support staff member for outstanding and noteworthy service. Tate, a recent retiree of the University of Richmonds Boatwright Memorial Library, continues to be actively involved in making signicant contributions to the continuing growth and development of library support staff around the country. This year, Deborah Beasley, who
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Virginia author Sharyn McCrumb captivates her audience during the Sunday evening banquet. Bottom: McCrumb chats with attendees as she signs books.
works at the Lynchburg Public Library, received the VLA Paraprofessional Forum Award. This award provided Beasley with the opportunity to attend the conference by waiving her registration fee. The VLA Paraprofessional Forum Outstanding Paraprofessional Award went to Margaret Toscano, who works at the Williamsburg Regional Library. Susan Larsen, from Arlington, was recognized as recipient of the Clara Stanley VLAPF Scholarship sponsored by the VLA Paraprofessional Forum Board. This scholarship is one of three $2,000 scholarships awarded each year by the Virginia Library Association. Two outstanding individuals were recognized as Outstanding Supporters of Paraprofessionals. Calvin Boyer, recently retired Director of the Longwood University Library, was nominated by the staff of the University Library. Morel Fry, Administrative Services Librarian for the
Perry Library of Old Dominion University, was nominated by members of her library staff. The members of VLAPF Board agreed that it was a privilege to recognize two very special professionals who are considered exceptional by their support staff. The scholarship rafe was an exciting event with which to close the morning session. Once again the VLAPF board members gener-
ously donated some unique and attractive baskets for the scholarship rafe. The drawing of the ticket for the framed P. Buckley Moss print was the grand nale. Diane Wetterlin of Virginia Tech University Libraries was the lucky winner of the Moss print. This years rafe earned $2,261, making it the most successful one in the history of the VLAPF conference.
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Co-Chairs Carole Ray and Mona Farrow welcome everyone to the general sessions.
Can This Book Be Saved Without a Trip to the Bindery?: In-House Book Repair and Mending Presenter: Ellen Welch, University of Virginia
In a packed room, Ellen Welch provided participants with some easy guidelines for deciding which books could be repaired in-house, which could be sent to the bindery, and which could only be repaired by expert conservators. Currently Coordinator for Preservation at the University of Virginias Alderman Library, Welch has worked in preservation for fteen years and received training from Solinet and the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. In her presentation, Welch explained the various parts of the book and how each can suffer damage. She discussed the supplies and equipment necessary to perform various simple repairs. Her talk included examples of intermediate repairs, many of which would need to be handled by sending the books to a bindery if the library did not have an adequate preservation staff. Included in the discussion was a cost and time comparison for some of the repairs. Welch provided samples of the tools and supplies used and different types of repairs. Each participant received a packet of materials reviewing the items discussed, as well as a list of resources. The highlight of the presentation occurred during the question and answer session when members of the audience brought out books for Welch to evaluate. The books ran the gamut from simple repairs to ones that would need a conservators evaluation. These provided an excellent review for the audience. Carole Lohman, University of Virginia Education Library
Highlights from Conference Sessions
Written by VLAPF Executive Board Members
Trends in Interlibrary Loans Presenter: Tammy Hines, Longwood University Library
In an informative session, Tammy Hines fostered participation by encouraging her audience to ask questions to start discussions. After establishing the fact that most schools are switching to FirstSearch, lively discussions ensued. The one common thread was that everyone appeared to have the same problem lack of adequate time to learn the new system. The group was advised to get in and play with the system to see what works and what doesnt. Everyone in the group agreed that interlibrary services have come a long way, but there is no consistency in what is being done with interlibrary loans. The group also agreed that things are changing rapidly because of electronic journals. Marie Carter, University of Virginia
Stress and Change in the Workplace Presenter: Frank Howe, Longwood University
Frank Howe gave a thoughtprovoking session, reminding his audience that change is going to happen because nothing stays the same. Change, whether planned or not, may bring on stress. Stressors can be divided into three categories: personal, institutional, and situational. Stress also comes in different levels: mild, moderate, or severe. Because there is no way to completely avoid stress, it is our responsibility to learn to distinguish good stressors from bad. Some causes of stress are life changes, tedious work tasks, supervisor frustration, and work-overload. At the close of the session, Howe reminded us that change is valuable. Marie Carter, University of Virginia
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Capital Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children 2004 Presenters: Sharon Grover, Arlington County Public Library, and Pat Muller, Library of Virginia
Once upon a time, the Library of Congress had a Committee on Recommended Books for Children. This committee developed an annual list. In the mid-1990s, the Library of Congress disbanded the committee, but all was not lost. Some of the former committee members decided to continue the work. In 1996, a group of ten former members formed Capitol Choices. Now Capitol Choices involves sixty members who meet physically and/or electronically to discuss and compile an annual list of must have books, both print and audio, for children. Through workshops, publications, a website, and presentations like the one at VLAPF, the Capitol Choices members provide interested individuals and groups with the opportunity to further their knowledge of books and audio books for young people. The two members conducting this presentation were Sharon Grover and Pat Muller. Grover is the Youth Services Collection Specialist for the Arlington County Public Library and the Co-Editor of Capitol Choices. She has served on the 1998 Newbery Committee and the 2002 Caldecott Committee. Muller is the Childrens and Youth Services Consultant at the Library of Virginia. In 1996, she served as the President of the ALAs Young Adult Library Services Association; she has chaired the YALSA/ALA Legislation and Intellectual Freedom committees. This tag team gave a snappy series of book talks from the current Capitol Choices list, of which each member of the audience received a copy. The Capitol Choices list can be especially helpful when it comes to audio books. Finding reviews of
VLA President Sam Clay gives a warm VLA welcome to attendees during Mondays opening session. ALA President Carla Hayden is the keynote speaker during Mondays opening session.
audio books is not always easy, and it was very nice to nd a list that can assist in providing better readers advisory service for younger patrons. Following their presentation, Grover and Muller answered questions from the audience. They also encouraged participants to consider joining the group. To learn more about the organization or view recommended titles, visit http://www. capitolchoices.org. Carole Lohman, University of Virginia Education Library
to identify whether a person is a Pro Se Legatine, and what we can and cannot do for them. The presenters then shared with the audience some typical Pro Se questions with which most library workers come in contact. They explained how to nd laws for your city, state, or federal government and emphasized the importance of learning your citys laws. Ophelia Payne
In the Line of Fire: Front-Line Strategies and Perils with Internet Filtering Presenters: Holly Bognar, Chestereld County Public Library, and Sam Clay, Fairfax County Public Library
The presenters provided different views on the use of Internet ltering. Holly Bognar explained how Chestereld County Public Library dealt with the vast problem of patrons accessing pornography on the computers in the library. She stated that the problem was so bad that the Board of Supervisors voted to install web lters on the computers. She explained how the use of ltering software has curtailed this problem. Sam Clay focused on the view-
Were Not Lawyers, But We Are Here to Help You Presenters: Becky Day and Pat Jones, Wahab Public Law Library
The presenters discussed how to provide legal information to patrons without providing legal advice. Day and Jones described how
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Morel Fry and Calvin Boyer are each named Outstanding Supporter of Paraprofessionals.
points of those who made the policies possible. He spoke about the philosophical reasons for web ltering. He described the policy of Fairfax County Public Library regarding ltering. He stated that Fairfax County decided not to use lters, but instead designed Internet policies that proved to be very effective. Ophelia Payne
Ask a Parliamentarian Presenter: Lynda J. Baer, Central Rappahannock Public Library
Lynda Baer gave an entertaining and informative session answering the question, Whats a parliamentarian? A parliamentarian, using Roberts Rules of Order and parliamentary procedures, advises the president or chairman during a meeting in order to allow everyone a chance to be heard while still moving the meeting along in a timely manner. The parliamentarian protects the president from making a mistake. Baer used humor and lots of anecdotes to make parliamentary pro-
Mary Buckley presents an engraved plaque to Margaret Toscano, Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year.
cedures come alive. She explained how to handle a main motion so that all members of the group are able to discuss the motion and understand the issues prior to voting. There are three levels of parliamentarians, ranging from knowledge of basic procedures to the Professional Registered Parliamen-
tarian, which requires a three-day course that includes homework and a nal panel decision. With work and family, it took Baer eight years to become a Professional Registered Parliamentarian. She now advises several nonprot organizations. Janice Ward, York County Public Library
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Dealing with Problematic People Presenter: Bill Fiege, Germanna Community College
As Bill Fiege said, most of our daily encounters are with wonderful people hardworking and appreciative. BUTthen one comes in that ruins your whole day. They say things like Theres nothing here! Translation: They cant nd what theyre looking for. Or, This place is stupid! Translation: Theyre confused about their assignment and dont know where to look. How do you deal with these people? How do we both help them and at the same time not become embroiled in conict? Some helpful strategies are: Pay attention If you spot some-
attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Remember All the Good Ones Why focus on the negative? Know the Problem Is Not You The problem may result from what people experienced before they approached you. After Bills presentation, he divided everyone into small groups to work on scenarios dealing with some of our favorite problematic people. His relaxed manner and wonderful humor made it easy to discuss problems and work on solutions. It was a productive session that was also lots of fun. Janice Ward, York County Public Library
Diane Wetterlin wins the P. Buckley Moss print. Below, Rafe prize winners get together.
one wandering around the library looking lost, you may be able to stop a problem before it begins. Listen Listen, listen, and listen! Body Language Be aware of your body language. What are you saying without saying anything? Positive attitude A positive
Research on Virginia History Presenter: Author Henry Wiencek
Last year, Henry Wiencek was our guest of honor at the Author Luncheon, speaking on his book The Hairstons. This year, he returned to present a seminar on his adventures gathering material for his lat-
est, An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. At the suggestion from a paraprofessional last year, he has also started to gather material for a book on Thomas Jefferson. The session was well attended. Listeners asked numerous questions at the end, and Wiencek was
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Ruth Kifer addresses issues related to the Patriot Act. Steve Litherland offers advice on earning an M.L.I.S. via distance education. Henry Wiencek shares the ways in which he located valuable information for his most recent publication.
gracious enough to stay longer to provide answers and sign copies of his books. Wiencek is a Senior Research Fellow at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in Charlottesville, and has contributed articles to American Heritage, American Legacy, Smithsonian Magazine, and Connoisseur. Marcia Cramer, Pamunkey Public Library
Government Documents in Your Library Presenter: Lily McGovern, National Defense University Library
Are you interested in the environment, space, drugs, taxes, or even history? Do you need information on nancial aid, veterans benets, or social security? Would you like to access updates on scandals, current events, statistics, or even laws that govern each and every one of us? Lily McGoverns session directed her attendees to the United States Government Manual located at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/ for just this type of information This site contains the ofcial handbook of the U.S. Government, where one can nd a copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, information on the branches of the U.S. Government,
and tons and tons of valuable material This is an excellent site to help kids who are looking for information on the members of the House of Representatives or Senate. Another great website is Bens Guide to U.S. Government for Kids. This site provides information aimed at schoolchildren K-12. At this site, anyone doing research can check alerts, obtain information from the Disease Control Center, reserve space in one of our many national parks, and even nd information on how to receive a ag that has been own over one of the Congressional buildings. There is so much information on these sites that if McGovern had spoken all day, she would still have needed a few extra days to cover it all. Mona Farrow, Old Dominion Universitys Perry Library
ALA and APAWorking for ALL Library Workers Presenter: James Rettig, Boatwright Memorial Library at the University of Richmond
We all know ALA is the acronym for the American Library Association, but did anyone know that ALAAPA is the acronym for ALA-Allied Professional Association? ALA-APA is a nonprot professional organization established to promote the
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mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers. James Rettigs presentation on ALAAPA informed attendees that ALA has a new membership category for support staff that started last year. ALA-APA is focused on two broad areas: (1) certication of individuals in specializations beyond the initial professional degree; and (2) direct support of comparable worth and pay equity initiatives, and other activities designed to improve the salaries and status of librarians and other library workers. Jennifer Grady is currently heading ALAAPA. The group is in the process of creating a ve-year strategic plan and surveying focus groups that obtain information from customers, students, paraprofessionals, librarians, etc. There is a plan to conduct a national salary survey. If you have an opportunity, visit the Worklife section (http://www.ala-apa.org/ newsletter/newsletter.html) on the ALA-APA homepage for a sneak preview. If you want additional information, you may join in the fall for $35. For additional fees, one can receive email alerts on legislative issues. It has been documented that libraries from 49 states are now doing more with less funding, while customer demands are steadily increasing. For these reasons alone, it is important to be informed of the issues and get involved. Please read the article on Jennifer Grady in the April 2004 issue of Library Mosaics. Mona Farrow, Old Dominion Universitys Perry Library
demonstrate a variety of ways to design and construct unique and eye-catching display cases for the Longwood University Library. Williams described and demonstrated the benets and attractions of an interesting, informative and/or educational display case. Some of her examples showed how to set up unique displays for a variety of celebrations, local author displays, and library-related events. She also discussed a project carried out prior to National Library Week that featured Longwood Universitys faculty, staff, sports teams, and student organizations on Read posters shown in display cases and display boards throughout the Library. The session included a show-and-tell segment the allowed everyone to see the variety of items that can make an ordinary, one-dimensional display more alive, colorful, and attractive to those who walk in the library doors. Bridget Clark, Longwood University Library
Youth Services Institute Presenters: Genevieve Gallagher, Orange County Public Library; Donna Hughes, Handley Regional Library; Gwen Lantz, Shenandoah County Public Library; and Pat Muller, Library of Virginia
Fifty participants attended this fullday program, brought to the conference by the Library of Virginias Children and Youth Services Consultant, Pat Muller. Along with a selection of staff from around the state who are all involved with providing services to teens, the Institute presented three unique sessions. The rst session answered the question, Just who are todays teens? Genevieve Gallagher and Pat Muller covered adolescent development, behavior, teen culture, and reading tastes. Participants left this session with a better idea of just why teens do the things they
Display Cases That Sizzle Presenters: Pat Howe and Lydia Williams, Longwood University Library
Longwood University knows how to sizzle. Would you like a display that dazzles, one that attracts the attention of the public, or perhaps one that just sets a romantic or distinguished tone? These are just a
Pat Muller opens Mondays Teen Institute. few of the examples presented by Lydia Williams, Archives Manager, and Pat Howe, Head of Technical Services at Longwood University. Working from their combined years of experience and creativity, Williams and Howe were able to
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Bill Fiege gives his session attendees an assignment. do as well as an appreciation for the variety of magazine publications produced with the teen audience in mind. The second session centered on youth participation. Gwen Lantz outlined the guidelines for teen participation in libraries. The audience learned the various degrees of participation and were urged to strive for meaningful opportunities when thinking about programming for teens. The third session focused on gathering, using, and managing, or G.U.M. Donna Hughes and Pat Muller covered ways to nd information about teen preferences and how to learn to use and manage available data. Muller offered tips on making the case for teen services based on data collection. During the evening, Muller gave a PowerPoint presentation that featured unique and functional teen spaces that have worked well. Susan Paddock, Virginia Beach Central Library titles and video recordings, while Howe is the Head of Technical Services, Automation Librarian, and Associate Professor for the School Library Media Program. Marcia Cramer, Pamunkey Public Library
What Do You Do with a Widget? Presenters: Mary Fran Bell-Johnson, Longwood University Library, and Pat Howe, Longwood University Library
Mary Fran Bell-Johnson and Pat Howe presented an entertaining program on the art of audiovisual cataloging. Participants were treated to an overview on creating records for video and sound materials, along with three-dimensional items. There really IS such a thing as a Widget! At Longwood University, BellJohnson is a Library Assistant responsible for cataloging juvenile
One Book, One Community: How Two Virginia Communities Ran Their Programs Presenters: Patty Franz, Pamunkey Regional Library, and Candice Michalik, Lynchburg Public Library
Patty Franz and Candice Michalik showed participants how to start a community reading program how to get started, ideas on selecting books, and timetables for the project from beginning to end. Franz has been a liaison to the Go Read project in Richmond. She is a Supervising Librarian responsible
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Mary Fran Bell-Johnson and Pat Howe offer tips on how to catalog AV materials. Carol Henderson shares information on how to provide good customer service.
for Adult Services, including book groups and the adult summer reading program. Michalik is a Reference Librarian and leads monthly book discussion groups, along with the citywide book program, Lynchburg Reads. Marcia Cramer, Pamunkey Public Library
FISH Philosophy of Customer Service Presenter: Carol Henderson, George Mason University
Carol Henderson presented a unique way of handling customer service. Based on the techniques used by the shmongers at Pikes Fish Market on the Seattle waterfront, customer service involves four elements:
Have Fun If you dont enjoy what you do, it will reect back on how you treat customers/ patrons. Make Their Day Get involved with customers/patrons; converse and smile with them. Be There Listen to them, acknowledge their presence. Adjust Your Attitude No matter
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how you may feel personally, leave the bad mood at home and project a positive attitude at work. Henderson showed a brief video lmed at the Seattle Fish Market. It brought to life the philosophy of the workers as they played and worked getting customers/patrons involved in their daily routine. One memorable sequence showed a young lady trying to catch a rather large sh being thrown to her. Naturally, the men working there caught it every time; she did not. But they made her day, and had fun doing it. Hopefully, the dropped sh did not make it to the display cases later! Mary Buckley, George Mason University Library
The DJ and many VLAPF board members dress to match the theme of Mondays social, Escape to the Islands Luau. Some folks dance the night away.
The Patriot Act and Libraries and The USA PATRIOT Act: A Panel Discussion Presenters: Ruth Kifer, George Mason University Library, and Les Lauziere, Virginia Attorney Generals Ofce
This session and follow-up discussion were designed to give direction, debunk myths, and allay fears among library staff concerning subpoenas and warrants and how to handle these situations. At the rst session, Ruth Kifer showed an excerpt from a video
detailing the Patriot Act and its impact on libraries. She recommended that libraries that do not already have procedures in place, do so at once. She explained the difference between subpoenas (requests for information that have a time limit on compliance) and warrants (specic search requests, handled on the spot at that minute) and what to do in such situations. During the following discussion panel, Kifer was joined by Les Lauziere of Virginias Ofce of the Attor-
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ney General. Lauziere imparted additional information specically, that law enforcement folks are not going to appear at closing time demanding records. They are not going to terrorize frontline personnel. Whether its a warrant or subpoena, law enforcement will call ahead and discuss the needs with the director of the library, or the librarys legal representative, and make the necessary arrangements. There was
an understandable audible sigh of relief at hearing this. Mary Buckley, George Mason University Library
60 Sites in 60 Minutes Presenter: Leanne Battle, LexisNexis
This was a most interesting class taught by Leanne B. Battle, a LexisNexis Librarian Relations Consultant serving Virginia and Washington,
D.C. She has worked as a librarian in both a law rm and an academic environment. Battle received her bachelors degree from the University of Richmond and her M.L.S. from the University of Texas at Austin. We toured the Internet at whirlwind speed, looking at a mixture of sites for work, home, and play. We really did see 60 sites in 60 minutes. Joan Taylor, Washington County Public Library VL
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Virginia Reviews
Reviews prepared by staff members of the Library of Virginia Sara B. Bearss, Editor
David A. Price. Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Heart of a New Nation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. 305 pp. $25.95 (hardcover). John Smith and Pocahontas have been intertwined in history and mythology since their rst meeting almost 400 years ago. Smith, captive of the Indian princesss father Powhatan, lay bound with his head on a stone, waiting for his brains to be bashed out. Pocahontas, the paramount chiefs twelve-year-old daughter, rushed forward and placed herself between Smith and his doom. So the story has come down to the present, and many who know nothing else of Jamestown know this tale. Disney gave it the ofcial seal of American legend when it produced the animated movie Pocahontas in 1995. Although some historians have dismissed Smiths account as ction, David A. Price accepts his version at face value, and Prices Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Heart of a New Nation revolves around the SmithPocahontas relationship forged in this encounter. Smith, Pocahontas, and their relationship, Price maintains, were crucial to the survival of the young and struggling English colony at Jamestown. While Price draws in the other signicant events at Jamestown the starving times, John Rolfes cultivation of tobacco, the arrival of Africans in Virginia, and the Powhatan uprising of 1622, among others ...