Message from the President

It has been an honor serving as the 2010-2011 Vice President of the Virginia Association of Law Libraries. In coordinating our meetings this past year, each personal interaction with a library professional reinforced my respect for my colleagues and pride in my profession. Everyone I encountered was helpful, responsive and eager to take any steps to make each meeting a success.

It was a privilege working with Past President Anthony Ikwueme and the rest of the 2010-2011 executive board. I hope I can apply all that I have learned this past year to the benefit of VALL.
I know that I still have much to learn. I welcome any guidance and feedback that you are willing to provide to help me continue to develop as a librarian and as President of this organization.

I will work with the executive board, committee chairs and our membership make this year a successful one for VALL. I ask you to be as generous as possible with your limited time and boundless talents and knowledge to accomplish this same end. During my term as President, I intend to focus on organizational leadership, growth and pride. I have outlined my objectives below:

Leadership

Executive Board Meetings: It is my goal to ensure that the executive board is as accessible and responsive as possible. We will hold more frequent executive board meetings, with advance notice to members.

Leadership Handbook: The VALL Leadership Handbook will be updated to account for recent bylaw changes.

Growth

Meetings: I intend to work with the board and the program committee to explore ideas for enhancing future VALL meetings, such as long-term planning for joint meetings as well as for regular VALL meetings.

Membership: I will work closely with our membership chair to reach out to non-members in Virginia law libraries and law schools. I would also like to work with our grants committee to further develop our grants program.

Pride

VALL has existed in one form or another for thirty years. Our members and our organization have accomplished much that is worthy of recognition, celebration and remembrance. In order to preserve the institutional memory of VALL for future generations of Virginia law librarians, I intend to promote several projects in the coming year:

1. The digitization of every issue of the VALL newsletter. Gail Zwirner has entrusted her archives to me for the purpose of scanning them and adding them to the VALL Wiki.
2. Create a list of past executive boards on the VALL Wiki site.
3. Explore ideas for enhancing the “about VALL” portion of the VALL Wiki and updating existing content.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve my fellow law librarians as your 2011-2012 VALL President.

Michele Gernhardt