ASSOCIATES (vol. 6, no. 2, November 1999) - associates.ucr.edu
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THE VLA PARAPROFESSIONAL FORUM'S 1999 CONFERENCE
The Paraprofessional Forum of the Virginia Library Association held its seventh annual two-day conference on May 17-18, 1999, at the University of Richmond. Four hundred and twenty-five library personnel from 10 states and the District of Columbia attended the conference that centered on the theme, Mastering the Challenges of the 21st Century. The conference offered three keynote speakers, twenty-four sessions, and seven roundtables. A picnic was an option for those arriving on Sunday evening. The picnic's Hawaiian theme was a popular one, and the door prizes with a tropical flare were crowd pleasers. The Monday evening social was another time for people to get together and enjoy themselves. Ronnie Gilder from Richmond was the D. J. for the event, and his smooth style and musical selections resulted in a fun-filled evening.
MONDAY'S OPENING SESSION
The conference opened with words of welcome from the VLAPF Co-chairs, Suzanne Leacy and Don Socia, and two special guests. James R. Rettig, Director of the Boatwright Library at the University of Richmond, and Carolyn Barkley, VLA Vice President/President Elect both offered greetings to conference attendees.
We were fortunate to have Dr. Dale Henry as the keynote speaker on Monday morning. Dr. Henry is President of Your Best Unlimited, a company based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it is his business to train professionals and executives to be the very best they can be. He challenged conference attendees to evaluate themselves with his speech, Do You Sizzle or Fizzle?. He presented sound advice on how to succeed in the workplace. His presentation was filled with words such as prioritize, individualize,
TUESDAY'S OPENING SESSION
Harriett Edmunds, Special Events and Volunteer Programs Coordinator at The Library of Virginia, was the Tuesday morning keynote speaker. Once again, the audience was privileged enough to hear a speaker whose words were truly motivational. She took the Conference theme, Mastering the Challenges of the 21st Century, and shared some wonderful words of advice on how to do just that. She focused on how we can turn challenges into opportunities, and in so doing enhance our lives. She offered some suggestions on how to become successful in the workplace. Ms. Edumunds presented a message that encouraged us to return to the workplace excited about the new challenges that face us each day and about those that we know will come our way during the 21st Century.
TUESDAY'S EXTRAORDINARY AFTERNOON
The conference ended with several special events including an elegant buffet luncheon and the scholarship raffle. The highlight of the afternoon was the keynote speaker, Connie Elliott. Ms. Elliott is the Director of Tourism for Anderson County, Tennessee. As a Certified Meeting Professional, Ms. Elliott is President of Ideal Events, which provides the finest speakers and meeting management services. Her motto is "If it ain't fun I'm not interested!" and her motto rang true as she addressed the group. She used humorous and heart-warming stories to get her message across, and this message is for each of us to get excited about self-improvement. She encouraged us to be persistent and to work diligently at making our dreams come true. Ms. Elliott made the audience laugh and she made a few of us cry as she closed out the conference with her challenge to each of us to go out and master the challenges of the 21st Century.
AWARDS
The Paraprofessional Forum presented two special awards during this year's conference. Nancy P. Bell, who has worked at the Longwood College Library for 30 years, received the VLAPF Award. The award provided Ms. Bell with the opportunity of attending the conference by providing funds that paid all conference expenses. She received a special framed commemorative certificate during the Monday opening session. Patricia White, who works at the Annandale Campus Library of the Northern Virginia Community College, was awarded the Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award. She was recognized during the Tuesday opening session, and was awarded a special plaque in honor of her accomplishments in the library field.
THE SCHOLARSHIP RAFFLE
Unique prizes on display at the registration desk sparked an interest in the VLAPF scholarship raffle. Raymond Edwards of the Montgomery County Public Library was the winner of the framed P. Buckley Moss print entitled The Barter Theatre. The print was donated by the P. Buckley Moss Society of Staunton, Virginia, and was framed compliments of Christopher's Fine Arts and Framing of Farmville, Virginia. Arlene Randolph of the Richmond Public Library won the CD/tape player and six popular CDs donated by the WAL-MART Supercenter of Farmville, Virginia. Other lucky winners left with a Winnie the Pooh hat box filled with Pooh-related surprises, a cooking basket filled with baking items, a window box filled with gardening items, a basket shaped like Virginia filled with made-in-Virginia products, and one of several Beanie Baby baskets. Alex Matthews' donated a collection of her signed first editions to be given as a raffle prize. This variety of outstanding prizes resulted in a very successful raffle.
The 2000 conference theme is Reaching for the Stars: Success, Recognition, Professionalism. Mark your calendar for May 22-23, and make plans to join us at the University of Richmond for the VLA Paraprofessional Forum's eighth annual two-day conference.
