Logan Library Tour

 

Please join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Logan Library on Tuesday, March 26th at 6:30 PM. Snacks will be provided.

Q&A With Our President

 Robert Heaton is the 2024 President of the Cache Valley Library Association

What is your library story?

In college, my career aspirations careened from classical music to the law, then to Spanish translation, and finally aiming to be an English professor. The latest steps along that path brought me to USU, where I collaborated with the talented librarians Sandra Weingart, Kacy Lundstrom, and Wendy Holliday in teaching freshman writing as a master's student. Rather than move on to a PhD in English, I stuck around in Logan after graduating, and in 2012 Jennifer Duncan hired me as an electronic-resources assistant at USU. I went to library school at the University of North Texas (online) and was fortunate to land a faculty job at the Merrill-Cazier Library right after graduating. I stayed long enough to receive tenure and began working at EBSCO Information Services in the summer of 2022, where I work with a fantastic team to help libraries implement the open-source library services platform FOLIO.

What do you hope to accomplish as President?

Broadly, my goal is to harness the enthusiasm of library-minded people throughout the valley to make life better for all of them. CVLA has a history of providing its members valuable opportunities for collaborative work, professional development, and personal networking. I hope to hold that torch high, promoting the value that the organization offers and encouraging its members to keep collaborating just beyond the bounds of their different employers and library types.

Who are your favorite authors? What are your favorite genres?

I'm not as prolific a reader as many library folks. I have long been a fan of low fantasy, where magic intrudes on the real world (Susan Cooper's "The Dark Is Rising" series and C. S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia" are longtime favorites). More recent discoveries include the "Jackaby" series by William Ritter, Stuart Tarton's The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, I think all of which my wife found for me in one way or another. Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" series and "Elantris" books are brilliant too.

What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy baking (including learning the science of sourdough), visiting family, playing volleyball with friends, noodling on the piano (or listening to my wife play), taking backpacking trips with more lounging in a hammock than trekking for miles and miles, and watching either high-quality kids' movies or time-twisting sci-fi.

2024 Library Hero Award

Congratulations to

Joseph Anderson

who was named our 2024 Library Hero!

NOMINATION:
"I would like to nominate Joseph Anderson as a library hero. Joseph has loved and worked in libraries for years. As assistant director and non-fiction librarian at the Logan Library, he advocates for collection diversity and freedom to read, making sure that his collection has items to fill the needs of all members of the community. He is also a strong advocate for patron privacy. Joseph helps facilitate Friends of the Library and has also helped form partnerships with community entities such as Helicon West. Joseph has been involved in CVLA from the beginning. He currently serves as web master keeping the community informed. He also keeps us on track and makes sure we adhere to the by-laws. Joseph has combined his love of libraries with his inclination as a history buff.  For his MSLS, he wrote a research paper on the history of past and present attempts to form a county-wide library system in Cache County. He also recently gave a presentation for the Cache Valley Historical Society on the history of the Logan Library. All in all, Joseph works to help libraries be the best they can. Isn’t that a library hero?"
(nominated by Lauri Hancey)

The award was presented to Joseph on Tue, Jan 23 at our membership meeting at the USU Merrill-Cazier Library.

2024 Annual Meeting

At our annual meeting on Tue, Jan 23 at the USU Merrill-Cazier Library, we introduced our 2024 Executive Committee, thanked our outgoing 2023 Executive Committee, announced our 2024 Library Hero Award recipient, and shared our personal histories with libraries. Thanks to all who attended.

Annual Meeting

 

Please join us for our annual first meeting of the year. We'll be introducing our 2024 Executive Committee members, presenting our 2024 Library Hero award, and getting to know each other. Hot cocoa and cookies will be available.

Tue, Jan 23, 6:00 PM
USU Merrill-Cazier Library, room 101
(most USU parking doesn't require parking permits after 5:00 PM)

2022 Library Hero Awards

We realized that we never announced our 2022 Library Hero award recipients here nor on social media. Please accept our apologies!

Congratulations to
Puanani Mateaki & Mady Meyers
who were named our 2022 Library Heroes!

NOMINATION: 

"One night in [2010], Puanani Mateaki, a librarian new to Cache Valley, suggested to me that we create a library association in our area. I created a Facebook group and she drew up a list of local librarians. In January, 2012, she invited them to two meetings at her library to discuss the idea with others. That idea soon blossomed into our Cache Valley Library Association, an organization that has increased the visibility of our libraries and supported many library workers over the last ten years. It's time we honor her for the wonderful spark of an idea (and how fitting to do it exactly ten years on from the first meetings)!"

(nominated by Joseph N. Anderson)

NOMINATION:

"Mady Meyers is a children's librarian. She shares her love for books with all the children around her. The kids love her and get so excited to see her. She is great at kneeling down to get on their level to talk with them. She truly listens and cares about them. She is always happy and smiling! She brings to work a positive countenance with her. She is very talented with always coming up with creative ideas for the kids to enjoy and participate in. The patrons love her and her positive energy. She is so kind to patrons with helping and serving them in the best ways. She is passionate about her job and it shows through all the hard work she puts in. She shares her love for Harry Potter with all. She has a very kind and big heart for all!"
(nominated by Heidi Taylor)