Election for 2026 Executive Committee

All members should have received an email with a link to the ballot, which is open until the end of Mon, Dec 15. Please take a minute to vote for our 2026 leadership. 🗳️

Letter to the Cache County Council

31 October 2025

To the esteemed members of the Cache County Council:

The Cache Valley Library Association Executive Committee understands that the proposed defunding of the Cache County Library is a complex issue that has many implications, and we appreciate the time and effort that have been put into the budget recommendation. It is clear to us that Executive Daines has researched and thought about the issue at length, and CVLA also appreciates that Executive Daines is “in favor of public support for libraries,” as he wrote in his Library Recommendation document of October 15.

95% of Americans ages 16 and older agree that the materials and resources available at public libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed, and 94% say that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community.(1) Public libraries consistently rank as one of the most-trusted public institutions in the United States.(2) As Cache Valley library professionals, we recommend taking the following principles into consideration, no matter which outcome the Cache County Council ends up choosing:

Libraries are institutions that provide and protect deep-rooted American values:

Community

• In the age of artificial intelligence, there is an unprecedented need for both credible resources and human connection. Libraries provide both, and much more.
• Libraries are one of the few remaining public spaces that reflect community identity and defend the common good.
• Libraries offer a place for community groups to meet and collaborate, in casual and organized ways alike.

Fairness

• We believe it should be easy for residents to access both physical and digital library services, no matter where they live.
• Free library service for all users is a democratic value which provides equal access to many benefits:
• Learning and discovery
• Author readings
• Story times and other youth programs
• Reader’s guides
• Book clubs and social gatherings
• STEM education
• Access to technology such as printers, WiFi, computers, and maker tech
• Unique materials (telescope, headphones, tools)
• Libraries provide a healthy, safe environment for users of all ages and backgrounds.

Value

• Some government and community services are valuable enough that they should be funded by a broader base than those who use them (or use them most)—such as fire departments, schools, and public libraries.
• We recognize that the value of libraries is not necessarily obvious to all members of the public, so libraries are increasingly working to market their traditional and innovative services to potential users.
• Return-on-investment calculations vary, but they generally point to many times the amount invested; estimates place this figure at anywhere from $5 to $30 returned for each dollar spent on library services.(3)

The Cache Valley Library Association understands that the economic considerations guiding Executive Daines’ recommendations have multiple dimensions and deserve to be discussed with as much context as possible. Our goal in mentioning benefits of public libraries is to add to that complex discussion by reminding the Council and the public that protection of library service is a matter of prudent and practical governance. We thank you for your time and offer our professional expertise in any way that can be useful for your deliberations. In conclusion, we would like to share the words of George H. W. Bush:

“Libraries provide the kind of ongoing education that each man, woman, and child will need in order to remain a fully productive and fully participating citizen.”(4)

The Executive Committee of the Cache Valley Library Association



Sources:

(1) https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/12/11/libraries-in-communities/

(2) https://www.aamchealthjustice.org/news/polling/trust-trends

(3) https://www.lrs.org/documents/closer_look/roi.pdf

(4) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PPP-1992-book1/html/PPP-1992-book1-doc-pg400.htm

Tales From the Archive Fall Meeting

Join us at USU Libraries Special Collection & Archives on Nov 13 at 6:00 PM to see some of their most special items and tour their closed stacks!

Light refreshments provided.

Merrill-Cazier Library Lower Level, Tanner Reading Room

On-campus parking in surface lots is free after 5:00 PM. The closest surface lots to the library are the Red Lots.
Via Connect: ride the 1, 15, or Blue and Green Loops to the stop on 700 N at the Distance Education Building.
Bike parking is provided adjacent to the library entrance.
 

Brunch Social & Pie Social

Please add to your calendar CVLA’s annual pie social. This year, we’re meeting for brunch at Ruby’s Pizzeria and Grill on Saturday, October 11, at 11 a.m.

Buy yourself a meal or a treat and get to know others with a love for libraries.

RSVP not strictly required, but respond if you can to this email by Oct. 8 so we can get a general count.

See you there!

Annual Bikes to Books Ride

Come join in the 2025 Bikes to Books Ride! We will be riding a total of 7.5 miles from Lewiston Library to Richmond Library (with a stop at Casper's Ice Cream to refuel) and then finishing at Big J Burgers in Richmond.

There will be a support/shuttle vehicle available.

Bring your bike, a water bottle and helmet, and be ready to visit several Cache libraries and enjoy a leisurely ride in the Cache Valley countryside!

Non-riders are welcome to join in! We will be at:

• Lewiston Library until 10:30 (meet here starting at 10:00!)
• Casper's Ice Cream just before 11:00
• Richmond Library 11:40
• Big J Burgers 12:15

Contact Anne (info below) if you would like to carpool.

Questions? Ask Anne libraryaanne@gmail.com or Shawn sbliss@smithfieldutah.gov

Annual Summer Picnic

Members and families are welcome to our annual summer picnic!

Mendon Library is providing hot dogs, buns, and condiments, and the rest of us can bring salads, chips, desserts, drinks, and more!

Sat, July 12, 2025, 1:00 PM
Mendon Square Park (15 N Main, Mendon)

 

Spring Membership Meeting

North Cache Library Consortium: Who We Are, What We Do

Come and find out about how a group of town libraries in the northern part of Cache County work together to improve library processes and provide better service to their communities. (The plan is to have a 25-30 min presentation, 5-15 minutes for discussion/questions, and then the rest of the time to socialize and eat snacks.)

Monday, May 19, 7:00 PM
Newton Town Library
51 S Center St, Newton

2025 Unconference

Join us for our first UnConference in six years!

Saturday, March 1, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Adams Elementary in Logan

It's a time to explore, collaborate, brainstorm, and share fun ideas with our library friends and colleagues! Light snacks will be provided.

 

2025 Library Hero Award

We are pleased to announce the winner of our Library Hero Award for 2025: 

JaDene M. Denniston!

Nomination:

"JaDene served as a school librarian in Cache Valley schools for 37 years at 7 different libraries! She was responsible for setting up three of those libraries. She believes in the right to read books of your choice and has been instrumental in setting up district policies against book banning and promoting the right to read. She was also an instructor at Utah State University teaching students how to be media school specialists. I have spoken to some of those students who consider her an invaluable mentor and dear friend.

"JaDene has served on the Logan Library Board for 8 years, even chairing the board some of that time. She was instrumental in passing several library policies including our public internet and collection development policies. She was an early member of CVLA and its president in 2016. She has served on the Friends of the Logan Library including being president from 2022-2024. And when the Friends lost their 501(c)(3) status, JaDene worked tirelessly to get all the paperwork done with the state to get us into compliance. JaDene’s work with the Friends supported the construction of the new Logan Library including the purchase of some of the furniture for the outdoor terrace.

"JaDene is a treasure! She is devoted to libraries and the difference they make in people’s lives. She is truly a Hero in our Library world!"