2025 Executive Committee

 We're pleased to announce our 2025 Executive Committee!

• President: Anne Hedrich (USU Merrill-Cazier Library, retired)
• Vice President/President Elect: Shawn Bliss (Smithfield Public Library)
• Past President: Robert Heaton (EBSCO)
• Secretary: Jon Ramsten (Community Member)
• Academic Library Member at Large: Jen Kirk (USU Merrill-Cazier Library)
• Public Library Member at Large: Jessie Eiman (Mendon Library)
• School Library Member at Large: Kaye Gensel (Adams Elementary School)
• Library Student/Paraprofessional Member at Large: Moni Edwards (Logan Library)

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 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.

2024 CVLA Executive Committee

 Your 2024 CVLA Executive Committee members are:

☆ President: Robert Heaton, EBSCO

☆ Vice President: Anne Hedrich, USU Merrill-Cazier Library, retired

☆ Past President: Debbie Ogilvie, Logan Library

☆ Secretary: Breanna Van Dyke, USU Merrill-Cazier Library

☆ Member at Large (Academic/Special): Kacy Lundstrom, USU Merrill-Cazier Library

☆ Member at Large (Public): Karen Bowling, Smithfield Public Library

☆ Member at Large (School): Jan Jenson, Spring Creek Middle School Media Center

☆ Member at Large (Student/Paraprofessional): Abbie Chesley, USU Merrill-Cazier Library

There's More to the Story...

 

Does your library have a makerspace or otherwise facilitate things like 3D printing, textiles work, or video editing? Do you lend telescopes, board games, internet hot spots, cooking supplies, anatomical models, graphing calculators, or other interesting items?

We want to get ideas from each other, know where to refer patrons looking for something, and highlight the great things going on in Cache Valley’s libraries.

In the spirit of National Library Week’s “There’s more to the story” theme, December’s CVLA activity will focus on the unique kinds of materials that area libraries offer to their communities. To do that, we need to hear from you! Email CVLA Vice President Robert Heaton at r.s.heaton@gmail.com, and we’ll tell you how you can participate and boost awareness of what your library is doing.

And, drumroll please.....here is your 2020 CVLA Executive Committee:

President Elect:

Natalie Gregory, Logan Library

Secretary:

Robert Heaton, USU Merrill-Cazier Library

Member at Large Public:

Hollie Dabb, Logan Library

Member at Large School:

Bonnie Odd, Ridgeline High School

Member at Large Academic:

Andrea Payant, USU Merrill-Cazier Library

Member at Large Paraprofessional/Student:

Brynnan Sainsbury, Cache County Library

Congratulations All!

Here is your 2019 CVLA Executive Board!

President:

Sarah Rigby, Newton Town Library

Past President:

Dory Rosenberg, Merrill-Cazier Library, USU

Vice President/President Elect:

Karen Clark, Logan Library

Secretary:

Robert Heaton, Merrill-Cazier Library, USU

Members at Large:

Andrea Payant, Merrill-Cazier Library, USU (Academic/Special)

Frankie Urrutia Smith, Logan Library (Public)

Vaughn Larson, Edith Bowen Laboratory School Library (School)

Hollie Dabb, Logan Library (Student/Paraprofessional)