James Region

Director

Director-Elect

Jen Spisak

Lara Ivey

Member Spotlight on Jen Spisak:

What is one thing you cannot resist?	My brother-in-law's pecan pie!
Where is your favorite place to be?	On the Virginia Tech campus or the Greenbrier River
What is the weirdest job you ever had?	I ran a hot dog stand at Kings Dominion.
Where is the best place you’ve traveled and why?	Athens, Greece - It was a lifelong dream, it was gorgeous, and the food was spectacular!
What would you do if you were not a librarian?	Exactly what I'm doing now. I'd be a professor of school librarianship!
If you could choose anyone - alive or dead - as a mentor, who would you pick?	As a life mentor, Maya Angelou. I felt so privileged to see her speak in Richmond years ago. As a library mentor, Audrey Church!
Favorite movie line/quote:	*I won't quote the whole thing here, but it's Chunk's long confession in the Goonies. It kills me every time!*
What is the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?	I'm boring but practical. I would set up trusts and perpetuities to ensure lifelong financial safety.
What is the coolest (or most important) trend you see today?	Information literacy instruction!
What is your favorite food or treat?	Tacos or fried okra
What advice do you give students who haven’t read a book in a while?	Tell me about the movies and tv shows you like, and let's go from there. Also, I often recommend graphic novels.
If you could transform one part of your library, what would you change?	This is a tough one since I'm not currently in a library. But if I could transform something in all libraries across the state, it would be to ensure strong, reliable, and equitable access to the internet.
What was the last book you read?	Currently, I'm half way through reading Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown, but I just finished Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused by Melissa Maerz.
What do you like to do on your days off?	Chill with my family when my teenagers are home and willing to spend time with me. :)
What librarian job duty has surprised you the most?	I'm always surprised when I hear some librarians get pulled to substitute in classrooms.
How do you balance your career and family?

Representation

Each region is represented with two votes on the Board of Directors by the Regional Director and the Regional Director-Elect. A term of office is 2 years. Each year a new Director-Elect is elected for each region by the general VAASL membership.

The main role of each position is to represent the librarians and interests of the region on the board. The Director coordinates the Regional Spring Conference and the Director-Elect coordinates the selection of the region's School Librarian of the Year. Each director contributes content through VAASL's communication channels. Interested in joining the VAASL Board of Directors? Nominate yourself or another person for your region's Director-Elect. The ballot slate is filled each spring by the VAASL Past-President. Additionally, each summer/fall, committees are filled for the following year by the Executive Board.

The next James Spring Conference is scheduled for March 23, 2021.

School Librarian of the Year

Applications for the School Librarian of the Year are due January 31st of each year. A copy of the application is available in PDF for download. Final applications are submitted online.

Previous Recipients

		2020	Katie Kier	2019	Judy Deichman
2018	Lara Ivey*	2017	Shannon Hyman	2016	Heather Murfee
2015	Brook Davis	2014	Kathleen Roberts	2013	Jeannie Graham
2012	Jen Spisak	2011	Tracy Aitken	2010
2009	Laura Hoel	2008	Andrea Clarke	2007	Gladys Wilder
2006	John Thomas	2005	Shelor Smith & Wendy Sellors	2004	Pam Tuggle
2003	Nancy Furr	2002	Julie Tate	2001	Pam Tinsley, Kit Vaughan

School Districts in the James Region

Virginia members belong to the Region of their work location.

Amelia County Public Schools	Appomattox County Public Schools	Brunswick County Public Schools
Charles City County Public Schools	Charlotte County Public Schools	Chesterfield County Public Schools
Colonial Heights City Schools	Cumberland County Public Schools	Dinwiddie County Public Schools
Goochland County Public Schools	Halifax County Public Schools	Hanover County Public Schools
Henrico County Public Schools	Hopewell City Public Schools	Lunenburg County Public Schools
Mecklenburg County Public Schools	New Kent County Public Schools	Nottoway Public Schools
Petersburg City Public Schools	Powhatan County Public Schools	Prince Edward County Public Schools
Prince George County Public School	Richmond Public Schools