I have recently discovered gardening. Not that I was unaware of it in years past, but I have recently become a participant. Some recent sunny days have afforded me the opportunity to start getting the gardens ready. I’m going to have three garden spots this year: one for herbs and two for vegetables. I have visions of beautiful basil and tomatoes; fresh beet green salads; and cucumber sandwiches. That said, what I have at the moment is one plot full of weeds and roots; one plot ready for tilling; one plot of clean, loose, healthy dirt; and two very tired arms and shoulders. In short, it doesn’t look like much right now. There is nothing instant about a garden.
We are sowing some pretty exciting seeds at VALL too! We have started a blog. We are developing a wiki. We have grant funds to support your professional development. I have visions of a vibrant and lively blog with VALL member news from every corner of the state. We are well on our way. I have visions of a wiki full of pages for collaborative program development; pages for conversations about issues facing law libraries; pages for members to build and contribute to resource guides. Amy Wharton has graciously agreed to break ground on this exciting project. Please let her know if you are willing to help with the early labor. I have visions of VALL members returning energized from all types of professional development meetings and programs. I look forward to hearing what you’ve learned, perhaps in a blog posting.
All of these projects need your avid participation. Our blog can only be lively if we hear from you. The terrific thing about a blog is that you don’t have to write a whole article. Do you have a few thoughts on a topic that might interest other VALL members? Submit it to Evelyn Campbell to post on the blog. Do you know of a VALL member who has received an award or deserves to be recognized? Let us know! Our wiki can only be collaborative if you participate. Are you developing a program? Would you like to collaborate with someone or solicit feedback from your colleagues? The wiki is the place for you. We will unveil the wiki at the May meeting, complete with instructions about how to build or contribute to a page. Our grants program only works if you apply. Donna Bausch and her committee are excited to support your professional development!
So it’s back to the garden for me today. If I expect to have beautiful plants this summer I need to start the seeds now and try to keep ahead of the weeds. Our VALL projects may be tiny sprouts right now, but with a little work from everyone we’ll be reaping the benefits in no time!
