Photo by Aila Boyd
By Aila Boyd
The Eagle Rock Library’s Seed Library was presented with its Achievement Award from the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) during last Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
Katie Boyle, the director of government affairs for VACo, attended the meeting in order to present Jaime Duval, the branch librarian at the Eagle Rock Library, and Julie Phillips, the director of Botetourt County Libraries, with a plaque in recognition of just how much of a valuable resource the Seed Library is to the community.
“It’s an honor to have been nominated for this award, let alone win,” Duval, who was notified earlier in the summer that her library had won the award, said.
She explained that libraries have always been a “place of sanctuary” for her. Because of that, she said that it meant a lot to her to have been able to give back to them.
Phillips said that the county’s three other libraries are “very proud of Jaime and her team for putting this together.” She went on to say that it was a community effort.
“It’s my great pleasure to present you with a VACo Achievement Award for your wonderful Eagle Rock Seed Library project,” Boyle said.
The award was started in 2003 in order to recognize counties that have adopted innovative approaches to providing public services.
The Achievement Award for the Seed Library marks the fifth win for Botetourt County. The Seed Library was among the 26 winners that were selected from 96 entries. “It’s a very selective program,” Boyle said.
The criteria for the award included whether programs offer innovative approaches to projects, encouraged intergovernmental cooperation, and could provide a model for other counties to learn from.
The judges for this year’s awards included Tedd Povar, the former associate director of the Virginia Institute of Government, Dr. Sheryl Bailey, the former deputy county administrator for Chesterfield County, and Larry Land, former director of policy development at VACo.
“The judges felt that the caliber of entries this year was exceptionally high,” Boyle said.
She noted that VACo was founded in 1934 with the mission of supporting the work of county officials through advocacy efforts, educational programs, and member services.
