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Click any excerpt below to read the full article. Library of Virginia's Budget Reduced In September 2009, following Governor Tim Kaine's most recent adjustments to the state's fiscal year 2010 budget, the annual general fund budget of the Library of Virginia dropped from $30,409,896 to $27,415,771, a cut of 9.4 percent, which included eight layoffs... Edwards, Harris, and Lewis to Retire on November 1 On November 1, three members of the Library of Virginia's executive management team will retire. State Archivist Conley L. Edwards III; Ann Harris, director of Finance and Administrative Services; and Elizabeth M. "Libby" Lewis, director of Library Development and Networking, together have more than 85 years of public service... Cohabitation Registers Available at Virginia Memory Web Site The Library of Virginia has recently completed digitizing of its cohabitation registers. Cohabitation registers are among the most important genealogical resources for African Americans attempting to connect their family lines back through their enslaved ancestors. The registers date from 1866 and provide a snapshot in time for the individuals recorded therein, offering a wealth of information that otherwise might be impossible, or at least very difficult, to uncover... Berry and Neville Discuss "Write What You Love" on October 16 Best-selling mystery/thriller writer Steve Berry will be in Richmond on Friday, October 16, for "Write What You Love," a free Library of Virginia program. Virginia author Katherine Neville, whose books The Eight, A Calculated Risk, and The Magic Circle are best sellers in more than 30 languages, will moderate the program, which will take place at noon at the Hilton Garden Inn, 501 East Broad Street. The event is free, but seating is limited. Please call 804-692-3900 to reserve a seat... Gordon-Reed Featured at October 17 Literary Luncheon Annette Gordon-Reed, author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy and The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, which won the 2008 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in history, is the featured author at the 2009 Library of Virginia Literary Luncheon on Saturday, October 17, at 11:30 AM at the Hilton Garden Inn, 501 East Broad Street... Swearingen to Deliver Annual Governor Henry Lecture Dr. C. Jan Swearingen, professor of English at Texas A&M University, will deliver the Ninth Annual Governor Henry Lecture at the Library of Virginia at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, November 17, and at Hampden-Sydney College at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, November 18... Library Seeks Archive of School Desegregation Records The important story of the desegregation of Virginia’s schools is in danger of being lost as a generation ages and records are forgotten or discarded. School records reflect this tumultuous time in recent history. By locating them, archivists at the Library of Virginia help to ensure that these times will be documented and that the voices of the participants will be heard. A wide variety of local records at the Library of Virginia describe schools, both white and black, and their desegregation... Library Receives Funding From NPS Challenge Cost Share Program The Virginia Genealogical Society and the Richmond National Battlefield recently completed a project to microfilm Virginia records of the Southern Claim Commission as part of the 2004 National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program. As a modification to the initial agreement, the Library was pleased to receive $9,500 in support of its continuing efforts to provide digital access to its rich collections... October Is Archives Month in Virginia The theme of the 2009 Archives Month is "To Choose Our Better History." October is a great time to explore your Virginia history by delving into an archives collection near you. Virginia is home to more than 75 archives and special collections repositories that preserve and make available Virginia’s history. On Tuesday, October 27, repositories from across the state will showcase items from their rich collections at a Virginia History and Archives Fair, hosted by the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.... Young Writer Reads Short Story Based on Edgar Allan Poe Listen to a reading of "Darkness and Light," a short story by Evelyn Hildebrand, second-place winner for the short story division in the "Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster" Young Writers' Competition. Last spring, the Library of Virginia and the Poe Museum invited high school students to submit their poetry and short stories, written in the genres Poe mastered—mystery, science fiction, and horror... Literary World Mourns the Passing of Safire, Hoffman, and Peterson Library of Virginia staff members recently learned of the deaths of three disparate authors with connections to the Library. The best known of these three is William Safire, who died September 27. The acerbic conservative columnist for the New York Times and language expert spoke at the Library of Virginia in February 2000 about his novel Scandalmonger, a tale of scandals and seductions involving America’s founders. Safire’s appearance at the Library was in part a thank-you for research assistance that the Library provided for his novel. Trustee Workshops Prove Popular The Library Development and Networking Division offered a series of six public library trustee workshops this fall designed to help trustees understand their powers and duties. In Virginia the governance of the vast majority of public libraries is placed with citizens of the community, organized as a library board of trustees. As a result of this statutory process, board members are public officials and the powers delegated to them are a public trust. Library boards have both legal and practical responsibilities. They are responsible for carrying out their legal duties correctly and, consequently, are accountable under law for actions they take... Most events are free and are open to the public. For specific locations, times, and details on the events listed below please visit our calendar of events. Tuesdays & Thursdays through December 3, 2009 Docent-led Tour of Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster RSVP by calling 804-692-3592. Join our library docents for a tour of the Library of Virginia’s exhibition focusing on Edgar Allan Poe, whose influence on writers and artists was profound. Learn just how well you know this Master of Macabre. Space is limited. Tours occur every Tuesday & Thursday through December 3 except Thursday, November 27. Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Curator-led Tour of Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster RSVP by calling 804-692-3592 by Monday, October 5, 2009. Join exhibition curator Chris Semtner for an in-depth tour of the Library of Virginia’s exhibition focusing on Edgar Allan Poe, whose influence on writers and artists was profound. Learn just how well you know this master of macabre. Space is limited. Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Hell: A Novel Pulitzer Prize–winner Robert Olen Butler will discuss and sign his latest novel, a funny, original, and ultimately touching story set in the underworld. Wednesday , October 14, 2009 Tale of Three Cities: Poe and Richmond Gregg Kimball, director of the Education and Outreach Division, will discuss Poe’s connections to Richmond that encompassed nearly his entire life, from being taken in and raised by John and Frances Valentine Allan from 1811 to 1826, to his editorship of the Southern Literary Messenger in the mid-1830s, and ending with his lecturing tours in 1848 and 1849... Wednesday, October 14, 2009 "Poe Revealed" Bus Tour by Richmond Discoveries Tour starts at the Library of Virginia. Please call Richmond Discoveries to register for the tour: 804-222-8595. The reservation deadline is October 7, 2009. Join us for a guided bus tour of key Poe-related sites and exhibitions around Richmond including the Library of Virginia's Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster exhibition, the Adam Craig House, the Elmira Shelton House, St. John's Church, Shockoe Cemetery, and more... Friday, October 16, 2009 Write What You Love Join us as we welcome internationally best-selling suspense author Steve Berry for a conversation moderated by his colleague in suspense Katherine Neville. A fixture on the New York Times best-seller list, Berry subscribes to the adage that it’s better to “write what you love” than to “write what you know.” Saturday, October 17, 2009 A Lens on American Cultural History: A Conversation with Annette Gordon-Reed Please join us as we welcome Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello, as this year’s featured author at the 2009 Library of Virginia Literary Luncheon. Saturday, October 17, 2009 12th Annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards Celebration Best-selling author Adriana Trigiani will host this year’s fabulous literary event featuring the best writing about Virginia or by Virginia authors. Awards will be given for best works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Other awards include the Carole Weinstein Poetry Prize, the People’s Choice Awards, the Literary Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Whitney and Scott Cardozo Award for Children’s Literature. Tuesday, October 27, 2009 The Long Division Derek Nikitas, a nominee for the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel for Pyres, will discuss and sign his second novel, The Long Division, the story of an Atlanta housecleaner who leaves her nowhere life to reunite with the son she gave up for adoption... Wednesday, October 28, 2009 Songlines of Richmond Wayne Dementi and Brooks Smith will discuss and sign Songlines of Richmond, a delightful book that celebrates the performing arts of Richmond—its people, venues, and events. The book covers this rich history beginning with Quesnay's "first academy of fine arts in America," and continuing through the decades with surprising connections to Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and, of course, homegrown greats like Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Shirley MacLaine... Thursday, October 29, 2009 I Am Murdered: George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and the Killing That Shocked a New Nation In honor of Virginia Archives Month, historian Bruce Chadwick will discuss and sign his historical whodunit I Am Murdered, which relates the tale of the 1806 murder of George Wythe, one of the early nation's most celebrated jurists and public figures... Thursday, October 29, 2009 ARCHIVES MONTH EVENT Behind-the-Scenes Tour Day Contact Catherine OBrion to register for this free tour. Registration deadline: Tuesday, October 27, 2009.

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