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The Library of Virginia e-Newsletter
August 2010


News

Click any excerpt below to read the full article.

Ronald S. Kozlowski Kozlowski to Lead State Library Board

Ronald S. Kozlowski, of Richmond, Virginia, has been elected chair of the Library Board. Kozlowski is a retired librarian. Kozlowski, who was appointed to the Library Board in 2006 by Governor Tim Kaine, earned his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and his master’s degree in library science from Dominican University. From January through August 2005 he was interim director of the Richmond Public Library...

Voting Open for the 2010 Cardozo Children's Literature Award

Vote now for the 2010 Whitney and Scott Cardozo Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. This award is given each year for a children's book published the previous year, and will be presented at the 2010 Library of Virginia Literary Awards on October 16. The finalists were selected by a panel of judges, but the winner is up to you...

Library Provides Online Access to Commission Reports on Government Efficiency

Governor Robert McDonnell's executive order on January 16, 2010, created the Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring, which he charged with streamlining state government and making it more efficient. Previous Virginia governors have also explored government effectiveness and efficiency...

Becoming a Semper Virginia Society Member Is Now Easier than Ever!

The Library of Virginia Foundation has a new, secure online donation page to make becoming a member easier than ever. Your gift goes directly to our collections and programs—it will used to purchase valuable titles for the collection, acquire rare Virginia maps and documents, conserve our treasures, and produce inspiring educational programs...

Register Now for the 2010 James River Writers' Conference

The 2010 James River Writers' Conference will be held on October 8 and 9 at the Library of Virginia. Among those featured at the conference will be...

Call for Papers for 2011 Virginia Forum

The 2011 Virginia Forum will be held on the campuses of Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. The Virginia Forum is interdisciplinary and welcomes proposals from scholars, teachers, and historical professionals in all fields. The theme, “Different Virginias,” is comparative and invites scholars to submit papers about all aspects of Virginia life, history, and culture...

Board Releases Meeting Schedule

At its annual meeting in June the State Library Board approved a bylaws change saying that there shall be no fewer than four and no more than 12 regular meetings of the Library Board each fiscal year. Prior to the adoption of the change, the Board met five times a year. Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time by or at the direction of the Chair or upon the written request of five members of the Board...

Bettag to Present Slatten Lecture on September 11

The Friends of the Virginia State Archives is pleased to announce that Claire Bettag will present its annual Slatten Lecture at the FVSA annual meeting and conference to be held on Saturday, September 11, 2010, at the Library of Virginia, with registration starting at 8:30 AM...

Pew Report Shows Increase in Cell Phone and Mobile Web Use

On July 7 the Pew Internet & American Life Project released Mobile Access 2010, a report by Aaron Smith. Cell phone and wireless laptop Internet use have each grown more prevalent over the last year...

Circuit Court Records Program Awards Grants for Preservation Projects

The Grants Review Board for the Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) met on May 19, 2010, at the Library of Virginia. Following the evaluation of 40 grant applications, the Grants Review Board decided to fund 37 applications. For the first time in over 20 grant cycles, the application process was competitive. The 40 applications were received from 37 localities, and totaled $349,931 in requests...

Guidelines Announced for American Heritage Preservation Grants

The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation are pleased to announce the 2011 guidelines for the American Heritage Preservation Program. This public-private partnership will fund the preservation of endangered and fragile artworks, rare books, scientific specimens, and historical documents (photographs, maps, deeds, etc.) held in small and medium-sized museums, archives, and libraries...
Fun & Free at the library in August
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.

The Viognier Vendetta Thursday, August 12, 2010

"Books on Broad" Featuring Ellen Crosby
Join us for the "Books on Broad" Book Club at the Virginia Shop, an informal gathering where Ellen Crosby will speak about and read from The Viognier Vendetta: A Wine Country Mystery featuring Virginia vintner Lucie Montgomery. Featuring an absorbing plot, colorful characters, and fascinating winemaking detail, The Viognier Vendetta combines an entertaining mystery with the luminous prose that has become Crosby’s trademark.

Mondays and Wednesdays, August 16, 18, 23 & 25, 2010

Osher Institute Mini-Course: Genealogy for Beginners at the Library of Virginia
Get started on finding your family history! The class will begin with an introduction to the basics, followed with setting goals, keeping organized, and identifying resources. Led by Donna Shumate, the class will focus on using the Library of Virginia’s rich on-site and online collections of Virginia heritage. For registration information, visit http://scs.richmond.edu/osher/.

Everthing but the Coffee Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Everything but the Coffee: Learning About America from Starbucks
Join us for a talk and book signing for Bryant Simon's Everything but the Coffee. Simon spent five years visiting more than 400 Starbucks locations in 10 countries around the world while researching his book. Everything but the Coffee probes the company's psychological, emotional, political, and sociological power to discover how Starbucks' explosive success and rapid deflation exemplify American culture at this historical moment. Most importantly, it shows that Starbucks speaks to a deeply felt American need for predictability and class standing, community and authenticity, revealing that Starbucks' appeal lies not in its coffee but in the easily consumed identity it offers.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack
Join us for a talk and book signing by Rebecca Skloot as she takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the "colored" ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta's small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia, to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live, and struggle with the legacy of her cells. Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an important and provocative story of racism, greed, science, and ethics.

The Art of Libery Friday, May 7, 2010
through Friday, October 15, 2010

The Art of Liberty
This year marks the 65th anniversary of both V-E Day (Victory in Europe, May 8) and V-J Day (Victory over Japan, August 15). To commemorate the occasions and to honor those who fought overseas and on the home front, The Art of Liberty highlights a few of the WWII posters sent to the Library of Virginia as part of the Federal Depository Library program.

Through Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The Land We Live In, the Land We Left: Virginia's People
Raising his glass at a July 4th celebration in 1852, a young Irish-American resident of Richmond toasted "the land we live in; not forgetting the land we left." The sentiment reflects the history of more than four centuries of Virginia immigrants, who nurtured the traditions of their homelands even as they participated in the mainstream Virginia economy and culture. Their stories come alive in this exhibition, which explores the lives of immigrants from a wide variety of homelands who settled in every part of the state. Current debates over the treatment of illegal immigrants in the state and the nation make this a timely exhibition.

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