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The Library of Virginia e-Newsletter
February 2011


News

Click any excerpt below to read the full article.

CW 150 Legacy Project Scanning Material Across Virginia

The fading ink, yellowing paper, and the ghostly images signal their age. They are priceless remnants of Virginia’s past­—privately held letters, maps, diaries, daguerreotypes, and records of the Civil War. They are disappearing, and without immediate, professional help, a piece of Virginia will disappear with them...

Labert 2011 Virginia Women in History Program Honors Eight Outstanding Women

The woman known as the “First Lady of Virginia Wine,” a crusading attorney for civil liberties, a Methodist lay leader, a botanical illustrator, and a civic leader are among eight Virginia women recognized by the Library of Virginia as part of its Virginia Women in History program. On March 24, the Library of Virginia will honor the eight outstanding women who are featured in the 2011 Virginia Women in History program...

LVA Offers Free E-Rate Help to Public Libraries

The Library of Virginia is offering comprehensive E-Rate consulting services to all Virginia public library systems at no cost through E-Rate Central. E-Rate Central has been retained with funding made available through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Opportunity Online Broadband grant to serve every Virginia library system that would like to participate in the E-Rate program for 2011...

Library of Virginia Receives Lorenz Award

The Library of Virginia has received the John G. Lorenz Award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Lorenz Award recognizes state library agencies that promptly meet the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ standards for the completeness, quality, and timely submission of statistical data. The award was presented last fall for data related to fiscal year 2009...

To Collect, Protect, and Serve Teaches Children about the Library

A new children’s book, To Collect, Protect, and Serve: Behind the Scenes at the Library of Virginia by Tameka Hobbs, program and education manager at the Library of Virginia, will soon be teaching young people about the important work done by Library staff. The book uses engaging cartoon figures—Archie the Archivist, Libby the Librarian, and Connie the Conservator dedicated to fighting Archival Enemies...

Governor Appoints Kelly Cherry Poet Laureate of Virginia

Kelly Cherry, who lives in Southside Virginia, has been named to a two-year term as Poet Laureate of Virginia by Governor Bob McDonnell. She was born in Baton Rouge, grew up in Chesterfield County, and received a bachelor’s degree from Mary Washington College and a master of fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her parents were violinists and her father taught at Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University). He also was a cofounder of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra...

Virginia in Maps Virginia Shop Offers Special Price on Virginia in Maps Book

The Virginia Shop is running a special price on Virginia in Maps: Four Centuries of Settlement, Growth, and Development. First published in 2000 by the Library of Virginia, Virginia in Maps is the first fully illustrated comprehensive atlas of historical Virginia maps. The atlas includes...

17th Virginia Festival of the Book Runs March 16–20

Book lovers will converge on Charlottesville March 16–20 for the 17th Annual Virginia Festival of the Book. As in years past, this mostly free five-day public festival features author readings, panel discussions, workshops, and book signings that appeal to readers of all ages. Librarian of Virginia Sandra G. Treadway will be the featured speaker at the opening ceremony for the festival at noon on March 16...

American Library Association Announces Award Winners

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool has won the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature. This powerful debut novel set in 1936 features 12-year-old Abilene Tucker, who feels deserted in her father’s hometown of Manifest, Kansas, where she has been sent by her father to live for the summer with an old friend while he works for the railroad. Four Newbery Honor Books also were named...

Loudoun County Public Library Wins John Cotton Dana Award

Loudoun County Public Library has been selected as one of five libraries in the nation to receive the John Cotton Dana Award. This prestigious award recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in library public relations. The John Cotton Dana award winners receive a cash grant of $5,000 from the H. W. Wilson Foundation. The John Cotton Dana honor has been awarded continuously since 1946 and is sponsored by the...
Fun & Free at the Library
All events are free and take place from noon until 1 PM in the conference rooms at the Library of Virginia unless otherwise noted. Please note that during the General Assembly session there is very limited public parking in the Library's underground deck.

For specific locations, times, and details on the events listed below please visit our calendar of events. For more information, call 804-692-3592.

The Warmth of Other Suns Friday, February 4, 2011

Time: 6:00 PM–7:30 PM
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Join us for a talk by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson on The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, her moving masterwork chronicling the decades-long migration of black people from the South to the northern and western cities of the United States. From 1915 until 1970 almost six million black people fled the South looking for a better life. Wilkerson uses the lives of three unique individuals to tell this story. She interviewed more than a thousand people and researched official records to write this dramatic account of how these journeys changed people and America.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Time: 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Civil War 150 Legacy Project: Scanning Event
The Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission and the Library of Virginia are partnering to identify and locate original manuscript material concerning the Civil War. These materials may include letters, photographs, diaries, maps, and other Civil War–era materials. Library staff members will scan privately held manuscript material for inclusion on the Web sites of both the Library and the commission. Items to be scanned should document the Civil War and the Civil-War era and must be owned by the individual presenting the materials for digitization. For more information, contact the project's regional coordinators at cw150legacy@lva.virginia.gov.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Bowden the Traitor: A Unionist Family in Confederate Williamsburg
During the secession crisis most Virginians were loyal Unionists, capitulating only when President Lincoln called for state militia volunteers to suppress the insurrection in the Deep South. Some remained Unionists even after Virginia seceded. Among these were members of the Bowden family, whose opposition to disunion resulted in great personal sacrifice and placed them on an unlikely path of political activism that stretched from the Civil War to the end of the 19th century. Don Gunter will discuss how their decision affected the Bowden family.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Closed for George Washington Day weekend
LOBBY, READING ROOMS, AND STACKS WILL BE OPEN ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21. Someone will be in the main administrative offices, but otherwise Library staff offices will be closed.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

2011 African American Trailblazers: Program and Reception
Free but reservations required. Seating is limited. Call 804-692-3900 by February 18 to RSVP. Program begins promptly at 6:00 PM. Eight honorees—from the past and present—who have had a significant impact on the history of Virginia will be honored at this celebration. A reception follows the program. Sponsored by Capital One. The media sponsor of the 2011 African American Trailblazers in Virginia History is the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Time: 9:30 AM–4:00 PM
"Person of the Year" for 1861?
Fee. $35 for museum members and Library donors and $50 for others (including a box lunch). Reservations and pre-payment are required.
This question will be the charge given to the speakers—and to the audience—at the Museum of the Confederacy’s 2011 symposium to be held at the Library of Virginia. Presented by the museum and cosponsored by the Library, the program is the first of an anticipated series of annual symposia that will offer an innovative perspective on the Civil War during the sesquicentennial years, 2011–2015. The 2011 symposium speakers—historians Ed Bearss; William C. “Jack” Davis; Dr. Lauranett Lee; Dr. James I. “Bud” Robertson, Jr.; and Chris Kolakowski—will “nominate” candidates and their lectures will make their cases for their nominees. Following a concluding panel discussion, the audience will vote to decide the Person of the Year for 1861.

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