All events are free and take place from noon until 1 PM in the conference rooms at the Library of Virginia unless otherwise noted.
For specific locations, times, and details on the events listed below please visit our calendar of events. For more information, call 804-692-3592. |
Thursday, May 5, 2011
"Let us show our loyalty to Virginia and the Union": The Secession Crisis and the Birth of West Virginia, 1860–1863
Kevin Barksdale, assistant professor of history at Marshall University, will explore the events surrounding the secession crisis in Virginia and how this tumultuous period led to the creation of the state of West Virginia. |
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Time: 5:30–7:30 PM
Place: The Virginia Shop
"Books on Broad" Featuring Joseph Papa: Elizabeth Taylor, A Passion for Life: The Wit and Wisdom of a Legend
Joseph Papa will join us to discuss and sign his anthology that reveals the candor and honesty with which Elizabeth Taylor led her extraordinary life. Papa is a publicist and writer living in New York City. A native of Richmond, he has worked for the Library of Virginia and extensively as a stage manager and actor. Light refreshments (wine and cheese) will be served (5:30–6:15 PM), followed by author talk (6:15–7:15 PM), and book signing (7:15–7:30 PM). |
Thursday, May 12, 2011
The Irish Builders of Virginia's Railroads
In the 1650s, hundreds of Irish people first came to Virginia's shores. In the 1850s, several thousand Irish arrived to build railroad tracks and blast mountain tunnels from Richmond to Covington and beyond. The Charlottesville research group Clann Mhór (which means "big family" in the Irish language) is documenting the Irish and more than 100 African Americans who labored at this mammoth public-works project. The group has examined such materials as census documents, marriage records, and applications for U.S. citizenship. Much of the research centered on the invaluable Library of Virginia archives, particularly the railroad payrolls, which provided hundreds of Irish and enslaved African American names. Clann Mhór is providing answers to the critical question: Ca bhfuil siad imithe? Pronounced kah weel sheed imuhee, the words mean: "Where have they all gone?" |
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Time: 5:30–7:30 PM
Place: The Virginia Shop
"Books on Broad" Featuring Valerie O. Patterson: The Other Side of Blue
Valerie O. Patterson, who holds an MFA in children’s literature from Hollins University, will join us to discuss The Other Side of Blue, her memorable teen novel of a family dealing with the death of a father. Light refreshments (wine and cheese) will be served (5:30–6:15 PM), followed by author talk (6:15–7:15 PM), and book signing (7:15–7:30 PM). |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Lost Communities of Virginia
Authors Terri Fisher and Kirsten Sparenborg will discuss and sign their book, Lost Communities of Virginia, which documents 30 small communities from throughout Virginia that have lost their original industry, transportation mode, or way of life. Using contemporary photographs, historical information, maps, and excerpts of interviews with longtime residents of these communities, the book documents current conditions, recalls past boom times, and explains the role of each community in regional settlement. |
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Time: 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Place: Lobby
Stories of Virginia's "Greatest Generation" Open House
Archivists will be available in the Library’s conference rooms to collect World War II items. The types of items that are appropriate for the Library’s collection are: diaries, letters, photographs, posters and broadsides, and maps. We are unable to accept artifacts such as firearms and uniforms. If you are interested in donating war-related materials but unable to attend the May 24 event, please contact the Library of Virginia at 804-692-3795. |
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
War Shots: Norm Hatch and the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Cameramen of World War II
Charles "Chip" Jones will discuss and sign his book that features some of the most iconic footage of World War II—taken while the photographers risked their lives. Yet the stories—and sheer guts—of the U.S. Marine Corps’ combat cameramen have been overshadowed by the heroism of the men with the rifles. War Shots brings these photographers into sharp focus through the career of Norm Hatch, a true American character whose skill with a camera and knack for being in the right place at the right time thrust him to the forefront of the effort to record the marines at war in the Pacific. Major Hatch will be a special guest at this event. |
Saturday, May 28—Monday, May 30, 2011
The Library will be closed for the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. |