Pilot Scanning Project Helps Brookneal Library

Several staff members from the Library of Virginia visited Campbell County in late February as part of an outreach project to assist small libraries and historical societies in scanning and digitizing locally significant collections. As a result of feedback gathered from the highly successful May 2010 workshop for local historical societies held at the Library of Virginia, the State Historic Records Advisory Board included a funding request in a subsequent grant application to sponsor two sessions of the Society of American Archivists' workshop on the Basics of Imaging. One of the issues...

Library of Virginia to Celebrate Preservation Week with Four Programs

During Preservation Week, April 22–28, libraries all over the country present events, activities, and resources that highlight what we can do, individually and together, to preserve our personal and shared collections. The Library of Virginia is offering four programs illustrating the need for and value of preserving collections–two in Richmond, one in Bedford, and one in Lynchburg.

In 2011, the Library of Virginia was awarded a Saving America's Treasures grant to restore the Executive Papers of Governor Thomas Jefferson, 1779–1781. Please join us...

Lost & Found Adventure Race: A Challenge of Historic Proportions!

The Library of Virginia and its environs are the setting for an adventure on Saturday, June 9, that pits your wits against a series of cunning clues, crafty codes, and ingenious puzzles. Based on the Library's current exhibition, Lost and Found, the event challenges teams of up to six to embark on a quest that has been described as a combination of Amazing Race and National Treasure. Put on your sneakers, thinking caps, and imaginative team uniforms and get lost, if only for a couple of hours, in the colorful culture of Richmond's past.

Equipped with the maps and clues you need, your team of up to six members will race around downtown Richmond to crack the code and decipher the clues and head to the finale at the Library of Virginia. Fabulously tacky prizes and bragging rights await the winning teams! Top prizes for winning teams, best team name, and best team "uniforms" will be awarded.

Register online (http://lostandfoundatlva.eventbrite.com) by midnight on June 8. Check in for the race at the Library...

Remote Access to American Founding-Era Texts Now Available

Library of Virginia users now have remote access to three titles that are part of the University of Virginia Press's American Founding Era database collection. These titles document the lives of some of the most important political figures in our nation's history and are a valuable source of primary and secondary materials for students and scholars. Users can perform full-text, date, author, or recipient searches across all volumes in a title, and all internal document cross-references are linked. These databases are...

Bills Allow Access to Historical Vital Records

House Bill 272, introduced by Delegate Christopher K. Peace (R-Hanover) and signed by Governor Robert F. McDonnell, reduces from 50 years to 25 years the time period after which marriage, divorce, and death records in the custody of the State Registrar may become public information. House Bill 272 was recommended by the Joint Commission on Health Care, a commission on which Del. Peace serves.

Senate Bill 660, introduced by Senator Harry Blevins (R-Chesapeake) and signed by Governor Robert F. McDonnell, includes provisions for the State Registrar to enter into a long-term contract with a private company to...

Account Book for Early Richmond Business Added to Library's Collections

A pocket receipt, accounts, and a memoranda book detailing the financial and farming activities of Samuel Finley from 1795 to 1815 has been purchased for the Library of Virginia's collections. The 174-page book covers Finley's departure from his previous business, Finley & Walker, and the beginning of a new venture, which occasioned an order for "books and stationary" from Baltimore bookseller John Hagerty.

Finley's notes throughout the book list both sterling and dollar currencies for his business dealings. He regularly exchanges silver coinage for paper specie, keeping a careful note of each bill's number. Credit notes are also...

Library of Virginia to Close on Wednesday, May 9

In observation of Public Services Week in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Library of Virginia and State Records Center will be closed May 9 for a Staff Development Day, and re-open for normal hours on Thursday, May 10.

Staff members at both locations will attend sessions on conducting effective meetings, using new technology, and managing records. 

Howell Named Program and Education Coordinator

Mark Howell has joined the staff of the Library of Virginia as program and education coordinator. He has extensive experience in the field, including as education director at the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar from 2008 to 2011. He has more than 20 years of experience working for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. During his tenure there, Howell worked his way through the ranks, serving, at various times, as a waiter, tradesman, character interpreter, dancer, militiaman, publications editor, presentation skills...

Snapshot Virginia: One Day in the Life of Virginia's Libraries

Libraries all over Virginia will hold a Snapshot Day in April to collect information, photos, and patron comments that illustrate the impact that Virginia libraries make in their communities every day. At the Library of Virginia, Snapshot Day will be Wednesday, April 18. The Library of Virginia as...

Wednesday, April 11, 2012
"Books on Broad" featuring Jessie Knadler
Join us when we host Virginia author Jessie Knadler to discuss and sign her book, Rurally Screwed, a light-hearted, humorous book about two opposites making a rustic life together in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Refreshments 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, April 17, 2012
Beth Bernard Nickels: A Very Surprising Virginia Architect
Researcher Erin J. Myers will present a lunchtime lecture to mark the unveiling of the Beth Barnard Nickels Architectural Collection. This collection contains countless architectural plans and drawings of projects in Richmond and the surrounding counties from the 1940s through the 1960s. Accompanying the plans are years of personal and professional correspondence that capture the spirit of the mid-twentieth-century building industry. The lecture will celebrate the architect's remarkable life story, her prolific career in the architectural field, and her contribution to the history of Virginia.

Saturday, April 21, 2012
RESCHEDULED Saturday, June 09, 2012
Lost & Found Adventure Race: A Challenge of Historic Proportions!
Time: 9:00 AM–2:00 PM
Place:  Lobby, Fee $25 per person with up to six players per team.
The Library of Virginia and its environs are the setting for an adventure that pits your wits against a series of cunning clues, crafty codes, and ingenious puzzles.

Monday, April 23, 2012
Dining with the Washingtons
Time: 6:00–8:30 PM
Place:  University of Richmond Center for Culinary Arts 
What could dining with the Washingtons have been like? Have you ever wondered how the first First Family wined and dined? Join renowned culinary historian Nancy Carter Crump for a discussion of her acclaimed book on this topic. Learn what formal and everyday dining was like at Mount Vernon while tasting the delectable foods served at George and Martha's table.

Menu: oyster soup, collard pork, ragoo of onions, corn fritters, baked bread pudding, beer, wine, and lemonade.

Register with:

University of Richmond Center for Culinary Arts

9722 Gayton Road

Henrico, VA 23238

804.422.COOK

Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Library of Virginia Preservation Day Event
In 2011, the Library of Virginia was awarded a Saving America's Treasures grant to restore the Executive Papers of Governor Thomas Jefferson, 1779-1781. Please join us for a screening of a film that describes Jefferson's collection and shows the process used to conserve and restore the original manuscripts. Senior paper conservator Leslie Courtois of Etherington Conservation/HF group will provide some background on the process and describe her work. State Records appraisal archivist Craig Moore and State Records program manager Paige Neal will be on hand as well to answer questions about the collection and display some of the original Jefferson documents. 

Saturday, April 28, 2012
Library of Virginia Antiquarian Book Fair: Display of Conservation Work
Time: 10:00 AM–Noon
Place:  Lobby
See materials conserved through the Adopt Virginia's History program. With the assistance of donors (individuals, businesses and interested groups) to the Library of Virginia Foundation's Adopt Virginia's History program, the Library has been able to conserve many unique and interesting items. Prints and Photographs Collection coordinator Dale L. Neighbors, senior rare book librarian Audrey C. Johnson, and senior paper conservator Leslie Courtois of Etherington/HF Group will be on hand to show materials and answer questions. 

Saturday, April 28, 2012
Library of Virginia Antiquarian Book Fair
Time: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Place: Lobby
The Library of Virginia and the Virginia Antiquarian Booksellers Association present the first Library of Virginia Antiquarian Book Fair featuring more than 30 booksellers from around the region offering a broad range of titles–everything from rare collectibles to mainstream fiction. 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Library of Virginia Closed
Time: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
The Library of Virginia and the State Records Center will be closed for a staff development day.

Thursday, May 10, 2012
Poetic Principals: Remembering Eleanor Ross Taylor
Time: 6:00–8:30 PM                                                   
Claudia Emerson, Ross Taylor, David Wojahn, Debra Nystrom, and Kathleen Graber will celebrate the life and work of Eleanor Ross Taylor through readings of her poems. Taylor, who won the Library of Virginia's literary award for poetry in 2000 for Late Leisure, died at age 91 on December 30, 2011. She was the author of six books of poetry published over five decades and in 2010 received the prestigious $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, given by Poetry magazine for poets whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition." A reception will follow the program, which is sponsored in part by the Carole M. Weinstein Virginia Authors Fund.