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Click any excerpt below to read the full article. January Program to Explore Church-State Relationships throughout Virginia's History On January 7, 2014, at 6:00 PM the Library of Virginia will present a discussion of church-state relationships based on scholar Thomas Buckley's recently published book, Establishing Religious Freedom: Jefferson's Statute in Virginia. The bookoffers a comprehensive analysis of the legislation, which shaped the First Amendment and American ideas about church-state relations. Joining Buckley will be Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Shapiro and Ben Campbell, pastoral director of Richmond Hill, in a free-wheeling discussion of church-state relationships during key points in Virginia's history up to the present. The discussion will be moderated by historian Brent Tarter. Thomas Jefferson originally drafted the bill proposing the separation of church and state in Virginia in 1777. Eventually the bill was passed by the General Assembly in 1786 thanks to the political skills of James Madison. Its passage concluded the effort to disestablish the Church... Registration Is Open for the "The American Civil War in a Global Context" Conference Registration is now open for the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission's 2014 Signature Conference, the sixth installment in the popular annual series. "The American Civil War in a Global Context" provides the opportunity to look at the Civil War from an intriguing perspective and situates its meaning in the wider currents of world history. The conference will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2014, at George Mason University's Center for the Arts, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, Virginia. The Civil War was an intense national struggle, but it was also an international event in many ways. Considering it from this standpoint provides a number of unexpected connections between the American crisis and the wider world, while shedding new light on the war itself. The conference will juxtapose the Civil War with other internal conflicts during the same period—the national unifications in Europe, the... Reading Rooms News Library of Virginia users can now scan pages from books at no charge using our new Bookeye 4 scanners. Two new self-service scanners allow users to scan and save images from books to a USB drive. The scanners were purchased using funds from the Federal Library Services and Technology Act monies awarded to the Library. The Library also has a new photocopy/print system. A Library of Virginia card is now required in order to make photocopies or printouts. The card can be used with the photocopy machines, microform... Pearl Bailey Library Recognized for Best After-School Arts and Humanities Program Pearl Bailey Library Youth Program recently was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama as a winner of the 2013 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. This is the highest honor for out-of-school arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America's young people, particularly those from underserved communities. Demetria Tucker, senior family and youth services librarian at Pearl Bailey Library, and Nasir Curry, president of the Teen Advisory Committee for Pearl Bailey Library, received the award from First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House ceremony on November 22. The Pearl Bailey Library Youth Program is one of 12 such programs from across the country that was selected to receive this award from a pool of more than 350 nominations and 50 finalists. The award honors exemplary after-school and... Database Spotlight: Access Newspaper Archive For several years, visitors to the Library of Virginia have been able to explore the extensive collection of historical newspapers found in the Access Newspaper Archive database. The Library is pleased to announce that remote access to this resource is now available. The Access Newspaper Archive includes local, national, and foreign newspapers, with coverage dates ranging from 1607 to the present day. Issues from numerous Virginia newspapers such as the Bee (Danville, Virginia), the Progress Index (Petersburg, Virginia), and the Winchester Star can be browsed or searched. Users can browse newspapers by location, date, or title, or choose to view only recently added content for a particular location and time period. Searches can be... Childs and McIntire Leave the Library The week of November 11 was filled with bittersweet news for the Library of Virginia. Carl Childs, director of Local Records Services at the Library since 2005, and Mary Beth McIntire, executive director of the Library of Virginia Foundation since 2003, announced that they are leaving the Library to take new jobs. Childs, who joined the Library in 1993 as a library assistant, left November 26 to accept a job as director of archives and records for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. McIntire left on December 6 to become chief executive officer of the Comfort Zone Camp, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization based in... Wood Named to Library Board Governor Bob McDonnell has named Patricia M. Wood of Midlothian, an attorney at MeyerGoergen PC, to the Library Board. Wood fills the unexpired term of Meyera Oberndorf and will serve until July 1, 2014. Wood's legal practice is primarily focused on the representation of businesses, construction and development litigation, and... Monday, December 23, 2013 – Wednesday, December 25, 2013 Closed The Library of Virginia will be closed for the Christmas holiday. Thursday, December 26, 2013 State Record Center Reading Room Closed The State Record Center reading room will be closed on Thursday, December 26th. Wednesday, January 1, 2014 Closed The Library will be closed for New Year's Day. Tuesday, January 7, 2014 Establishing Religious Freedom: Virginia's Work in Progress Time: 6:00–7:30 PM Place: Lecture Hall Scholar Thomas Buckley is joined by Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Shapiro and Ben Campbell, pastoral director of Richmond Hill, in a free-wheeling discussion of church-state relationships during key points in Virginia's history. Moderated by historian Brent Tarter, the panel will use Buckley's recently published book—Establishing Religious Freedom: Jefferson's Statute in Virginia—as their point of departure. This program is offered in partnership with the Council for America's Freedom. The Act for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia appeared to separate church and state completely. It helped shape the First Amendment and American ideas about church-state relations; but in Virginia, the law of unintended consequences repeatedly required legislative and judicial intervention for a century and a half after the act was passed. And it still does. Introductions by Randolph Wyckoff, executive director, Council for America's First Freedom. Thursday, January 9, 201 BOOK LAUNCH:  Virginia Is Work For Mysteries Time: 5:30–7:30 PM Place: Conference Rooms Virginia is for Mysteries is a collection of sixteen short stories set in the state of Virginia. All of the authors are Virginia residents as well as members of the Sisters in Crime writers group, and their stories are written with "murder" in mind. Each story features a Virginia landmark, such as the Lake Charles Lighthouse, Richmond's Old Hollywood Cemetery and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, and transport readers across Virginia's rich, unique and very deadly landscape. A wine-and-cheese reception will follow the book talk. Saturday, January 11, 2014 Closed The Library of Virginia will be closed for the inauguration of the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Want to know more about past Virginia inaugurations? Visit www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/inaugurations/ Thursday, January 16, 2014 Film Screening: Bottle Rocket Time: 6:00–8:00 PM Place: Lecture Hall Join us for a screening of Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, a cult classic about a trio of friends who end up hiding out in a motel. The film was co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson. In addition to being Anderson's directorial debut, Bottle Rocket was the debut feature for brothers Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson, who co-starred with James Caan and Robert Musgrave. Presented in conjunction with the Library's exhibition No Vacancy: Remnants of Virginia's Roadside Culture. Saturday, January 18, 2014 Closed The Library of Virginia will be closed so the reading rooms can be open for the Lee-Jackson Day and Martin Luther King holidays. Monday, January 20, 2014 Administrative Offices Closed Administrative offices will be closed for Martin Luther King Day. The lobby, reading rooms, and stacks will be open. Through Saturday, February 22, 2014 The Importance of Being Cute: Pet Photography in Virginia Time: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Photographs of animals dominate the web. From the cute to the ridiculous, millions of pet images are viewed and shared each day. The historical precedent for this online phenomenon can be found in The Importance of Being Cute. Through Saturday, February 22, 2014 No Vacancy: Remnants of Virginia's Roadside Culture Time: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Explore the evolution of Virginia's roadside lodging along U.S. Route 1, once the main highway for travel along the East Coast, through this exhibition of vintage and current photographs. Early and mid-20th century travelers along Route 1 stopped at camps, motor courts, roadside cottages, and motels to take a break from the hours of driving. Often locally owned, these businesses were full of the local flavor of the area. Today, in the shadows of the bright lights of the Holiday Inns, Best Westerns, and the Hiltons, the remnants of Virginia's roadside culture can still be seen through its rusted signs, overgrown lots, boarded windows, and re-purposed buildings.

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