If you are having trouble viewing this email please click here

The Library of Virginia e-Newsletter
February 2015

News
Click any excerpt below to read the full article.

Eight Chosen as 2015 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History

Strong Men and Women In observance of Black History Month the Library of Virginia and Dominion Virginia Power are honoring eight distinguished Virginians as the 2015 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History for their contributions to Virginia and the nation. Those being honored this year include men and women who rose to become generals, war heroes, ministers, educators, musicians, basketball players, and scientists. Along the way they touched the lives of thousands and pushed back the barriers of inequality.

The 2015 honorees are:
  Lott Cary (ca. 1780–1828), Charles City County, Baptist Minister and Settler of Liberia
  William Harvey Carney (1840–1908), Norfolk, Medal of Honor Recipient
  Earl Francis Lloyd (b. 1928), Alexandria, Basketball Pioneer
  James "Plunky" Branch (b. 1947), Richmond, Musician and Educator
  Sheila R. Baxter (b. 1955), Franklin, Brigadier General Army Medical Service Corps
  Jamelle Smith Wilson (b. 1968), Hanover County, Educator
  Beth Anne Brown (1969–2008), Roanoke, Astrophysicist
  Alonzo Harding "Zo" Mourning Jr. (b. 1970), Chesapeake, Basketball Player and Philanthropist

Each generation of African Americans has built on the achievements...

Exhibitions Coming Soon to Your Area

For those of you who cannot travel to Richmond, the Library of Virginia is pleased to offer three panel exhibitions that are traveling to Virginia libraries and historical societies. Flora of Virginia, produced in collaboration with the Flora of Virginia Project, Inc., and with support from the Virginia Native Plant Society, will be on display through March 7 at the North Suffolk Library in Suffolk and from March 9 through April 18 at the Southside Regional Library in Boynton. The exhibition will travel across the commonwealth for six-week runs through June 24, 2017.

The 2015 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History panel exhibition, in collaboration with Dominion Virginia Power, honors eight distinguished individuals and demonstrates how African Americans have actively campaigned for better lives for themselves and their...

National Organization Urges Greater E-Rate Participation

At its midwinter meeting the American Library Association launched "Got E-Rate?," an initiative to encourage libraries to apply for Internet discounts as part of the national E-rate program. The federal program provides discounts to public libraries and to public and private K–12 schools on telecommunications services, Internet access, Wi-Fi, and other related costs, such as inside wiring. The goal of the E-Rate program is for all public libraries and schools to have access to high-speed broadband connectivity.

In Virginia, the Library of Virginia has been a leader in facilitating public library participation in the E-Rate program since 2005. For several years, the Library of Virginia has contracted with E-Rate Central...

Miller Center Launches Website Offering Lessons from History for Today's Issues

The Miller Center at the University of Virginia has a new website entitled Great Issues, which relates scholarly research on historical events with modern policy issues and offers valuable information from experts in the form of short video clips. The Great Issues website features short videotaped interviews in which experts provide historical insight into some of the nation's most pressing challenges. It can be...

Governor Announces Appointments to the State Historical Records Advisory Board

Governor Terry McAuliffe has appointed five new members and reappointed two members to the State Historical Records Advisory Board, which serves as the central advisory body for historical records planning and related projects developed and carried out by the state. The board may publish and sponsor surveys of conditions and needs of historical records in the state, review records and proposals by...

ALA Announces Top Books and Video for Children and Young Adults

The American Library Association recently announced the top books and video for children and young adults—including the Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Printz, Carnegie, and Belpré awards—at its midwinter meeting in Chicago.

A partial list of the 2015 award winners follows:

The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature went to The Crossover, written by Kwame Alexander, a native of Reston, Virginia. Two Newbery Honor Books also were named: El Deafo, written and illustrated by Virginia author Cece Bell, and Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson, which earlier won 2014 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for kids went to The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, written and illustrated by Dan Santat. Six Caldecott Honor Books also were named: Nana in the City, illustrated...

Fun & Free at the Library

Through Saturday, February 28, 2015
Virginia General Assembly in Session. Parking at the Library will be very limited.
Please note that the Virginia General Assembly, the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World, is in session.

Saturday, February 14, 2015
Closed

Monday, February 16, 2015
Administrative Offices Closed
Administrative offices closed for George Washington Day. Lobby, reading rooms, exhibition, and stacks will be open.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Life and Love of Slave Trader Silas Omohundro
Time: Noon–1:00 PM
Place: Conference Rooms,  Free
Scholar Alexandra Findley chronicles the life of Silas Omohundro, a Richmond slave trader, and the African American woman he took as a wife.

Friday, February 27, 2015
Your Family History at the Library of Virginia: Getting Started
Time: 9:30 AM–12:30 PM
Place: Conference Rooms,  Fee
Join Library of Virginia archivists as they help introduce you to the types of records that are held in the Library's collections and help you get started with your genealogy research. No experience necessary. Pre-registration required. For registration information, go to http://www.eventbrite.com/o/adrienne-robertson-6504598681?s=31424249

Tuesday, March 17, 2015
The Joys and Challenges of Historical Research
Place: Conference Rooms, Free
Time: Noon–1:00 PM
Joanne Yeck and Shelly Murphy, longtime researchers  at the Library of Virginia, will offer an informative discussion of the practical challenges of working with burned counties, incomplete records, and African American family histories.

Friday, March 20, 2015
Solomon Northup and the Tragic Voyage of the Orleans
Time: 5:30 PM–7:00 PM
New Location: Conference Rooms, Free but reservations required. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solomon-northup-and-the-tragic-voyage-of-the-orleans-by-dr-calvin-schermerhorn-tickets-15600471430
Arizona State University scholar Calvin Schermerhorn recounts the life of Solomon Northup, the central character of the movie 12 Years a Slave, and his voyage on the slaver Orleans as a case study of the complexities of the interstate slave trade.

Saturday, March 21, 2015
To Be Sold Symposium: The American Slave Trade from Virginia to New Orleans
Time: 9:00 AM–5:15 PM
Place: Lecture Hall,  Free, but reservations required. vamem.com/03-21-2015
"To Be Sold: The American Slave Trade from Virginia to New Orleans" is a day-long symposium that will take place in both Richmond, Virginia, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Morning sessions will be held in Richmond and simulcast in New Orleans, while afternoon sessions will be held in New Orleans and simulcast in Richmond. Participants at both locations will be able to engage in live discussions with attendees and presenters at both sites.

Thursday, March 26, 2015
2015 Virginia Women in History Program & Reception
Time: 6:00-8:00 PM
Place: Lecture Hall, Free
Virginia Women in History Join the Library of Virginia and host May-Lily Lee in recognizing eight exceptional Virginia women who have made important contributions to Virginia, the nation, and the world. A reception follows the program. The Richmond Times-Dispatch and Richmond.com are the print and digital media sponsor for the 2015 Virginia Women in History program. Check The Times-Dispatch each Tuesday and Thursday March 3 through 26 for Virginia Women in History profiles.

Through Saturday, May 30, 2015
To Be Sold: Virginia and the American Slave Trade
Time: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, Monday–Saturday
Place: Lobby and Exhibition Hall, Free
This groundbreaking exhibition explores the pivotal role that Richmond played in the domestic slave trade. Curated by University of Virginia professor Maurie McInnis, To Be Sold draws from her book, Waiting to Be Sold: Abolitionist Art and the American Slave Trade, and is anchored by a series of paintings and engravings by Eyre Crowe, a British artist who witnessed the slave trade as he traveled across the United States in 1853. Virginia was the largest mass exporter of enslaved people through the Richmond market, making the trade the most important economic activity in antebellum Virginia.

All personal information is used solely by the Library of Virginia in accordance with our Privacy Policy