October 2019 Newsletter

Don't Miss 2019's Literary Awards Events, October 18–19

The festivities kick off Friday, October 18, at 6:00 PM, with the Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award, presented by the Library and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This year’s winner is Mary Gabriel for Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler – Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art. Join us in the VMFA's Marble Hall to celebrate the connection between art and literature. A book signing and reception will follow the program. Tickets are $8 ($5 for Semper Virginia members and VMFA members).

On Saturday, October 19, at 6:00 PM, the Literary Awards Celebration Gala will draw library supporters and authors to the Library for a spectacular evening. The winners of the juried fiction, nonfiction, and poetry awards will be announced, as will the winners of the People's Choice Awards for fiction and nonfiction. Sponsored by Dominion Energy, the event includes a cocktail reception with the authors, a seated dinner, book signings, and remarks by our featured speaker, cookbook author Brian Noyes, owner of the Red Truck Bakery.

Tickets to the Friday and Saturday events are available at HTTP://BIT.LY/2019LITAWARDS, or by calling 804.692.3813.

Fry-Jefferson Map Society Fall Happenings

The Fry-Jefferson Map Society's Fall Lecture, Richmond City Planning: Evolution Through Maps, is a free presentation on Saturday, November 2, 2019, 10:00–11:30 AM, with Mark A. Olinger, director of the Department of Planning and Development Review for the City of Richmond. This talk about the history of city planning in Richmond and how it relates to current efforts to improve the city coincides with the Library's recent acquisition of a collection of fascinating historical planning charts and maps from the archives of City Hall. A few items from the collection will be on display during the event.

For more information on this event or membership, contact Dawn Greggs at dawn.greggs@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3813. To register, visit https://bit.ly/2Z9DTyN.

Save the date for another exciting map event on November 19, 2019, at 5:30 PM, hosted by the Library of Virginia. Author and historian Susan Schulten presents a talk on her latest book, A History of America in 100 Maps. Throughout its history, America has been defined through maps. Whether made for military strategy or urban reform, to encourage settlement or to investigate disease, maps invest information with meaning by translating it into visual form. They capture what people knew, what they thought they knew, what they hoped for, and what they feared. As such they offer unrivaled windows onto the past. Schulten uses maps to explore five centuries of American history, from the voyages of European discovery to the digital age. A book signing will follow the talk. For more information, contact Emma Ito at emma.ito@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3726. To purchase or pre-order a copy of the book, visit https://bit.ly/2l2mchx or call the Virginia Shop at 804.692.3524.

To renew your membership or become a first-time member of the Fry-Jefferson Map Society, visit the society’s web page to learn more.

Explore Book Arts for Archives Month

Virginia Archives Month celebrates "The Letterpress, the Woodblock, and the Watermark: Book Arts in Archives and Special Collections" to highlight materials from archives throughout the commonwealth.

Each October, the archival community celebrates American Archives Month to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving and sharing cultural and historical documents from families, communities, states, and the country at large. Archives are unique assets that allow society to tell its story, hold governments accountable, and safeguard the rights of its citizens.

That said, archives do not always have to be places of serious research—they can be about serious (or not so serious) creativity, too! To that end, the Virginia caucus of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) is once again holding a contest called REMIX | Book Arts, which runs through October 31, 2019. The public is invited to create redaction poetry, GIFs, collages, coloring pages, memes, and other digital interventions using archival images found in the 2019 Virginia Archives Month Flickr album.

We also welcome you to explore Virginia's cultural heritage and printing history by delving into an archives collection near you during the month of October. Programs, lectures, and tours are slated to take place at institutions around the commonwealth, so keep track of events on organization websites or through the REMIX event listing.

Inclusive Resources Help Public Libraries Serve Everyone

James Madison, fourth president of the United States, asserted, "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." Public libraries have long been the means by which citizens access the knowledge and information necessary to govern themselves. Because citizens come in many stripes, with many different access needs, public libraries strive to provide them with a variety of formats and resources.

The Library Development and Networking Division empowers libraries to provide services for all, including digital content for the visually and hearing impaired, help for those learning English for the first time, and compliance guidance for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Visit www.FindItVA.com and select the "Inclusive Resources" tab to learn more.

This month we launch the first in a series of challenges to increase awareness and strengthen the skills of librarians in serving those with different abilities, from dyslexia to autism spectrum disorder. In observance of October as National Dyslexia Awareness Month, LDND presents the Dyslexia Services Challenge in concert with Decoding Dyslexia-Virginia, a grassroots organization dedicated to improving access for those with dyslexia through advocacy, support groups, and education. Participants will complete an educational module from the Virginia Department of Education, participate in a virtual simulation to experience what a person with dyslexia might see, read fact sheets from the International Dyslexia Association, and more. After completing the challenge, library staff members will receive a Dyslexia-Friendly Librarian certificate and a pin with the 'pqbd" dyslexia symbol designed by Rebecca Warner. To learn more, visit www.pqbd.org.

To learn more about available training and services—or if you're interested in creating or hosting a Decoding Dyslexia support group in your community—please contact division director Nan Carmack at nan.carmack@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3793 to be connected with the right resources.

There's Still Time to Donate to Our Chinese Takeout Menu Project

The Library of Virginia's Visual Studies Collection staff has been collecting Chinese takeout menus from across Virginia during 2019. The Library collects restaurant ephemera from all kinds of businesses, and the impermanent nature of takeout menus makes them worth preserving as a cultural resource for the future.

Why Chinese takeout menus? There are more Chinese restaurants in America than McDonald's, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants combined, according to Jennifer 8. Lee, author of the New York Times best-selling book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, "a book adventure through the mysteries of Chinese food." A takeout menu collection can offer insight into the history of Chinese food in the United States, and how traditional dishes are adapted to local tastes. Researchers who study foodways can find information about the variety of menu offerings and prices charged in different parts of the state and over time.

The project's goal is to have every city and county represented by at least one menu by the end of 2019. If you have takeout menus from any of the cities or counties listed below, please send them our way. Mail to: Library of Virginia, Attn: Dana Puga, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. For more information, contact Dana Puga at dana.puga@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3708.

The locations not yet covered include the cities of Buena Vista, Chesapeake, Clifton Forge, Covington, Danville, Emporia, Falls Church, Franklin, Galax, Hampton, Manassas Park, Martinsville, Newport News, Norton, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Salem, South Boston, Staunton, and Suffolk, and the counties of Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Bland, Brunswick, Buchanan, Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Craig, Cumberland, Dickenson, Floyd, Frederick, Giles, Gloucester, Grayson, Greensville, Halifax, Henry, Highland, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, Lee, Loudoun, Lunenburg, Mathews, Middlesex, Nelson, Northampton, Northumberland, Nottoway, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince George, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Sussex, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, and York.

Become a Supporter of the Semper Virginia Society

The Library depends on the support of individuals like you to help the Library acquire, preserve, and promote access to our unique collections of Virginia's history and culture. If you have not yet had a chance to make your gift, or to become a first-time member and supporter of the Library, now is a great time to make your contribution to the Semper Virginia Society!

Please join us and receive all of the benefits that come with membership to the Semper Virginia Society, including an annual print subscription to Broadside magazine, 10 percent off all purchases at the Virginia Shops, and future invitations to exciting members-only events and programs.

There are three different ways to make your gift:

• Call the Foundation office at 804.692.3813
• Visit our online donation page: www.lva.virginia.gov/donate
• Print and mail our donation form located on the Library's website: www.lva.virginia.gov/involved/donate.pdf