December 2019 Newsletter
Year-End Giving Supports the Commonwealth's Treasures
As we approach the end of 2019, please consider a gift in support of the Library of Virginia Foundation. Funding from individuals like you—people who appreciate the importance of the Library's work—plays a vital role in sustaining our collections, exhibitions, and programming.
Your donation of $50 or more will provide all the benefits that come with membership, including an annual print subscription to Broadside, our quarterly magazine; 10 percent off all purchases at the Virginia Shops; and invitations to special members-only events and programs. Most important, by making a tax-deductible gift, you help ensure that the Library can fulfill its vision to inspire learning, ignite imagination, create possibilities, encourage understanding, and engage in Virginia's past to empower its future.
While we are in the season of giving, why not give the gift of membership? You can arrange a gift membership by calling Dawn Greggs at 804.692.3813. You can make your gift by printing and mailing the form located on the Library's website, online at www.thevirginiashop.org/foundation-membership.aspx, or by calling Dawn Greggs at the number above.
Library to Receive National Archives Grant for "Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative" Project
The Library of Virginia is in line to receive a "major initiatives" grant from the National Archives for its "Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative" project. Major initiatives grants are reserved for projects that will significantly improve public discovery and use of major historical records collections. Virginia Untold was one of just three major initiatives grants awarded this cycle.
The Library will receive $175,392 to enhance the online Virginia Untold project by adding digitized Registers of Free Blacks (1793-1865) from 19 localities in the commonwealth, along with five additional registers held by Arlington County. In addition, the project will arrange, describe, and digitize records relating to free African Americans from the City of Richmond. Once completed, the records and data will be added to the 15,000 records and 200,000 names of enslaved people and free people of color currently found in the database.
The Virginia Untold project aims to provide greater accessibility to pre-1865 African American history and genealogy found in the rich primary sources stored at the Library of Virginia. In addition, this project seeks to encourage conversation and engagement around the records, providing opportunities for a more grassroots and diverse narrative of the history of Virginia's African American people.
In a separate grant from the National Archives, the Virginia State Historical Records Advisory Board will receive $10,000 to survey the needs of the state's archival repositories and develop a strategic plan. The plan will help the board carry out its mission of assisting organizations throughout Virginia in preserving and providing access to Virginia's historic records. The Library of Virginia administers the board for the state.
The National Archives grants program is carried out with the advice and recommendations of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. A complete list of the grants awarded is at www.archives.gov/nhprc/awards/awards-11-19.
Nominate Your Favorite Virginia Authors & Books for the Literary Awards
Now is your chance to nominate books for the 2020 Library of Virginia Literary Awards. The deadline for all nominations is February 10, 2020. Books eligible for the awards must have been written by a Virginia author or, in the case of nonfiction, cover a Virginia subject. A Virginia author is defined as a writer meeting one or more of the following qualifications: a native-born Virginian, an author living in Virginia, or an author whose permanent home address is in Virginia.
Entries may be submitted in the following categories: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Reference works, anthologies, documentary editions, children's and juvenile literature, photographic books, self-help books, and "how-to" books are not eligible for this award. Entries for the 2020 awards must have been published and distributed between January 1 and December 31, 2019. Four copies must be submitted for each book nominated. Entry forms may be submitted online through the Library's website: www.lva.virginia.gov/public/litawards/nominate.asp. You may also print and complete the nomination form and mail it to: The Library of Virginia Literary Awards, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23219-8000. For more information about the Library's Literary Awards program, please call 804.692.3535.
Virginia's Public Libraries Aim for Dyslexia-Friendly Certification
Earlier this fall, we reported that up to 15 percent of Americans (about 43.5 million people) have some form of dyslexia and that Virginia public library staff could participate in an awareness challenge for National Dyslexia Awareness Month in October. We are pleased to report that 172 librarians from 55 localities across the commonwealth completed the following educational experiences:
- Completed the Virginia Department of Education's Dyslexia Education Module
- Reviewed five fact sheets from the International Dyslexia Association
- Visited and explored the Decoding Dyslexia-Virginia Facebook page
- Viewed a brief documentary from CBS News on dyslexia
- Participated in a virtual simulation of what a person with dyslexia might see when they experience print
The public library staff members who completed the challenge received a certificate of completion and a button from www.pqbd.org, a dyslexia awareness organization.
Libraries that expressed an interest in becoming a certified Dyslexia-Friendly Library endorsed by Decoding Dyslexia and PQBD will have the opportunity to do so in 2020. This endorsement will require additional staff education and collection development, among other measures.
If you would like to take the Dyslexia-Friendly Challenge yourself (minus the certification and button), please visit https://vpl.virginia.gov/dyslexia-friendly-librarian-challenge.
For more information, contact Nan Carmack at nan.carmack@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3792.
Enjoy 30% Off Holiday Items Online at the Virginia Shop
Get in the Virginia holiday spirit! We have home décor, cooking accessories, and gifts galore to please anyone on your shopping list.
Visit our stores or our online shop www.thevirginiashop.org. As a special gift to you, holiday items ordered online are 30 percent off during the month of December. For additional assistance, contact us at 804.692.3524.