Left to right: Bomba dancers Isha M. Renta Lopez and
Margarita Tata Cepeda; blues dancer Joshua Purnell; Kandencia, a Bomba and Plena
band; and fiddler Eddie Bond.
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Celebrate Virginia Folklife on
July 7 & 8!
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The Library of Virginia and the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities are
presenting a two-day celebration of Virginia’s diverse and evolving folklife
heritage. These events are part of the Library’s 200th anniversary
celebration.
On Friday, July 7, 5:30–8:00 p.m., join us for a
reception, a screening of short documentary films and a stage program honoring
teams in the Virginia Folklife Program’s apprenticeship program. Featured artists
include artisans, musicians and dancers. Registration is required for this
event.
On Saturday, July 8, 12:00–4:00 p.m., the celebration continues
with performances, displays and activities highlighting old and new Virginia
musical traditions including blues, Bomba and Plena, fiddling, shape-note singing
and more. View rare items from our music collections and explore an “instrument
petting zoo” with items like ukuleles and mountain dulcimers.
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Make Plans for the Virginia
Literary Awards on Oct. 14
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Save the date for Virginia’s biggest
night honoring its authors and their stories!
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The Library presents the 26th Annual Virginia Literary Awards Celebration
on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, hosted by award-winning author Adriana
Trigiani. Join us for an awards ceremony, dinner and a silent auction to raise
support for the Library’s preservation, education and research initiatives. The
Virginia Literary Awards are presented by Dominion Energy and Carole and Marcus
Weinstein.
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Anne & Ryland Brown Teacher
Institute Explores Hidden Histories
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Teachers, don’t miss this free training
opportunity! Join Library of Virginia staff members and guest speakers in this
year’s two-day Brown Teacher Institute, which will focus on local stories and
histories that have typically been hidden or neglected from mainstream narratives.
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Teachers will explore how to use primary sources to enhance student learning and
discover new digital resources. Institute sessions will be held in four locations:
Wise (Region 7), July 24–25 (this event is full); Fredericksburg (Region 3), July
27–28, 2023; Charlottesville (Region 5), July 31–Aug. 1, 2023; and Hampton (Region
2), Aug. 2–3, 2023. The 2023 Brown Teacher Institute is supported by the Anne &
Ryland Brown Teacher Enrichment Fund, Virginia Humanities and Peachtree House
Foundation.
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Library Receives National
Genealogical Society’s Genealogical Tourism Award
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The Library of Virginia received the National Genealogical Society’s Genealogical
Tourism Award during the organization’s 2023 Family History Conference at the
Greater Richmond Convention Center on June 1.
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The award recognizes an individual’s or an organization’s efforts to communicate
the importance of repositories—libraries, archives and research sites—as “go to”
destinations to fully advance family history research.
Dr. Gregg D. Kimball, director of the Library’s Public Services and Outreach
Division, accepted the award on behalf of the Library from NGS president Kathryn
M. Doyle. The Library was nominated by the Virginia Genealogical Society. “The
resources, historical documents and the work of your staff have created a
significant facility for family historians, genealogists and researchers, and a
huge value to the state and our country,” wrote the NGS Awards Committee.
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Library Supports Summer Reading
Programs
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Summer reading programs serve as valuable outreach tools for libraries, offering
children, teens and adults opportunities to retain and enhance their reading
skills and participate in informational and entertaining programming. The Library
of Virginia supports public libraries’ summer learning and reading programs with
federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum of Library Services through the
Library Services and Technology Act. With the slogan “All Together Now,” this
summer’s theme focuses on kindness, friendship and unity. Public libraries receive
print materials, access to a comprehensive programming manual and an online
tracking program.
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LVA On the Go Visits Fincastle
and Prince William in June
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The Library of Virginia continues its
statewide tour in June with LVA On the Go! As part of our yearlong 200th
anniversary celebration, our custom-built vehicle is bringing some of the
Library’s vast resources, staff expertise and programming to every corner of the
commonwealth.
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Stops at Fincastle
Library on June 10 and Chinn Park
Library in Prince William on June 24 will engage visitors
with local history, family history, educational materials and more. The LVA On the
Go tour enhances awareness of the Library’s collections and resources, strengthens
ties to local organizations, and captures stories and histories from community
members.
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HBCU Scholars Fellow Talk Explores America’s
Great Migration
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Join us at the Library on
Tuesday, June 13 at 12:00 p.m. for “Beyond Black Radicalism: How
America's Great Migration to New York City Shaped Electoral Politics,” a free talk
by historian Janira Teague, a Virginia Humanities Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Scholars Fellow.
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More than two-thirds of Black residents in early 20th-century New York City were
either African American southerners who came north during the early years of
America’s Great Migration or Caribbean colonists. Many of the newcomers were
Virginia natives, hoping to take advantage of new opportunities in the urban
north. Teague’s talk will place America’s Great Migration in global context and
examine the movement’s impact on electoral politics.
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DID YOU KNOW?
The Library Has Sound
Recording Collections
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In 2003 the Library of Virginia received a grant from the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission to preserve and reformat selected sound
recordings from the WRVA Radio Collection. Consisting of electrical
transcriptions, acetate disks and reel-to-reel tapes, these recordings hold a wide
array of broadcasting from the 1930s to the 1990s.
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