“Mapping
the Commonwealth: 1816–1826” Exhibition Opens Oct. 21
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“Mapping the
Commonwealth, 1816–1826,” will tell the story of 10 years, five governors,
two principal surveyors and one lead engraver — the time frame and team needed to
create one of the first official state maps in the nation.
On view at the Library
Oct. 21, 2024–June 7, 2025, the exhibition will present examples from 40
manuscript maps that highlight the painstaking task of creating Virginia's first
official state map. Combining art and science, these surveys attest to the
dedication, skill and stamina of surveying teams who worked without the benefit of
GPS and today's technology.
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Shown left to right:
Children’s Literature Award winner Kwame Alexander, honorary Patron of Letters
degree recipient and event host Adriana Trigiani, Fiction Award winner Angie
Kim, Poetry Award winner Janine Joseph, Nonfiction Award winner Elizabeth R.
Varon, honorary Patron of Letters degree recipient Reginald Dwayne Betts,
People’s Choice Nonfiction winner Sheila Johnson and People’s Choice Fiction
winner Martin Clark.
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Authors
Honored at 2024 Virginia Literary Awards Celebration
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Thank you to all who attended the 27th Annual Virginia Literary Awards Celebration
on Sept. 21 to help us recognize the best of Virginia literature! Top honors went
to Fiction Award winner Angie Kim for
“Happiness Falls,” Nonfiction Award winner Elizabeth R. Varon for “Longstreet: The Confederate General
Who Defied the South,” Poetry Award winner Janine Joseph for “Decade of the Brain: Poems” and Children’s
Literature Award winner Kwame
Alexander for “An American Story.”
People’s Choice Awards went to “The Plinko Bounce” by Martin Clark
for Fiction and “Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph” by Sheila Johnson for Nonfiction. The winner of Art in
Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award was Katy Hessel
for her book “The Story of Art Without Men.” The award-winning books are available
at The Virginia
Shop.
The Library Board also recognized poet, lawyer and Freedom Reads founder Reginald Dwayne
Betts and bestselling author, award-winning filmmaker and longtime Virginia
Literary Awards host Adriana
Trigiani with honorary Patron of Letters degrees for their significant
contributions to libraries and literacy.
Presented by Dominion Energy and supported by Carole and Marcus Weinstein, this
annual event raises critical support for the Library’s conservation, education and
community outreach efforts. You can read more about the event here and watch video from the evening on our YouTube
channel.
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Library
Workshop Wins RVATECH Award
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The Library of Virginia was honored with a 2024 RVATECH
Award at the annual gala presented by the Richmond Technology Council on
Sept. 25 at Main Street Station in Richmond. The Library won the Innovation in
Creativity Award, which is presented to a company, team or person that shows
exemplary creativity in their technology practice, for a workshop titled Envisioning Ancestors with AI. The workshop was created by
Sonya Coleman, the Library’s digital engagement coordinator, and Lydia Neuroth,
manager of Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative project.
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Sonya Coleman, the Library’s
digital engagement coordinator, accepts the Innovation in Creativity Award on
Sept. 25.
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Celebrate
Archives Month with Tours, Events & Resources
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October is Virginia Archives Month!
Visit an archival institution near you to celebrate the enduring value of archives
and the people and organizations that help preserve these important records and
make them accessible. This year’s theme is The Art of Self: Expression in the
Archives. Explore resources, take a tour of the Library of Virginia or join us for
a zine-making workshop or a webinar on fair use and copyright.
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“The
Richmond Planet” Online Exhibition Spotlights Editor John Mitchell
Jr.
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The Library's online exhibition “The Richmond
Planet: A Newspaper 'Born in the Wake of Freedom'" has been updated with a
fresh look and new content related to the newspaper’s influential editor John
Mitchell Jr., who was also a businessman and civil rights activist.
The update includes additional photographs, links to the Virginia Chronicle
newspaper database and a link to the documentary film “Birth of a Planet” produced
by Tilt Creative + Production.
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New
Volunteer Opportunities Available
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Are you looking for ways to deepen your
engagement with the Library? Become a Library volunteer!
Volunteer opportunities range from interacting with visitors and assisting in the
Virginia Shop to serving as a greeter for public programs and special events. The
Library is currently seeking volunteers to assist in the following areas:
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Aaron Bushman assists the
Library of Virginia Foundation with a mailing.
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- Virginia Literary Awards: Volunteers will provide
assistance with organizing book nominations and other event-related activities.
- Public Programs and Special Events: Volunteers provide
registration assistance and greet guests at Library programs like the Weinstein
Author Series. Daytime and evening hours are available.
- Clerical Activities: Volunteers will assist the Library
of Virginia Foundation with filing, copying, excel spreadsheets and mailings.
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Our volunteers have the
opportunity to gain exposure to the inner workings of a library and archives and
contribute valuable visitor services to our guests.
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Weinstein
Author Talk Sheds New Light on the History of Segregation
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Authors Larry Roeder and Barry Harrelson will discuss their new book, “Dirt Don't
Burn: A Black Community's Struggle for Educational Equality Under Segregation,” on
Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. during the final Carole Weinstein
Author Series talk of 2024. The narrative describes how Loudoun County,
Virginia, which once denied educational opportunity to Black Americans, gradually
increased the equality of education for all children in the area. A book signing
will follow this free talk.
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First
Fridays Event Features an Architectural Book Talk
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View a display by Virginia artists and enjoy refreshments during the Library’s
final First Fridays event of the year on Nov. 1 at 5 p.m.
November’s theme is Architecture. See related items from our collections and
engage with the theme by creating some architectural designs in our makerspace.
And don’t miss a special architecture-related book talk at 6 p.m. in the
Conference Rooms. Steven M. Reiss, an architect and a lifelong student of Frank
Lloyd Wright’s work, will discuss his book “Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey
House” on the history of one of Wright’s few Virginia commissions, as well as his
research for the book and related materials he is donating to the Library.
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Architecture-Related
Art Submissions Sought for First Fridays at LVA
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Submissions are being accepted for the Library of Virginia's First Fridays
exhibition on Nov. 1, titled “Virginia Stories:
Architecture.” Interested artists must submit an application form by Oct. 20.
As defined for this exhibition, architecture includes buildings and
infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. Artists are invited to interpret this
broadly and experimentally, as well as traditionally. Zines are welcome!
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Book
Talk with Aran Shetterly Explores an Overlooked Chapter in American
History
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Join us on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. for a free talk by author
Aran Shetterly on his new book, “Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the
Struggle for an American City's Soul.” The event commemorates the 45th anniversary
of this racial tragedy that has become an overlooked chapter in American history.
Shetterly’s intimate and deeply researched account draws from survivor interviews,
court documents and files from one of the largest investigations in FBI history. A
book signing will follow the talk.
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Student
Creative Expressions Contest Submissions Due Nov. 17
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