Virginia Archives Month October 2009
“...We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." – President Barack Obama in his inaugural address
October is Archives Month in Virginia, and we'd like to invite you to join in the celebration, "To Choose Our Better History." Please enjoy and share the Archives Month poster, created from images submitted from seventeen archival repositories across the state. The poster highlights Virginians' rich history of public service, volunteerism, conservation, philanthropy, and civil protest, with images from Virginia archives and manuscript collections. (See Downloads to download a pdf of the poster).
We also welcome you to explore your Virginia history by delving into an archives collection near you during the month of October. On Tuesday, October 27, repositories from across the state will showcase items from their rich collections at a Virginia History and Archives Fair, hosted by the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. Admission to the museum is free to those attending the fair. On Thursday, October 29, the Library of Virginia and the Museum of the Confederacy are offering free, behind-the-scenes tours of their archives, giving visitors an opportunity to view some of the rare documents in their safekeeping.
Virginia Archives Month Events:
October 1-31: Archives Month Exhibit, "To Choose Our Better History," Library of Virginia lobby (pre-function hall, adjacent to conference rooms A, B, and C).
Tuesday, October 27: Virginia History and Archives Fair at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Come learn more about archives and special collections at the Library of Virginia, Roanoke College, Valentine Richmond History Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Virginia Historical Society, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and more, as well as the Virginia State Historical Records Advisory Board and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.
Historian Brian Daugherity, collateral instructor and assistant to the chair of the history department at Virginia Commonwealth University, will speak at the Museum of the Confederacy at noon. All events are free.
Thursday, October 29: American cultural historian Bruce Chadwick will discuss his book, I Am Murdered: George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and the Killing that Shocked a New Nation (2009), at the Library of Virginia at noon. His talk will be followed by a book signing. Book talk flyer.
Thursday, October 29: Behind–the–Scenes Tour Day at the Library of Virginia (1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.) and the Museum of the Confederacy (3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.). Contact Catherine OBrion at the Library of Virginia, and Teresa Roane at the Museum of the Confederacy to register for these free tours. Registration deadline: Tuesday, October 27, 2009.
Old Dominion University Libraries will have two exhibits in the lobby of Perry Library during the month of October:
"ODU Football: 1930 and Beyond" celebrates the return of football to ODU. The exhibit features news clippings and various other materials from the University Archives that tell the story of ODU football's beginnings in 1930, through decades of attempts to revive the sport, to the kickoff in 2009. A Web exhibit is also available: http://www.lib.odu.edu/exhibits/football_fall2009/
"ODU's Eighth President" is an exhibit welcoming John R. Broderick and placing him among his predecessors. The exhibit features photos of Broderick as well as those of earlier presidents. A Web exhibit is located at: http://www.lib.odu.edu/exhibits/odupresidents/
The Special Collections Research Center at SWEM Library, College of William and Mary, present a new exhibit September 14, 2009-February 2010:
Healthful and Recreative: Fields for Fitness, Courts for Competition, and Arenas for Athletics, 1900-1970. http://swem.wm.edu/scrc/CurrentExhibits.cfm
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Previous years Archives Month
