Virginia Archives Month October 2019

Archives and special collections boast waaaaaay more than just papers and photographs. Many institutions house rare or one-of-a-kind print materials and art. Amazing illuminated manuscripts, detailed woodblock prints, creative pop-up books, pop culture lithographs, and much more are preserved in archival collections. That's why this year during American Archives Month, we have decided to celebrate "The Letterpress, the Woodblock, and the Watermark: Book Arts in Archives and Special Collections."

Every year during October, the archival community in the commonwealth 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American Archives Month to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving and sharing cultural and historical documents from families, communities, states, and the country at large. Archivists reach out to their communities during this month to make connections and educate the public about the value of archives and their work in caring for and making them accessible. 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 through October 31st. The public is invited to create redaction poetry, GIFs, collages, coloring pages, memes, and other digital and physical interventions using archival images found in the 2019 Virginia Archives Month Flickr album

Please enjoy and share the Archives Month poster, created from images submitted by archives and manuscript repositories from across the state, the poster highlights Virginians' rich historical and cultural traditions.

We also welcome you to explore your Virginia cultural heritage by delving into an archives collection near you during the month of October. Find out about events during Archives Month on Tumblr. Visit your local repository to find inspiration for a creative endeavor or just to enjoy some odd archives!