Monday, November 23, 2009 | Calendar of Events
Votes for Women!
Votes for Women! commemorates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia on November 27, 1909. Among the small group of civic-minded women were writers Ellen Glasgow, Mary Johnston, and Kate Langley Bosher, artists Adčle Clark and Nora Houston, physician Kate Waller Barrett, and reformer Lila Meade Valentine. Within its first few months, the league began a public campaign to win Virginia women the right to vote. Within a few weeks of the national victory in 1920, the Equal Suffrage League was succeeded by the nonpartisan Virginia League of Women Voters, which began work to make the new vote an informed one. The League sponsored registration drives, voter education programs, and lobbying efforts on behalf of social welfare issues.
Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster
What do you know about Edgar Allan Poe? Organized in partnership with the Poe Museum, this exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Poe, America’s first internationally renowned author. The exhibition explores the myths and legends surrounding Poe (some of which he created) and examines how the author has entered American popular culture.
Docent-led Tour of Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster
Join our library docents for a tour of the Library of Virginia’s exhibition focusing on Edgar Allan Poe, whose influence on writers and artists was profound. Learn just how well you know this master of macabre. Space is limited. Every Tuesday and Thursday (except Sept. 8 and Nov. 27). RSVP by calling 804-692-3592.
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Current News Releases | Archive
State Archivist Conley L. Edwards III to Retire
When Conley Edwards joined the staff of the then-Virginia State Library on August 1, 1974, there were approximately
47,500 items in the archives, of which 15,743 were manuscripts. As he retires on November 1 he can take pride in the
fact that the archives at the Library of Virginia contains more than 109, 221,000 items and is consistently one of the
most visited archives in the nation...
Swearingen to Deliver Annual Governor Henry Lecture
Dr. C. Jan Swearingen, professor of English at Texas A&M University, will deliver the Ninth
Annual Governor Henry Lecture at the Library of Virginia at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, November 17,
and at Hampden-Sydney College at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, November 18. Her lecture is
entitled "Samuel Davies and Patrick Henry: Prophets of Liberty in Presbyterian Virginia."
Swearingen will illuminate the Henry family’s links to the pioneering evangelist Davies and other
“dissenting” Presbyterians in Virginia—subjects that have been the recent focus of her research
in Scotland and Virginia on a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities...
Radulescu, Gordon-Reed, and Sparr Receive Literary Awards
The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce the winners of the 12th Annual Library of
Virginia Literary Awards honoring Virginia authors or, in the case of nonfiction, works on a Virginia subject. This
year's awards celebration was hosted by award-winning Virginia author Adriana Trigiani. Awards categories were
fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and literary lifetime achievement. Winners of the Library of Virginia’s Annual Literary
Awards and the People's Choice Awards receive a $3,500 prize and an engraved crystal book...
Doreen Rappaport Wins the Third Annual Cardozo Award for Children's Literature
Doreen Rappaport's Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln has been selected by the public as the
winner of the third annual Whitney and Scott Cardozo Award for Children's Literature. The passion for humanity
that defined Lincoln's life shines through in this exceptional book on one of America’s most revered presidents,
with an emphasis on Lincoln’s growing opposition to slavery...
What's New In The Collections | Archive
The Library of Virginia Quarterly Report of Archival Accessions
July 1, 2009 – September 30, 2009
A report including the creator, title, size, brief description, and accession number of the local, map, private, and state archival collections described and/or received during the time period.
Some collections may be closed for processing; check with Archives Research Services regarding availabilty for research use.
Primary Sources Quarterly Report of Newly Processed Collections
July–September 2009
Welcome to the latest issue of the Library of Virginia’s quarterly report Primary
Sources. Here you will find a listing of the latest collections processed, microfilmed, or
digitized by the Library. Since 1999, the Library has annually received General Assembly
support for archival positions in order “to relieve the 54-year backlog in processing
significant archival, special, and other historical collections.”
New and Notable Document
August 2009
American place: the Historic American Building Survey at seventy-five (2008).
Architecture and architectural drawing fans will enjoy paging through this slim volume of excellent photos and reproduction drawings from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), presented in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the organization. The Survey is part of the Heritage Documentation Programs of the U.S. National Park Service and includes over 40,000 documents on historic landmarks. The original material is maintained at the Library of Congress's Prints & Photographs Division. The photos and renderings in this work are not only valuable tools for historic research and preservation but also creative works of art.
The Library of Virginia has a significant collection of materials related to the Historic American Buildings Survey, including catalogs of measured drawings and compilations of survey information related to various states and locales. The records of the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission (accessions 41999 and 43295) contain copies of architectural elevations, floor plans, and details of structures in several Virginia counties. A microfiche collection contains the photographs of the Virginia-related materials housed at the Library of Congress.
Featured Events
Distorted Mirrors:
Americans and Their Relations with Russia and China in the Twentieth Century
Eugene Trani, former president of Virginia Commonwealth University, will discuss and sign his latest book with writing partner Donald E. Davis, Professor Emeritus of History at Illinois State University. Distorted Mirrors traces American prejudices toward the two countries in the title by focusing on the views of influential writers and politicians over the course of the 20th century. The authors show where American images of Russia and China originated, how they evolved, and how they have often helped sustain foreign policies generally negative toward the former and positive toward the latter. The book marks a fresh approach to U.S. relations with these countries, emphasizing long-term attitudes that influenced policies rather than the reverse. It shows us that perceptions shaped over the course of the 20th century are crucial for their bearing on the 21st century, particularly if those unrestrained prejudices reemerge.
Broken Jewel
David L. Robbins, the best-selling author of nine novels including War of the Rats, will discuss and sign his book Broken Jewel, a powerful story of war, love, and survival set against the backdrop of the Los Bańos prison raid—one of the most daring episodes of World War II. Robbins is currently writer in residence at his alma mater, the College of William and Mary.
Abigail Adams
Woody Holton, associate professor of history at the University of Richmond, will discuss and sign his latest book. Abigail Adams not only offers a surprising new perspective on the famous events of Adams’s life but demonstrates that family dramas—from unplanned pregnancies to untimely deaths (three of Abigail’s five children died before she did)—could be just as heartbreaking, significant, and inspiring. The untold story of Adams’s domestic struggles often reads like a Jane Austen novel, and Holton, the winner of numerous prizes for his previous books, is just the person to tell it. A beautifully written, nuanced portrait of an undoubtedly complicated and fascinating woman, the book sheds new light on a much beloved icon of American history and brings the modern reader to a better understanding of one of the best-known but least understood characters on the country’s early political stage.
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