Next month, several weekly events will be held at the Library of
Virginia in recognition of Virginia Archives Month.  Although the
Library has celebrated Archives Week since 2002, this is our first
month-long celebration as the Society of American Archivists
(http://www.archivists.org) is now encouraging promotion of the
importance and value of archives and archivists beyond one week.
Details are below.  We certainly hope you will be able to join us!

Sincerely,

Derek Gray
Research Archivist
Library of Virginia
800 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 692-3624
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Richmond Archives Fair, Tuesday, October 2, 12 noon to 4:00 pm 

What do archivists do?  What collections do the Library, VCU, and the
Valentine have?  Representatives from several Richmond-area institutions
will talk informally about their holdings, publicize collections,
provide informational handouts, and answer questions for the general
public.


Archaeologists in the Archives, Wednesday, October 10, 12 noon to 1pm

Join us in celebrating Archives Month and Archaeology Month. Christopher
L. McDaid, regional archaeologist for the U.S. Army Installation
Management Command, Northeast Region, will discuss how archaeologists
can combine archival documents with archaeological excavations to
present a fuller, more complex history then either documents or
archaeology alone could produce. His current research into Hampton,
Virginia's, colonial taverns will serve as the focus of this discussion
and provide examples of the use of documents and archaeology.


Virginia Archives in Our Lives, Wednesday, October 24, 5:30 pm, LVA
Lecture Hall

Author Coy Barefoot will talk about his seven years of research on the
award-winning The Corner: A History of Student Life at the University of
Virginia. He will discuss the importance of archives and archivists: how
they preserve histories, how they tell stories, and how history often
begins with materials tucked away in a shoebox or in a high school
yearbook. The Corner: A History of Student Life at the University of
Virginia won the 2003 Nalle Prize for Outstanding History. Barefoot is
director of communications and alumni relations for the Sorensen
Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.


Expecting the Unexpected: Hysterical, Weird, and Strangely Important
Items and Requests in Archival Records, Tuesday, October 30, 12 noon to
1 pm

"Why is this here?" "You think you are who?" "Oh my, I didn't need to
know that." Join the discussion of the surprising, the odd, and the
bizarre! Staff members who work at the reference desk, access material,
and process archival collections encounter many intriguing items and
patrons. Panelists will detail some of their experiences, explain why
their institutions house what they do, and share some of the most
entertaining patron questions. Speakers include E. Lee Shepard, director
of archives and manuscripts, Virginia Historical Society; Lucious
Edwards, Jr., university archivist, Virginia State University; and the
Library of Virginia's State Archivist, Conley Edwards.


Passionate about Archives: Celebrating Archives Month 2007, LVA Cafe
Extension, October 1 - 31
Celebrate Archives Month by viewing a sampling of new and seldom-seen
items from the archival collections of the Library of Virginia.