I am delighted, at the request of Jay Gaidmore, the archivist in charge
of the project, to post this announcement:


Since July 2003, The Library of Virginia, in partnership with the
Cutting Corporation, a sound preservation company in Bethesda, Maryland,
and with funding from the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission (NHPRC), has been reformatting selected sound recordings from
the WRVA Radio Collection donated to the library in July of 2001.
Compact discs of these selected sound recordings are being created for
use in the Library's Manuscripts Reading Room.  These compact disks are
not yet available for public use but will be shortly.   

Consisting of electrical transcriptions, acetate disks, and reel to reel
tapes, these sound recordings cover a wide array of topics.  From
broadcasts of political speeches and events to news, music, and human
interest stories, these sound recordings offer a unique perspective on
the development of radio in Virginia from the 1930's to the 1990's.  Of
note are the recordings of the Old Dominion Barn Dance, the Sunshine
Hour, Calling All Cooks, and speeches of Governor Thomas B. Stanley and
Governor J. Lindsay Almond, Jr. concerning public school desegregation.


To listen to clips of selected sound recordings, please visit our site
at http://www.lva.lib.va.us, click on Who We Are, Exhibitions, Radio in
Virginia, Sound Recording Clips.

Also, the Radio Exhibit in the lobby, on display from December 1,
2003-July 17, 2004, will include a sound station with more selections
and longer recordings than offered on the website.  This sound station
is expected to be installed the week of March 22-26, 2004.

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html