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 [log in to unmask] 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.