The Library of Virginia invites the public to join with us in Virginia’s first ever observation of Archives Week, October 6-12, 2002. Archives Week in Virginia celebrates both the repositories and individuals who work to preserve and make available the documents of Virginia’s past. The Library of Virginia, in conjunction with the Library of Virginia Foundation and the Virginia Caucus of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), has produced a poster that brings together images from several archival institutions across the Commonwealth in order to promote the rich and varied collections in our care. The poster can be viewed on the Archives Week web site at www.lva.lib.va.us/archweek/index.htm. The site’s other features include a list of Archives Week events across the state, links to web sites of interest to archivists and the public, and other images not on the poster. The Library will host three noontime talks in the first floor conference rooms during the week, all of which will highlight various aspects and uses of collections in the Library’s holdings. The first talk will be given by Robert Y. Clay from 12:00 to 1:00PM on Tuesday, October 8, 2002. The title of Mr. Clay’s talk is "Things 'They' Never Tell You : 30 Years in Archival Reference.” Mr. Clay, former Research Archivist at the Library of Virginia, has over thirty years of experience working with Virginia’s historical records. He will share insights, hints & warnings for genealogical researchers and discuss often overlooked or ignored resources that can greatly affect research results. The second speaker is the Library’s map archivist Marianne M. McKee. On Wednesday, October 9, 2002, from 12:00 to 1:00PM, Ms. McKee will discuss recent projects in the map collection aimed at providing greater access to the Library’s cartographic treasures worldwide. From digital initiatives, such as the Virginia Board of Public Works and Civil War Maps projects, to the publication of Virginia in Maps : Four Centuries of Settlement, Growth, and Development, the Library has been able to break the constraints of access and preservation and make the map collection available to a wider audience. Lastly, on Thursday, October 10, 2002, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM, Peter Hardin, a reporter with the Richmond Times Dispatch, will give his talk titled "A Reporter's View : New Scoops from Old Documents.” Archival collections have great potential to provide "evidence" that cannot be found anywhere else. Mr. Hardin will discuss his experiences conducting research in archival repositories and their role in his efforts to bring greater attention to issues of social and cultural importance such as eugenicist Walter A. Plecker’s attempts to reclassify all of Virginia’s Native Americans as African Americans. Please join us at the Library of Virginia and help us make our first ever celebration of Archives Week a success. Free parking is available underneath the building for those who wish to attend the noontime talks. For more information on this and other programs and services at the Library of Virginia please visit the Library’s website at www.lva.lib.va.us or call 804-692-3592. To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html