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David and Michelle Baldacci Launch the “Civil Discourse and Collaboration Initiative” with the Library and VCU |
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We are excited to announce that David and Michelle Baldacci have committed $13 million – the largest joint contribution ever to Virginia Commonwealth University and the Library of Virginia – to establish a groundbreaking nonpartisan initiative. This effort will advance civil, constructive and respectful dialogue about complex issues, creating new opportunities for learning, understanding and engagement across Virginia. Building on the work already underway at the Library and VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences, this initiative will bring together universities, colleges and community organizations across the Commonwealth to empower people of all ages to develop the knowledge and skills to be thoughtful, engaged members of society. |
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Left: Musician and composer Damien Geter accepts the honorary Patron of Letters degree. Right: The winners of the 2025 Virginia Literary Awards, shown from left to right, are Deborah Parker (Art in Literature), Carter Higgins (Children’s Literature), Jennifer Chang (Poetry), David Baldacci (People’s Choice Fiction), Justene Hill Edwards (Nonfiction) and Evan Friss (People’s Choice Nonfiction). Not pictured is Fiction Award winner Isabel Banta. |
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Authors & Patron of Letters Degree Recipient Honored at 2025 Virginia Literary Awards Celebration |
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Saturday, Sept. 20 was an evening to remember! The Library’s 28th Annual Virginia Literary Awards brought together community, culture and creativity in a joyful celebration. Thank you to all who joined us! Top honors went to Nonfiction Award winner Justene Hill Edwards for “Savings and Trust,” Fiction Award winner Isabel Banta for “Honey,” Poetry Award winner Jennifer Chang for “An Authentic Life” and Children’s Literature Award winner Carter Higgins for “Round and Round the Year We Go.” People’s Choice Awards went to “The Bookshop” by Evan Friss for nonfiction and “A Calamity of Souls” by David Baldacci for fiction. Deborah Parker won the Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award for her book “Becoming Belle da Costa Greene.” The Library Board also recognized acclaimed musician and composer Damien Geter with the honorary Patron of Letters degree for his transformative impact on music. Presented by Dominion Energy and supported by Carole and Marcus Weinstein, the event was hosted again this year by bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker Adriana Trigiani. The Virginia Literary Awards Celebration and Silent Auction raise funds for the Library's conservation, education and community outreach efforts. |
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Celebrate Virginia Archives Month With Tours, Webinars & Resources |
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October is Virginia Archives Month! We invite you to visit the Library or another archival institution near you to celebrate the enduring value of archives and the people and organizations that help preserve these important records and make them accessible. This year’s theme is “Oh, Snap! Photography in the Archives.” Explore resources on our Virginia Archives Month webpage, take a tour of the Library or join us for a webinar on the history of photography, how to care for photographs, or archiving underrepresented Virginia history. |
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Website Upgrades Enhance Accessibility |
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| The Library of Virginia’s website now provides enhanced accessibility features as part of a recent website redesign and ongoing improvements. Online visitors are now able to access a wide range of accessibility and language support tools to tailor their digital experience using Recite Me, a cloud-based assistive technology. The new accessibility toolbar offers many customizations for users viewing the Library of Virginia website who may have disabilities, visual impairments, or learning difficulties, or who speak a different language. To explore our accessibility support tool, visit the Library of Virginia website and click the blue universal access symbol launch button in the lower left of the screen. |
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| Genealogy Workshop Tackles the Unique Challenges of Finding Women in the Records |
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| On Friday, Oct. 10 at 9:30 a.m., senior reference archivist Cara Griggs will provide an overview of researching women in Virginia from the time of the Jamestown settlement to when women received the right to vote in 1920. This workshop explores the challenges of finding information about women in records that often focus on men, as well as laws that pertained solely to women. |
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Book Talk With Jody Lynn Allen Examines the History of Black Life in Hanover County |
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| On Wednesday, Oct. 15 at noon, historian Jody Lynn Allen will discuss her new book, “Roses in December: Black Life in Hanover County from Civil War to Civil Rights,” the inspiring chronicle of a Black community in Virginia fighting for civil rights over the course of a pivotal century. Allen is an assistant professor of history and the Robert Francis Engs Director of the Lemon Project at William & Mary. |
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“House to Highway” Symposium Explores Urban Renewal, Historic Preservation and Black History |
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Join us for a free day-long symposium on Saturday, Oct. 25 inspired by the exhibition “House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History.” Attendees will explore topics such as urban renewal, historic preservation and Black history. Presenters include Calvin Schermerhorn, professor of history at Arizona State University and author of “The Plunder of Black America”; Warren Milteer, associate professor of history at George Washington University and author of “Beyond Slavery's Shadow: Free People of Color in the South”; and John Finn, associate professor of geography and chair of the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology at Christopher Newport University. Other sessions include a presentation on historic preservation led by Latoya Gray-Sparks, community outreach coordinator for the Department of Historic Resources, and a panel discussion on grassroots historic preservation efforts moderated by historian Gregg Kimball with Viola Baskerville, former Virginia Secretary of Administration and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates; Ana Edwards, a public historian and assistant professor of African American history at Virginia Commonwealth University; and Sesha Joi Moon, co-founder and executive director of The JXN Project. "House to Highway" exhibition-related programming is provided with support from Virginia Humanities and the Mellon Foundation. |
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| Michael Twitty and Leni Sorensen Discuss “Recipes From the American South” |
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| Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. for a conversation between culinary historian Leni Sorensen and award-winning author and culinary historian Michael W. Twitty on Twitty’s new book, “Recipes From the American South.” Twitty brings unparalleled scholarship, lived experience and eloquent storytelling to his exploration of the South and the complexity of the food traditions influenced by European, Indigenous, African and immigrant communities. A book signing will follow the talk. |
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