The Library of Virginia Cookbook Collection

My obsession with collecting cookbooks for the Library of Virginia began after a very savvy book dealer offered me a collection of Virginia cookbooks of “genealogical significance and import.” The fellow is a very good salesman and made a convincing argument, but his prices were more than I wanted to pay. He did, however, inspire me to begin looking for cookbooks in the aforementioned thrift stores and estate sales, where I usually pay from fifty cents to a couple of dollars for a book. Once in a while I am tempted to pay retail for a particularly good regional cookbook or a very unusual collective work. But usually I spend no more than $5. I seldom spend Library funds for cookbooks, but there are exceptions. For example, a few months ago a rare book dealer “offered” the Library a copy of the 1921 Hampton Institute cookbook, A Book of Recipes for the Cooking School, by Carrie Alberta Lyford, for about $275. However, after a bit of research I discovered that very edition still available at the Hampton Museum for $40. I’m sure the dealer’s copy has character, but the Library was able to acquire a pristine example for a very reasonable price. Considering fewer than 25 OCLC libraries hold the book, it can be considered scarce (though perhaps not rare).

Researching a Civil War Drummer Boy

My father told me stories about his father Almon, who was a drummer boy during the Civil War. At age 14, Almon ran away from home to follow an Indiana regiment marching off to war. The second time he ran away, he changed his name to Albert Walton so his mother couldn’t find him. He was mustered into the Seventy-fifth Indiana Infantry Volunteers regiment, was captured at the Battle of Chickamauga, and survived Andersonville prison.

The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington

While more than 85 million visitors have descended upon George Washington’s Mount Vernon home since it first opened to the public in 1860, few tourists have seen the new National Library for the Study of George Washington, which remains nearly hidden from public view but within a short sheep’s bleat of the Mount Vernon estate. Chief Librarian and Archivist Mark Santangelo explains that the Library ‘s founders wanted to build a serious research facility, off the main tour, that would inspire scholarship and advance education. Although the facility is open to “the people” (and not restricted to academic-pedigreed patrons), visits are by appointment only.

Virginia Publications

Virginia Libraries invites VLA members and Virginia creators to send news of their latest publications. Asterisks before the author’s name indicate known VLA members. If you’re aware of new publications by Virginia residents, please email the columnist at [email protected] . If you have access to an item on this list and would like to review it, please query the editors (see page 40 for more information).

Virginia Publications

V irginia Libraries invites VLA members and Virginia creators to send news of their latest publications. Asterisks before the author’s name indicate known VLA members. If you’re aware of new publications by Virginia residents, please email the columnist. If you have access to an item on this list and would like to review it, please query the editors (see page 40 for more information).

President’s Column

It has been almost two months since our annual conference as I write my first President’s Column for the Virginia Library Association’s quarterly journal. It is easy to feel overwhelmed since the president’s responsibilities begin the second the gavel is passed. However, behind every successful president is a very well organized chief of staff, and mine is Executive Director Lisa Varga.

Virginia Library Leadership Academy 2014

The Leadership Development Forum of the Virginia Library Association is sponsoring the 3rd Virginia Library Leadership Academy (VALLA), facilitated by nationally recognized speaker, Dr. Robert Burgin, who will discuss leadership in the library environment. Registration opened in November for interested library staff and faculty in Virginia, and membership in the Virginia Library Association (VLA) is not required. VALLA will be held May 5–6, 2014, at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center in Staunton. The cost for each participant is $350, which includes registration for the workshop, one night’s lodging, meals, and workshop materials. Conference rates at the hotel are available for two nights prior and two nights following the workshop.

Circulating Romance

Librarians are sort of used to being stereotyped. We’re used to friends and families thinking that we sit around all day and read. Our days are filled with luxury and kind, calm patrons who adore us immensely for the services we provide. Librarians’ minds are full of every book we ever read. And every book we haven’t read.Reality is a bit different. Our days are busy and sometimes patrons are not so appreciative. And despite our attempts at super knowledge, our brains can’t hold all information.But being a librarian who reads, enjoys, and promotes the romance genre can present an additional challenge. Even though the genre is half of the paperback fiction sold in the U.S., librarians often have to defend it to their customers and their co-workers.

In the Digital Age, Preserving the Print of the Past

For the past 20 years, a project at the Library of Virginia in Richmond has been laboring to find and preserve a form of media communication that has been waning: Virginia’s newspapers. Under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Virginia Newspaper Project (VNP) was established at the Library of Virginia in 1993 and continues its work today though it has evolved in order to take full advantage of the latest technology.

President’s Column

There is a tree on my campus, located just outside of the library, which isn’t particularly well shaped or attractive. However, it is still my favorite tree because it is so unique: this is the first tree in the area to herald the upcoming autumn season. Beginning at the very top, a few of the leaves start to turn orange in August, and the color methodically works its way down to the bottom by the end of September. Those first few leaves to change color signal an upcoming transition, simultaneously winding down the relaxed and balmy summer months while ushering in a new school year, crisp weather, and the upcoming holiday season.