From the Archives: Archives Month showcase of VCU Libraries holdings
Showing Oct. 5 and throughout October, which is Archives Month.
Every October, the archival community celebrates American Archives Month to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving and sharing cultural and historical documents from families, communities, states, and the country at large.
Archivists reach out to their communities during this month to make connections and educate the public about the value of archives and their work in caring and making them accessible. Archives are unique assets that allow society to tell its story, hold governments accountable and safeguard the rights of citizens.
In 2018, VCU Libraries will host Archives Fest on Oct. 5 during American Archives Month. This celebration of Virginia archives and archivists is organized by VCU Libraries’ Jessica Johnson who serves as chair of the Virginia Caucus of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC).
The free event, an open house with tables staffed by archivists, will be held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at James Branch Cabell Library 901 Park Ave., Richmond.
At VCU Libraries, a focus during Archives Month is building a $1 million endowment for Special Collections and Archives to support its collection of rare and unique materials for research and teaching. VCU Libraries received a challenge grant of $30,000 from an anonymous donor to kick off the endowment. Fundraising is ongoing and will continue until the $1 million goal is reached. “This endowment presents a powerful giving opportunity for those interested in helping VCU strengthen collections that reflect VCU’s distinctive scholarly community, embrace its legacy and heritage, and contribute unique resources to research and teaching worldwide that are found nowhere else,” says Director of Development and Major Gifts Kelly Gotschalk. “This fund has particular importance for alumni who want to help with the ongoing preservation of VCU historic materials through our University Archives program.”
During Archives Month, the Cabell Screen showcases just a few of the materials available to researchers in Special Collections and Archives on both the MCV and the Monroe Park campuses.
VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives‘ focus is in subject areas such as comic arts, artists’ books, Richmond history, including businesses, civic associations and professional organizations, African-American, women’s and LGBTQ community histories, social movements and activism, materials on the history of health care in the Commonwealth, and medical artifacts. The historical records of VCU and its two predecessor institutions, the Richmond Professional Institute (RPI) and the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), also form key parts of the collections.
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