LDND InfoCenter

Get the Most Out of LVA 2023

The Library of Virginia has a rich collection of resources for local historians, genealogists, writers, and anyone else interested in Virginia. Many of these resources are available digitally from anywhere in the Commonwealth, and they support the interests of public library users around the state.

To learn more about how you can use the LVA collections with your library patrons, join your colleagues on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month from August to December. Since LVA has a major exhibit on Indigenous culture in Virginia coming this fall, this series will look at LVA resources through the lens of looking for information on Indigenous communities, an often overlooked and challenging topic.

Each session will begin at 1 p.m. and run 30-40 minutes. Sessions will be recorded and made available through the Library of Virginia’s Niche Academy.

Introduction to Virginia’s State and Federally Recognized Indigenous Tribes

  • When: 8/8/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: The Commonwealth of Virginia has eleven state and federally recognized tribes. However, what does it mean to have state and federal recognition? LVA Community Engagement & Partnerships Specialist, Ashley Craig will highlight information on Virginia’s state and federally recognized tribes, how some of the tribes received state and federal recognition and explain what state and federal recognition means to Virginia’s tribes.
  • Watch: View the Introduction to VA’s Recognized Indigenous Tribes in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Chancery Records

  • When: 8/22/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: Chancery causes, a type of court case, contain a great deal of valuable historical and genealogical information that can aid many types of researchers. The Library of Virginia Chancery Records Index is an on-going digital project dedicated to providing access to these invaluable local government records. Vince Brooks, Senior Local Records Archivist, will give an overview of chancery causes, discuss their research value, and show examples from the index that shed light on the history of Virginia’s Indian tribes.
  • Watch: View the Chancery Records session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Locating Indigenous Records at LVA

  • When: 9/12/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: Records concerning the first Virginians – tribes of people in the territory now known as Virginia – are scattered throughout the collections of the Library of Virginia, which can make research challenging. This presentation will provide tips on how to find Indigenous people in the library’s collections and what those records can tell you about Virginia’s Indigenous people.
  • Watch: View the Locating Indigenous Records at LVA session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Document Bank of Virginia

  • When: 9/26/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: Interested in primary historical sources from the Library of Virginia? Document Bank of Virginia is a collection of sources that can be browsed by a specific historic era, by theme, or using a simple search. Document Bank provides historical context along with suggested questions, teaching students to be critical thinkers as they analyze original documents and draw their own conclusions about Virginia’s past. Join Catherine Fitzgerald Wyatt, Education & Outreach Manager, to explore Document Bank and other online educational resources available on edu.lva.virginia.gov.
  • Watch: View the Document Bank of VA session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Virginia Chronicle

  • When: 10/10/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: Join the staff of the Virginia Newspaper Program (VNP) who will demonstrate how to use Virginia Chronicle, the Library of Virginia’s freely accessible database of historical, digitized Virginia newspapers. Learn basic and advanced searching techniques, discover how to find newspapers by title, date, or place of publication and learn about text correction. The VNP will also provide an update on recently added titles and titles soon to be added to Virginia Chronicle, so you can discover not only what’s currently available, but what’s to come.
  • Watch: View the Virginia Chronicle session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Maps

  • When: 10/24/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: Where is the map? Join Cassandra Farrell, Senior Map Archivist, to learn how to search the Library of Virginia’s catalog for maps, how to “read” a map catalog record, and where to find the LVA’s digital map collections. This session will focus on using maps to research Indigenous nations in pre-20th century maps and will expand beyond the LVA catalog.
  • Watch: View the Maps session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Census and Indigenous Communities

  • When: 11/14/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: Finding indigenous populations in United States census records can be especially challenging. Join John Deal, Ph.D., Historian at the Library of Virginia, to learn how indigenous peoples were counted (or not counted) over time, the uneven inclusion of tribal identity, the role of geography, and the development of “Indian Schedules.” Using the Library of Virginia’s Ancestry subscription, Dr. Deal will provide strategies for finding indigenous ancestors in the census and what these records might tell us about their daily lives.
  • Watch: View the Census and Indigenous Communities session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Making History

  • When: 11/28/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What: Learn more about the Library’s ongoing Making History crowdsourcing program which enables volunteers to transcribe handwritten pages and historical newspapers by reading the text and typing it into digital form. This can develop volunteers’ computer skills, ability to read cursive handwriting, and contextual knowledge while simultaneously improving LVA collections for all users by providing a searchable transcript of each document. Making History is supported by ongoing events and outreach. Host a transcribe-a-thon at your library!
  • Watch: View the Making History session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

Virginia Untold

  • When: 12/12/23, 1:00 p.m.
  • What : Virginia Untold is a digital project which facilitates access to records documenting enslaved and free people of color in the Library of Virginia’s collections pre-1867. Project Manager Lydia Neuroth will provide an overview of this resource and project updates. She will demonstrate how to search for records within the database and describe document types that may contain information related to indigenous people and how they can be utilized to research native ancestors.
  • Watch: View the Virginia Untold session in the LVA Niche Academy.
    • You will need to register with your work email address if you do not have an account.

This site is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is managed by the The Library of Virginia Library Development and Networking Division.