VCU Libraries hosts a wide variety of exhibits throughout the academic year. Some are traveling exhibits, and others are original, featuring materials from our own collections or created by others in the VCU community. All exhibits are free and open to the public, and most are accessible during all normal library hours.
Additional rotating exhibits may be found on the fourth floor of Cabell Library, both in the exhibit area near the elevators and in Special Collections and Archives, and in the Special Collections Reading Room at Tompkins-McCaw Library. Special Collections and Archives also curates online exhibits that can be found on our website.
2013-2014 Major Exhibits
Passport of Hunter Stagg, featured in the "Migrating Archives" exhibit
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Rams Reaching Out
Through Sept. 30, 2013, at Tompkins-McCaw Library
Photographs submitted by VCU Health Sciences students, depicting their outreach activities and service work from urban Richmond to the faraway shores of West Africa (Details)
Constitution Week Exhibit
Sept. 17-23, 2013, at Cabell Library
Opportunities for library patrons to discover connections between the US Constitution and the constitutions of other nations around the world
Digital Archaeology in the Virtual Curation Laboratory: 3D Scanning and Research at VCU
Oct. 2013, in Cabell Library
Display of student work produced, under project director Bernard K. Means, using state-of-the-art technology
Migrating Archives: LGBT Delegates from Collections around the World
Oct.-Dec. 2013, in Cabell Library
Materials from archives around the world, documenting histories and personal stories of LGBT communities and revealing how institutions work to collect and preserve important cultural objects
Nature photo by Jeanne Schlesinger in "Discover Magic"
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Discover Magic: Photographs by Jeanne Schlesinger
Oct. 2013-Feb. 2014, in Tompkins-McCaw Library
Photographs by the director of instructional development for the VCU School of Medicine, featuring closeup views of nature that reveal the magic that is often hidden in plain sight
Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia 100th Anniversary Exhibit
Dec. 2013-May 2014, in Cabell Library
Materials from the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia archives, which are now housed in James Branch Cabell Library
Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons
March 17-April 26, 2014, in Tompkins-McCaw Library
A traveling exhibit highlighting four contemporary pioneer African American surgeons and educators who exemplify excellence in their fields and believe in continuing the journey of excellence through the education and mentoring of young African Americans pursuing medical careers
VCU Libraries is off and running for the 2013-2014 academic year with a full schedule of events. These events, which are but a small part of all that VCU Libraries accomplishes each year, give an idea of the tremendous diversity in our outreach efforts, our collections and the research interests and needs of our patrons.
Events range from intimate talks and workshops within our library buildings to large lectures drawing hundreds from around the Richmond area. Subjects include LGBT history, open-access publishing, nineteenth-century medical practices, the Girl Scouts, Jewish theology and digital initiatives in the humanities and arts.
All VCU Libraries events are free and open to the public, though some, require registration because of limited seating or to help us with planning. To stay up-to-date on event details and registration by receiving our monthly e-newsletter and periodic e-invitations, join our mailing list by filling out this online form.
To look back at at videos from a few of our popular events from the 2012-2013 academic year, see our YouTube channel.
Fall Events
Richmond Independent Press: A History of the Underground Zine Scene
Sept. 4, at 1 p.m.
Special Collections and Archives, Fourth Floor, Cabell Library
Dale Brumfield, local author and contributor to Style Weekly talks about his new book, "Richmond Independent Press: A History of the Underground Zine Scene." The book tells of Richmond's glory days of counterculture publishing, looking at the evolution of such mainstays as the VCU-based Commonwealth Times. A book sale and signing follow the event. Details
Protesters for equality in Farmville, Va., 1963
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The Struggle for Equality, Farmville, 1963
Sept. 10, at 3 p.m.
Special Collections and Archives, Fourth Floor, Cabell Library
Historians Brian J. Daugherity and Brian E. Lee talk about their article "Program of Action: The Rev. L. Francis Griffin and the Struggle for Racial Equality in Farmville, 1963," published in the current issue of the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. The article makes use of several images in a new VCU Libraries digital collection of Farmville civil-rights protest photos. Details
James Sturm: Award-winning Cartoonist
Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.
W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.
James Sturm talks about his popular and acclaimed work, including the major graphic novels "Market Day" and "America: God, Gold and Golems." Long committed to education in the graphic arts, he is currently the director of the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont. A book sale and signing follow the event.
Advance Your Research @ Cabell Library
Oct. 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cabell Library
This day of drop-in workshops for graduate students and advanced researchers features topics such as writing literature reviews, organizing your research, getting published, exploring images and media and using research hacks to make your research process better, faster and smarter.
Annual VCU Friends of the Libraries Book Sale
Oct. 21-25
Room B7, Basement, Cabell Library
The Friends of VCU Libraries offer a wide selection of novels, academic texts, movie DVDs, music CDs and much more. Most items in the sale each year are donated by Friends, community members and current VCU alumni, faculty and staff. Proceeds support VCU Libraries programs and collections. Details, including a full list of hours
Shoppers browse the shelves of the book sale
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"Migrating Archives" Exhibit Talk
Oct. 21, at 2 p.m.
Multipurpose Room, Second Floor, Cabell Library
Artist and activist E.G. Crichton, artist-in-residence at the GLBT Historical Society of San Francisco, discusses her visionary exhibit, in which VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives plays a part. Graphic panels combine evocative materials, photos and artifacts that portray the experiences of queer individuals from the past.
Cyber Security Fair
Oct. 22 & Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Richmond Salons, VCU Student Commons (Oct. 22) & Tompkins-McCaw Library (Oct. 23)
The fair promotes a secure culture within VCU and is designed to provide information-security education and training to all constituents within the VCU community. Attendees learn about the ways to protect their personal information from cybercriminals, as well as ways to secure their electronic devices at home and work. Technology vendors are on site to demonstrate the latest and greatest technology, and IT support staff answer technology- and security-related questions. Details
Open Access Week: An Open Forum on Open Access
Oct. 24, at 3 p.m.
Multipurpose Room, Second Floor, Cabell Library
Discussants consider the challenges, costs and controversies of academic publishing today. Audience questions and participation are encouraged.
Grave Robbing Lecture and Tour
Oct. 30, at 4 p.m.
Tompkins-McCaw Library
Discover how anatomy was taught during the 19th century and learn how cadavers were procured. University Archivist Jodi Koste leads a walking tour of the MCV Campus and tells stories about grave robbing, goblins and ghouls.
Digital Pragmata: Curating Digital Objects
November (Details TBA)
Cabell Library
Museums, libraries and archives rely on the digital environment to save, manage and provide access to their collections. These organizations also collect digitized and born-digital cultural objects. Presenters from local cultural institutions share their experiences and best practices for collecting and curating digital objects. This event is a part of VCU Libraries' well received Digital Pragmata series. Additional events, including brown-bag discussions, are being offered throughout the year.
VCU Cabell First Novelist Award Night
Nov. 19, at 7 p.m.
Richmond Salons, VCU Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave.
Ramona Ausubel, 2013 award winner for "No One Is Here Except All of Us," reads from her book and sheds light on its genesis. Writers and readers alike enjoy this annual insiders' look at the writing and publishing process. A book sale and signing follow the event. Details
Spring Events
African American Girl Scouts on parade in Richmond, ca. 1945
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12th Annual Black History Month Lecture
A Century of Strides: African-American Girl Scouts and the Pursuit of Equality in Virginia
Feb. 4, at 7 p.m.
W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.
Viola O. Baskerville, long involved in elective politics at the city and state levels and now CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, talks about African-American involvement in Virginia Girl Scouting throughout the organization's 100-year history, focusing on the important work of Scout leaders from Richmond, Norfolk, Fredericksburg and beyond.
29th Annual Brown-Lyons Lecture
"Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do Justly?" (Genesis 18.23)
March 27, at 7:30 p.m.
W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.
Jack D. Spiro, D.H.L., Ed.D, has long enlightened audiences and fueled community dialogue with his thought-provoking lectures on some of the most important topics in the Jewish culture and faith. This year, he consults the wisdom of Abraham, Job and philosopher Baruch Spinoza to reflect upon the timeless problem of evil.
Dr. Jack D. Spiro gives the Brown-Lyons Lecture
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Digital Pragmata: What Is the New Unit of Scholarly Production?
April 8, at 7 p.m.
W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.
In a moderated panel discussion on emerging digital practices in authoring, publishing, curating and preserving scholarship, speakers will examine the materials and method forming the scholarly record today. Be on the lookout for additional Digital Pragmata events throughout the spring.
TechFair
April 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location TBA
The 2013 VCU Technology Fair, co-sponsored by VCU Technology Services and VCU Libraries, brings the latest in technology developments for the classroom, office and research to VCU.
Preservation Week
April 27-May 3
Cabell Library
VCU Libraries joins in this nationwide annual initiative to raise awareness of the importance of saving books and materials for use by future generations. Library patrons will learn how to keep library and also family treasures safe and how to repair damages.
Groundbreaking for the New Library Building
Spring (Details TBA)
Cabell Library
Commemoration and celebration of the opening phases of construction of the much-needed new library building, on the compass at the heart of the Monroe Park campus.
Historians Brian J. Daugherity, assistant professor of history at VCU, and Brian E. Lee, a doctoral candidate in history at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, visit the James Branch Cabell Library's Special Collections and Archives for a talk at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, about their article "Program of Action: The Rev. L. Francis Griffin and the Struggle for Racial Equality in Farmville, 1963," in the current issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. The talk is free and open to the public, and a reception follows.
In the article the historians make use of several images from a new VCU Libraries digital collection of photographs documenting civil rights protests in Farmville in the summer of 1963. The images in the collection show dozens of Prince Edward County African-American students and others using an array of protest tactics to draw attention to racial discrimination.
The protesters were demanding that local and state authorities eliminate racial segregation in public facilities and reopen the public schools in the county which had been closed since 1959 to avoid integration. Rev. L. Francis Griffin, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmville, organized the protests. Protesters called their summer of protests a "Program of Action."
Many of these activities are documented in this collection of images. Many of the black and white photographs were taken by J.D. Crute, an amateur photographer hired by the Farmville Police Department, under the supervision of Police Chief Otto Smith Overton, who served 42 years before retiring in 1996. These police surveillance photographs were intended to be used in court as evidence against many of the protesters who were arrested and jailed. Currently the originals are in a private collection.
New this fall semester are streamlined services at James Branch Cabell Library.
All checkout of books and equpiment loans and initial requests for research assistance are now handled from The Desk in the lobby. Previously, 
patrons went to the third floor for media checkout, the reference ("Ask Us") desk on the first floor for research assistance, and the desk ("Circulation") near the entrance to checkout.
VCU Libraries has been preparing for this transition during the past year. "This change mirrors national trends at institutions on the scale of VCU Libraries, and it's happening for many reasons," said Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning Dennis Clark. "As our collections and services have gradually moved online, from electronic databases to streaming media to questions asked via chat and text, fewer patrons have been asking their questions in person. Those who do frequently require help from staff and librarians in multiple departments, and providing that help in one place is more efficient for both patrons and for the library."
Students and faculty who need in-depth help with research will be referred to a librarian and subject specialists will continue to be available for one-on-one consultations, meetings, presentations, tailored instruction and assistance by email and phone.
Media services have also been improved and streamlined. Media may be requested via the search box and will be held for pick-up at The Desk. The new department, Innovative Media, located on the third floor, provides support for media users and producers across a range of formats. The recently appointed head of Innovative Media, Eric Johnson, welcomes meetings with faculty.
"Usually we encounter people coming into the building who want many different things at the same time. This model will let us provide that help with one stop," said Clark.
"This new set-up should make it easier for Cabell's patrons--most of whom are undergraduates--to find the right place to go for help and the right person to help them."
Students, staff and faculty can invest a few minutes on a tour of Cabell Library and save time later in the semester. Participants will learn about the facility, collections and resources, as well as how library services and staff can assist with assignments. Cabell Library tours start promptly inside the first-floor main entrance and last approximately 30 minutes. No registration required.
New this year is a midnight tour on Thursday, August 29. Assemble at 11:59 p.m. for a special tour led by one of Cabell's overnight crew, unofficially known as "The Working Dead."
- Monday, Aug. 19, 2 p.m.
- Monday, Aug. 19, 2:30 p.m.
- Monday, Aug. 19, 3 p.m.
- Monday, Aug. 19, 3:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 21, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m.
- Thursday, Aug. 22, noon
- Friday, Aug. 23, 11 a.m., 2 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 24, noon
- Sunday, Aug. 25, 4 p.m.
- Monday, Aug. 26, 3 p.m., 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 28, 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Aug. 29, noon, 4 p.m., 11:59 p.m.
- Friday, Aug. 30, 11 a.m., 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 4, 4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 5, 4 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 6, 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
For more information about these tours and other VCU Libraries events and workshops
