Library News: Exhibits and Events 
VCU Libraries has a commitment to collecting 
with various Richmond communities firmly in mind. Many of these collections are in the arena of new social history--materials, interpretations and scholarship that illuminate the culture, stories and realities of sometimes hidden or ignored people.
"Migrating Archives: LGBT Delegates from Collections around the World" approaches queer history through the vantage points of some 10 individual stories. This innovative show from San Francisco's GLBT History Museum merges art and history, archives and real lives. It combines evocative materials, photos and artifacts that portray the experiences of queer individuals from the past.
One of those stories is about Richmond writer Hunter Stagg. Stagg's papers, housed at Cabell Library's Special Collections and Archives, include correspondence with poet Langston Hughes and the mother of modernism, Gertrude Stein. (Photo of Stagg, VCU Libraries)
Special Collections and Archives Head Wesley Chenault, Ph.D., organized the visit of the exhibition. "Since VCU has a top-tier arts school and because we have permanent holdings documenting Richmond's LGBTQ community, this exhibition is a perfect fit for us. We see students and faculty utilizing our collections almost daily for research and creative expression. This exhibit, then, places these activities within a broader context and history of artists interacting with archives and engaging communities."
Artist and academic, E.G. Crichton curated the exhibition, a travelling version of the original 20-panel show from the San Francisco museum. She is artist-in-residence at the GLBT History Museum. As a professor at the University of Southern California, Santa Cruz, she teaches intermedia and photography in the art department as well as project design studio in the digital arts and new media graduate program.
In her work, she makes use of a range of art strategies, mediums and technologies to explore social issues and specific histories. Archives of one kind or another serve as both starting point and infrastructure, and creative collaboration across disciplines is often a critical component.
Migrating Archives: LGBT Delegates from Collections around the World
- October 21, 2013-December 31, 2013
- First Floor
- James Branch Cabell Library
Curator's Talk, Oct. 21, 2 p.m., Room 250, Cabell Library
Artist and academic E.G. Crichton discusses her visionary exhibit. Seating is limited. VCU's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer David W. Hanson will make introductory remarks.
VCU Libraries will present Advance Your Research on Tuesday, Oct. 15, a full day of walk-in workshops for graduate students and faculty designed to help make their research process better, faster and smarter. Sessions are free and open to all. First come, first seated. Details
Topics include:
- Academic publishing
- Copyright
- Google for scholars
- Grey Literature
- Online scholarly materials
- Refworks
- Zotero
- Liaisons
- Literature reviews
- Elevator pitches
- Impact factors
"We know from the conversations we have with graduate students and faculty that VCU researchers need these kinds of sessions," said Bettina Peacemaker, assistant head for academic outreach. "They want to streamline their research process, and we have resources that will make their work easier. So, we designed a day filled with the kind of information we've been providing in one-on-one consultations or in classroom settings."
Schedule of Workshops
8:15 a.m. Check-in opens.
8:30 a.m. Resources for Your Research: Enjoy a light breakfast, network and discover research resources around campus.
9:30 a.m. Make an Impact: Finding the Right Journal for Your Research: Understand what a journal impact factor is, what it is not and how to use it. You'll discover other techniques and resources to find just the right journal for your research.
10:30 a.m. Three-Second Thesis: Practice Your Elevator Pitch: Think about how to explain your ideas to others. Learn to reel off your research plans and proposals to grant administrators, potential collaborators, bigwigs and your grandma.
11:30 a.m. Better Reference Management through Technology: Save time, toil and trouble by organizing your sources and references using RefWorks, Zotero and other online resources.
12:30 p.m. Lunch with Your Librarian: Join us for lunch and informal conversations about your work with library colleagues. Please email or register if you plan to stay for lunch so we can prepare for everyone.
2 p.m.: Learn to Love Your Lit Review: Learn how to locate the important literature on your topic, track down citations and organize them effectively.
3 p.m. Let Me Google That for You: How to Make the Web Work for Your Research: Leverage common web tools to find so-called "grey literature" and online scholarly material, understand key players, stay up to date and put yourself out there.
4 p.m. Can I Publish That? Working with Images and Media: Become more familiar with the parameters of copyright for images and media and the procedures for using these materials in academic publishing.
More about Academic Outreach at VCU Libraries
Have questions? Want to schedule a one-on-one consultation? VCU librarians specialize in your fields. Please call or email us. We're here to help you succeed in your academic pursuits:
- go.vcu.edu/mylibrarian
- library.vcu.edu/askus
- 804-828-8960
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
VCU Libraries, Dining Services and Technology Services will present the third annual Library Fest, an open house tied to Welcome Week orientation activities for new students. Library Fest will be held Monday, Aug. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. in James Branch Cabell Library. Attendees will have opportunities to:
- Sign up for the chance to win an iPad Mini
- Pick up giveaways such as
comic books, coffee sleeves, coozies, sunglasses and more - Sample foods from Starbucks and other VCU Dining Services locations
- Meet library staff who can help you in your research and projects
- Tour the building and get an overview of resources and services
- Learn about free events sponsored by the Friends of the Library
- See Special Collections exhibitions in the fourth floor gallery
- Gather information about VCU Libraries, getIT/fixIT/helpIT, Dining Plans, and campus safety
- Register a laptop with the VCU Police
- Learn about VCU Libraries' Study Green initiative in partnership with the Office of Sustainability
- Ask questions Technology Services, Dining Services, VCU Police, Writing Center and Campus Learning Center representatives
Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences is hosting the traveling National Library of Medicine exhibit, "Every Necessary Care and Attention: George Washington and Medicine." George Washington, first president, Revolutionary War general, plantation owner and businessman, and head of household, had many different concerns and responsibilities from running his estate to ensuring the stability of a new nation. Alongside the traditional demands of political life and military leadership, Washington focused considerable attention on the health and safety of his family, staff, slaves and troops.
Washington's status and wealth gave him--and his community--special privileges. During his lifetime, with the practice of medicine slowly becoming a licensed profession, he could call on a growing class of experts and new knowledge about the spread and prevention of disease. Even so, Washington encountered the limits of medicine when faced with serious illness.
Visit the exhibit's official website
The exhibition is on display in the reading room, Special Collections and Archives, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, 509 N. 12th St.
This July here at VCU, the Encampment for Citizenship relaunches its celebrated summer youth program, which has been on hiatus for more than 10 years. From July 1 through 15, high-school students from around the country are gathering to attend special workshops on social and political issues, visit historic sites in Richmond and the surrounding area and participate in activities designed to foster a deeper understanding of democracy.
On Saturday, July 13, the Encampment will host an evening event of lively discussions among the students and alumni from earlier years about their experiences in the program, in addition to special musical entertainment featuring, among others, Jane Sapp, acclaimed singer-songwriter and cultural worker with deep roots in the gospel music traditions of the American South. The event, which will be free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Richmond Salons of the VCU Student Commons, located at 901 Floyd Ave. For details, contact EFCYouthProgram@gmail.com.
The Encampment was started in 1946 by activists Algernon D. Black, leader of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and Alice K. Pollitzer, a member of the Ethical Culture Movement. The Encampment grew rapidly to a nationally prominent organization, attracting socially conscious youths from all backgrounds, and gained support from the likes of Eleanor Roosevlt, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Just a few of the many distinguished alumni of the Encampment are Gale Brewer, Ada Deer, Joseph O. Prewitt Diaz, Barney Frank, William Haddad, David Harris, Allard Lowenstein, Jean McGuire, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Charles Patterson, David Rothenberg, Hal Sieber and Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman. View pictures of past Encampment groups in the Encampment's promotional YouTube video.
Innocence Project co-founder and co-director Peter Neufeld, who spoke at this past spring's VCU Libraries Black History Month Lecture (see the video here), is an alumnus of the Encampment, as is Dr. Edward H. Peeples, VCU associate professor emeritus and VCU Friends of the Library Board emertius member, who has been a lifelong advocate of civil rights. Dr. Peeples describes the Encampment as "the most affirming experience of my life ... The strength for a lifetime of struggle for justice was poured into me. I found that I had become a member of a world-wide communion of other justice seekers and thus was never again to be alone."
Thanks to the assistance of Dr. Peeples, James Branch Cabell Library Special Collections and Archives is now home of the archives of the Encampment. The archives do much to tell the history of this storied educational program. See the online finding aid.
Save the dates of Oct. 21-25 for the 2013 VCU Friends of the Library Book Sale. As in the past several years, the sale will be held in the basement of James Branch Cabell Library, in room B7. Expect another wide selection of books of all varieties, from novels to medical texts, as well as comics, audio books, music CDs, DVDs and much more. All proceeds from the sale will help to fund VCU Libraries collections and programs. For additional details, please see the event website.
To help make this year's sale another great success, please consider making a donation of books or other materials. Donations are accepted year-round, and donors may arrange to drive up to Cabell Library so that library staff can help unload. A donation form and guidelines for what types of books and materials we can and cannot accept may be found on our donations page. For additional questions or to schedule a time to make your donation, please contact Gregory Kimbrell at (804) 828-0593 or kimbrellgg@vcu.edu.
