The West Virginia Archives and History Library of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History will continue its genealogy and history related workshops on selected Tuesday and Thursday evenings in April. The sessions will take place from 6 - 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
The workshops will focus on specialized resources available in the Archives and History Library and how to use them. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and will be offered hands-on examples or instruction with the materials and research issues involved.
The first workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 10, and Terry Lowry, archives and history’s 20th century military records specialist, will present “Researching Your World War II Soldier: Finding Your Father’s War.” This session will focus on the military records available in the library, and Lowry will discuss his experience researching his father’s wartime service.
On Thursday, April 12, staff historian Greg Carroll will discuss the role of slave labor in the Kanawha Valley’s early salt industry in his workshop “Slavery in the Kanawha Valley.” Bob Taylor, archives and history library manager, will address the “Care and Conservation of Books,” on Tuesday, April 17. In addition to the proper handling and storage of books, Taylor will discuss conservation techniques and procedures and how to deal with damaged books. Participants are invited to bring books in need of repair for Taylor’s analysis and suggestions.
“West Virginia Statehood” is the topic for the Tuesday, April 24, session. Joe Geiger, staff historian and assistant director of archives and history, will discuss events leading to the creation of West Virginia on June 20, 1863, with a special emphasis on archives resources available in the archives and history online exhibit, “A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia.”
Rounding out the month, on Thursday, April 26, guest speaker Doug Wood will discuss “Researching 18th-Century American Indian History.” A living history presenter, Wood has often used the resources of the Archives and History Library in his research, which focuses of the Eastern Woodland Indians of the 1700s. The workshop will not cover genealogical research of individual families.
Advance registration for the workshops is not required, but is encouraged to help plan seating arrangements and handouts for the sessions. Genealogical and historical societies are invited to hold their regular meeting or to plan a field trip in conjunction with any workshop.
For more information about a group visit or to register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, at (304) 558-0230, ext. 163, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Participants interested in registering by e-mail should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session they will attend. For additional information about the workshops, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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