Date: 9/27/2009 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Place: Movren Park
Call: 703-737-2166
Second Annual Fundraising Event for the Thomas Balch Library
Friends of the Thomas Balch Library will hold their second annual fundraising event at the recently renovated Morven Park, home of the former Governor of Virginia. The event will raise funds to support the Friends’ establishment of an endowment for the Thomas Balch Library. Brent Tarter, from the Library of Virginia, will speak about the life of Westmoreland Davis and his run against and victory over the powerful “Byrd machine”. Tarter is founding editor of the Library of Virginia’s multi-volume Dictionary of Virginia Biography and senior editor in the Division of Publications and Educational Services. His experience with educational programs and exhibitions promises a fascinating journey into politics of the early twentieth century as we explore the life of politician, visionary farmer, horseman, and owner of the Southern Planter and Loudoun Times Mirror, Westmoreland Davis. Morven Park mansion and grounds will be open for our guests. Tickets are limited, so please mark your calendars and make your reservations early. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Friends of Thomas Balch Library at 703-737-2166.
THOMAS BALCH LIBRARY
WINTER SPRING 2009 PROGRAMS
Programs sponsored by Thomas Balch Library are held in the downstairs meeting room and are free unless otherwise noted. Due to limited seating we recommend registering in advance by calling 703/737-7195. For updated news on events visit our website at: http://www.leesburgva.com/services/Library/Newsletter/
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009 - 2PM - The Perfect Steel Trap: Harpers Ferry, 1859 -- Author Bob O’Connor will discuss his historical novel,
The Perfect Steel Trap: Harpers Ferry, 1859 about John Brown’s famous and fateful raid at Harpers Ferry, told by eye-witnesses as varied as
Brown’s own family and General Robert E. Lee. Books will be available for purchase on-site.
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 - 2 PM - Presence and Prejudice: Jewish Settlement in Loudoun County and the Virginia Piedmont -
Eugene Scheel will explore the history of Jewish poples in Loudoun County and environs from the 1750s to the present using personal
experiences woven together with historical events.
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 - 5-8PM - An Evening at Morven Park
Sunday, October 4, 2009 - 2PM - Mosby’s Keydet Rangers - Author Eric W. Buckland’s new book uses previously unbuplished material
providing insight into young men who attended VMI and rode with Mosby’s Rangers during the Civil War. Including biographical sketchs,
personal letters, accounts of raids and other incidents, Buckland exposes us to the effect these young men had on the Rangers’ operations
during the War as well as their post-war careers. Books will be available for purchase on-site.
Monday, Oct. 5, 2009 - 7PM - Clerk’s Office Tour, Loudoun County Courthouse Historic Records - John Fishback, Historic
Records Manager for Lououdn County will lead the tour and discuss the extent of the County’s record holdings of births, deaths,
marriages and deeds and how to u se these records in research. (Meet in the parking lot at TBL by 6:30PM)
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 - 9AM-4:30PM- Civil War Sesquicentennial Event - see page 3 for details.
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009 - 9AM-12 -Walking Tour of Leesburg. Led by James Roberts, Leesburg native and TBL Advisory Commission
member, the tour provides factual, historical and anecdotal information of local people, places and points of interest, intertwined and
presented in storytelling fashion by one who has lived through it and thoughtfully observed it. Not to be missed.
Saturday, October 24, 2009 - 2PM - Archaeological & Evolutionary Perspectives on the Origins & Spread of Plant Domestication
by Humans - Jeffrey Alvey, formerly with Blue Ridge Center for Enviromental Stewardship (BRCES), will discuss recent archaeological
research on plant dispersion, with special emphasis on thehistory of these events in North America. This event is part of BRCS’s
celebration of Virginia Archaeology Month.
Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 2pm - Advocates for Destruction: The Inconvenience & Deformity of the Green Spring Mansion in
the Late 18th Century. Architectural historian Virginia Price looks at the house, demolished in 1797, from the advantage point of an
inventory taken in 1767 and through the architectural drawings done by Benjamin Henry Latrobe to suggest room use and the redistribution
of domestic space, in order to prevent its eventual distruction.
Sunday, November 8, 2009 - 2PM - Loudoun History Awards
Sunday, December 6, 2009 - 2PM - Revisiting John Brown in the Age of Obama - Hannah Giffert, author and expert on John
Brown, will discuss John Brown Mysteries, a book on which she and a group of educators and community activists collaborated to present the
events at Harpers Ferry in 1859 from an African American perspective.
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THOMAS BALCH LIBRARY
EXHIBITS 2009
Margaret Mercer Room
September:
Postal History of Leesburg - Lewis Leigh
October:
Revolutionary War & War of 1812 - Harriet Condon
November:
Loudoun History Awards - Stephanie Adams Hunter and Virginia
Native American Heritage – Beth Schuster
December:
New Collections at Thomas Balch Library
Lower Level Meeting Room
July-September:
“The Natural World that is Northern Virginia” – featuring images of the natural resources and beauty of the land that has endured throughout the transformation of Northern Virginia from rural to urban - Gary Mester
October-December:
Sandra Kane Collection Presents the Loveliness of Loudoun
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THOMAS BALCH LIBRARY
CLASSES 2009
Maximizing your Time at Thomas Balch Library: An Introduction to the Library, Its Resources and Research Techniques
These classes, held the first Thursday of each month, will be limited in size, registration is required, and classes will be repeated periodically.
A series of classes offered throughout the year will introduce novice and experienced researchers to the intricacies of resources at Thomas Balch Library. Each class will include a tour of the facility, subject-specific training by experienced staff, handouts, and an opportunity to ask questions.
Research Using Visual Collections at Thomas Balch Library
Thursday, 1 October 2009, 10-11:30AM
Beth Schuster, Library Reference Specialist, will introduce users to visual collections at Thomas Balch Library. Types of images available, how they may be accessed, and their use in historical and genealogical research will be discussed.
Introduction to Digital Resources at TBL-Thurs.Oct.1,10-
11:30 AM
Learn about digital resources available at the library. Alexandra
S. Gressitt, Library Director, and Stephanie Adams Hunter, Library
Archives Specialist, will demonstrate databases and other
online tools available for reseachers, showing types of information
to be found and suggesting research strategies. Resources
to be demonstrated include JSTOR, America’s GenealogyBank,
HeritageQuest, and America: History and Life.
Loudoun County Historic Building Files, Assessment and Parcel Database
Thursday, 5 November 2009, 10-11:30AM
This class, recommended as a companion to the Leesburg Historic District presentation, will demonstrate various Loudoun County land records and mapping systems available to the public and how to use them in researching historic properties. Included will be a brief overview of the library’s Lewis/Edwards and Historic Leesburg files, tax records, and maps available for researching historic properties and early Loudoun settlers. Mary A. Pender, a part-time librarian and cataloger at Thomas Balch Library received her BA from the College of William & Mary and MLIS from University of Texas at Austin. A Project Manager for Loudoun County's Land Records System, she has been employed with the Building and Development Department since 1998. She is currently part of a development team working on the County's first online permitting system. John Berfield, a Library Assistant, earned his BA in Geography from Virginia Tech. He retired from a Planner position with the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development in 2005. His work at the county included contributing toward the addition of several historic structure files, including chain of title information, in the Lewis/Edwards Files.
Loudoun County Historic Building Files, Assessment and
Parcel Database - Thurs. Nov. 5, 10-11:30 AM - Recommended
as a companion to the Leesburg Historic District presentation,
this program will demonstrate various Loudoun County land
records and mapping systems available to the public and how to
use them in researching historic properties. Conducted by Mary
A. Pender and John Berfield, the program will include a brief
overview of the library’s Lewis/Edwards and Historic Leesburg
files, tax records and maps.
Leesburg’s Historic District Files and Sanborn Maps
Thursday, 3 December 2009, 10-11:30AM
Annie McDonald, Preservation Planner and staff liaison to the Leesburg Board of Architectural Review, will delve into using primary and secondary resources available at Thomas Balch Library for researching a property’s history. She will explain the purpose behind the architectural surveys of the late 1990s and how to use architectural survey files, Sanborn fire insurance maps, and historic photographs to identify how a building changes over time. The talk focuses only on the area covered by the Sanborn Maps, which is limited to the Leesburg historic district, and this session is recommended as a companion to the county records presentation. Previously employed by a DC-based preservation consulting firm and by a regional NGO based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she has been with the Town of Leesburg since September 2005. Tour of the facility to follow, conducted by John Berfield, Library Assistant.
Leesburg’s Historic District Files and Sanborn Maps-Thurs.
Dec. 3, 10-11:30 AM - Preservation Planner Annie McDonald
will demonstrate resources available at TBL for researching a
propety’s history. Focusing on the Leesburg historic district, she
will explain the purpose behind the architectural surveys of the
late 1990s and how to use architectural survey files, Sanborn fire
insurance maps and historic photgraphs to identify how a building
changes over time.
General Introduction to TBL - Thurs, Feb. 4, 2010, 10-11:30
AM
Alexandra S. Gressitt, Library Director, will provide a geneal
overview of the library, its history, organization and collections
with emphasis on digital collections, services, programs, and volunteer
and intern opportunities.
Information Seeking Strategies, Thurs. Mar. 4, 2010, 10-11:30
AM
Beth Schuster, Library Reference Specialist, will demonstrate
methods for developing and implementing effective search techniques.
While the techniques discusssed are applicable in a wide
variety of environments, specific attention will be paid to TBL’s
subscription databases, including America: History and Life and
Access Newspaper Archive.
NEW THIS YEAR: Researching Court Records - Thurs.
April 1, 2010, 10-11:30 AM - Jeanette Irby, Town Attorney, Town
of Leesburg, will discuss using court records and other resources
for data that are frequently overlookd in genealogical and historical
reserarch.
Manuscript and Archives Research at TBL - Thurs., May 6,
2010, 10-11:30 AM
Traditional Genealogical Resources at TBL - Thurs. June 3,
2010, 10-11:30 AM
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Monthly
Meetings at the Library:
Civil
War Round Table
Meets 2nd Tuesday of the month except July and August at 7:30 PM.
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in Loudoun County history
during the Civil War period.
For information: 540/822-4480 or scalpem@megapipe.net
Adivsory
Commission Meetings
2nd Wednesday of each month. Public Welcome.
Time: 7:00 pm Balch Library: Downstairs Meeting Room
Friends of the Thomas Balch Library, Inc., a 501c3 organized to provide support for Thomas Balch Library, meets at the library every other month. The public is always welcome. For more information call 703/737-2166
Black History Committee of Friends of Thomas Balch Library, Inc. meets at the library the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7PM. The public is always welcome.
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