L ong time readers of our blog are already familiar with the Kaine Email Project @ LVA. Hillary Clinton’s selection of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate has brought national attention to our little project. Recent stories in Politico, Washington Post and the New York Times have all made use of the Kaine email collection. With this new interest in Kaine, we thought it would be a good time to spotlight the Library’s collection about Kaine and how to access them.
Kaine Email Project @ LVA – Digital
The Kaine Email Project provides online access to the email records from the administration of Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Virginia’s 70th governor (2006-2010). We are processing and releasing these records in batches. To date, we have released over 145,000 emails from 66 Kaine staff members. The “By the Numbers” document shows what we are currently working on. New releases will be announced on this blog and via the Library’s Twitter and Facebook pages. Before jumping in to the collection, we strongly suggest you read the collection finding aid and the tip sheets we created to help users search the collection.
Virginia’s Political Landscape, Fall 2005 – Digital
This web archive includes the websites of Lt. Governor Tim Kaine (2002-2006) and his 2005 gubernatorial campaign site.
Cabinet Weekly Reports – Digital
Each Friday, Governor Kaine received weekly reports from his cabinet and other offices of his administration. The level of detail varied for each cabinet officer and items of importance were highlighted by staff for the Governor. Each report contains information on legislation, Governor’s initiatives/special projects, agency matters/operations, events/agency visits, audits/investigations/compliance, stakeholder issues and pending decisions. Governor Kaine wrote handwritten notes and/or marked-up some reports with post-it notes and requested follow up information from the person submitting the report. Those questions and answers are included in these records. The Cabinet Weekly Reports provide a weekly account of the issues and policy decisions of the Kaine Administration. These paper reports have been scanned and are available in the Library’s digital collections.
Governor Tim Kaine’s YouTube Channel Videos, 2008-2010 – Digital
Accessible as a playlist from the Library’s YouTube channel, this collection consists of 63 videos uploaded by the Kaine administration for events occurring between March 2008 and January 2010. The Kaine administration created a dedicated YouTube channel for the Office of the Governor in March 2008. Included are videos of news conferences, transportation town hall meetings, cabinet day events, the 2008 dedication of the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial, Governor Kaine’s statement on granting clemency to the Norfolk Four, and Governor Kaine’s 2009 State of the Commonwealth address.
All digital collections are open to anyone with an Internet connection.
Records of the Governor Timothy M. Kaine Administration – Paper
The rise of the paperless office has been greatly exaggerated. The Library received over 900 cubic feet of paper records from the Kaine administration. By law, gubernatorial records transferred to the Library “shall be made accessible to the public, once cataloging has been completed.” (Va. Code § 2.2-126) The following collections have been processed and are open to researchers:
- A Guide to the Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Executive Office-Governor, Records, 2005-2009.
- A Guide to the Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Executive Office-Chief of Staff, Records, 2006-2009.
- A Guide to the Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Executive Office-Counselor’s Office, Records, 2001-2009 (bulk 2006-2009)
- A Guide to the Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Policy Office, Records, 2002-2010 (bulk 2006-2009).
- A Guide to the Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Press Office, Records, 2004-2010 (bulk 2006-2009).
- A Guide to the Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Senior Advisor to the Governor for Workforce Records, 2006-2009.
- A Guide to the Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Latino Liaison Records, 2004-2009.
- A Guide to the Records of the Virginia Secretary of Administration, 1995-2010 (bulk 2006-2009).
- A Guide to the Records of the Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, 2002-2010 (bulk 2005-2009.
- A Guide to the Records of the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources, 2005-2010.
- A Guide to the Records of the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, 1999-2010 (bulk 2006-2009).
- A Guide to the Records of the Virginia Secretary of Technology, 2000-2009 (bulk 2006-2009).
The “Related Content” section of the Kaine Email Project @ LVA portal also lists the paper records at the Library for each office and their status.
Records of Lt. Governor Timothy M. Kaine – Paper
The records of Lt. Governor Timothy M. Kaine (2002-2006) have been processed and are open to researchers. The finding aid is here:
Paper records are accessible in the Library’s Archives Room which is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. All Archives Room users will need to have a valid Library of Virginia card. Please review the following guidelines before your visit:
- Archives and Map Research Room Use
- Library Cards and Circulation Procedures
- Archives and Map Research Rooms Photocopy Policy and How to Make Copies at the LVA
For more information about visiting the Library, please consult our Visitor’s Guide and videos.
-Roger Christman, LVA Senior State Records Archivist
Odd timing on these past two posts. Please delete me from future postings. I am disappointed that you are swayed politically.
Ms. Holland,
As the official archive for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Library holds the records of Virginia governors back to Patrick Henry (1776-1779). We try to promote transparency by sharing pertinent items in our collection with the public. The selection of Tim Kaine as a vice-presidential nominee seemed an appropriate time to publicize the availability of records related to his time in public office in Virginia. We have promoted similar collections such as the availability of the web sites of former governors Bob McDonnell (2010-2014)and Mark Warner (2002-2006). Additionally, as governors and the legislature consider various reforms, assess mandates, and regulations the Library has shared relevant reports and findings of previous administrations and legislatures on our web site. The Library is rich in collections that inform public policy, reveal the inner workings of government, and promote transparency.
This week’s post highlights a now nationally significant Library collection, and a project important to the archival profession. Irrespective of political party, the Kaine email archive provides citizens unprecedented access to state executive branch records. The project has been the topic of presentations at numerous professional conferences and has been the catalyst for innovative collaborations between government archives and information technology specialists. We are rightly proud of these achievements and have taken no political position in highlighting the success of this project.
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-the Editors