Though Virginia Archives Month arrives every autumn, there is truly no season of the year where you cannot find an archival item or collection to satisfy your research needs or pique your curiosity. Whether you’re heading to the Tidewater or Eastern Shore for summer vacation, Fall apple picking in the Valley or the piedmont, heading over the snowy Blue Ridge to visit the old home place for the holidays, or spring strawberry picking in Southside, somewhere nearby is an archive with interesting, informative collections. That is why this year’s theme for Archives Month in Virginia is “An Archive for All Seasons: Virginia’s Archives & Special Collections.”
Every year during October, the archival community in the commonwealth celebrates American Archives Month to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving and sharing cultural and historical documents from families, communities, states, and the country at large. Archivists reach out to their communities during this month to make connections and educate the public about the value of archives and their work in caring for and making them accessible. Archives are unique assets that allow society to tell its story, hold governments accountable, and safeguard the rights of its citizens.
That said, archives do not always have to be places of serious research—they can be about serious (or not so serious) creativity, too! This 2020 Virginia Archives Month webpage contains links to coloring pages and jigsaw puzzles that even the casual or first-time archival user can hopefully find fun and informative. Also, the 2020 Archives Month album (along with past albums and posters) can be found on our Flickr page.
We welcome you to explore Virginia’s diverse cultural heritage by delving into an archives collection near you during the month of October or any time of year. Find out about events during Archives Month below or contact your local repository for events in your area.
Archives Month Events
On October 7, archivists around the country took to Twitter to respond to questions tweeted with the hashtag #AskAnArchivist. Participants were invited to ask anything about collections, careers in archives, or our institutions. Organized by the Society of American Archivists.
This virtual event was an opportunity for individuals to learn about archives, the collections held in various regional institutions, how to access them, and tips for conducting your research. The fair was conducted via Zoom and also broadcast live on Facebook. It was hosted by the Shenandoah County Library and included other regional archives.
In the weeks following the Archives Fair local archivists will be releasing a series of “lightning talks” designed to share information about collections, access, and research. A full schedule for these talks and a list of participating institutions will be released at a later date.
Jigsaw Puzzles
Solve these three online puzzles, created from our Archives Month 2020 images.
Juno (submitted by the Library of Virginia)
Click image to go to puzzle.
Hartshorn Pedagogics Class, 1897 (submitted by Virginia Union University)
Click image to go to puzzle.
Harper's Bazaar (submitted by the University of Mary Washington)
Click image to go to puzzle.
Coloring Pages
Download these coloring pages, created from our Archives Month 2020 images (click image below to access).
"An Archives for All Seasons:" Virginia Archives Month 2021 Calendar
This year’s Virginia Archives Month calendar, created from images submitted by nineteen archives and manuscript repositories from across the state, highlights Virginians’ rich historical and cultural traditions. Coming soon!
