The West Virginia Archives and History Library of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History will kick off a series of workshops on the first Tuesday of the month from 6 - 7:30 p.m., beginning on Aug. 4. The first session, “Genealogy for Beginners,” will be conducted by Archives and History librarian Susan Scouras. The program will take place in the library at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. All sessions are free and the public is invited to attend. The library will close at 5 p.m. and reopen at 5:45 p.m. for workshop participants only.
The workshop is for beginners who want to compile their family history, but don’t know where to start, and for family historians who have begun their research using Internet genealogy Web sites, but would like to learn how to locate and use sources other than the Internet. Scouras will discuss basic genealogical research skills, introduce family history resources, and teach the proper documentation of records and other information collected. The primary research materials that are found in the Archives and History Library will be emphasized.
Participants will be eligible to win door prizes for attending the workshop. Popular genealogy writer Emily A. Croom has donated copies of her books, Unpuzzling Your Past and Sleuth Book for Genealogists, as prizes, as well as a printed and bound copy of her e-book, Genealogists’ Guide to Documentation and Citing Sources. Croom is an active researcher, teacher and lecturer in genealogy.
Future sessions include “Put Your Family’s Memories in a Scrapbook” with Lynn Barney on Sept. 1; “His Soul Goes Marching On: The Life and Legacy of John Brown” with Mary Johnson on Oct. 6; “Bastard Battalion: A History of the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion in World War II” with Terry Lowry on Nov. 3; and “A Glimpse at Some Lesser-Known Prominent West Virginians” with Dr. Kenneth Bailey on Dec. 1.
Advance registration for the workshop is not required, but is encouraged to help plan seating arrangements and ensure plenty of supplies and handouts are available.
To register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, at (304) 558-0230, ext. 163, or by e-mail at bobby.taylor@wvculture.org. Participants interested in registering by e-mail should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session. For additional information about the workshop, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
Beginning Aug. 1, The Archives and History Library will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The library is closed on Sunday.
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 Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture 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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