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The Virginia Public Library Director’s Association (VPLDA) recognized the Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) with the Outstanding Adult Program award at their annual meeting April 28. The award honored library programs developed for Williamsburg’s tricentennial in 1999 including the exhibit, "Three Sites: Three Centuries of Williamsburg," an ongoing series of history lectures, "A City Before the State" and other programming. "‘Three Sites: Three Centuries of Williamsburg’ was one of the most exciting library programs in Virginia this year," said Ann Friedman, VPLDA President. "It made history come alive." The Program Services Department of the Williamsburg Regional Library organized the exhibit and the lecture series. According to library Program Services Director, Patrick Golden, Williamsburg’s 300th Anniversary Commission inspired both. "The impetus for the exhibit started with the tricentennial’s executive director Martha Hamilton-Phillips," says Golden. Planning for the exhibits started in 1996, three years prior to the celebration. The nine-month-long exhibit featured photographs, letters, other printed material and objects associated with Williamsburg’s 20th century history. Colonial Williamsburg’s John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library and the Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary developed companion exhibits on the 18th and 19th century history of the City. Items for all the exhibits were drawn from the collections of the three libraries and supplemented by resources from local citizens and other sources. The libraries were awarded two successive arts grants for planning and implementation of the exhibits. The City of Williamsburg and James City County jointly funded these arts grants specifically for tricentennial activities. The grants also produced an accompanying brochure for the exhibits, copies of which are still available by request at the Williamsburg Regional Library. The award also recognized a lecture series, "A City Before the State," which takes its name from the history of Williamsburg recently published by the City of Williamsburg’s 300th Anniversary Commission. The lecture series, which featured 11 of the 25 authors in the book, was funded by a grant from the Friends of the Williamsburg Regional Library. The book, "A City Before the State," is a comprehensive 328-page volume containing 378 illustrations, including items in the library exhibit never before published. The book is being distributed by University Press of Virginia (www.upress.virginia.edu) and is available at area bookstores. As part of the VPLDA award the library was also honored for two oral history projects co-sponsored by the 300th Anniversary Commission Oral History Committee and the Grassroots Theatre Project at the College of William and Mary. This is the second VPLDA award the Williamsburg Regional Library has received for its adult programming since the award series began in 1997. The previous award, in 1998, was for programming associated with the library’s display of the Smithsonian Institution’s travelling exhibit, "Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington." The library has also won three past VPLDA awards and two honorable mention awards for its children’s and young adult programming. |
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