Library of Virginia

United States Virginia  Archives and LibrariesLibrary of Virginia

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Contact Information
E-mail: Contact Us Form Address:


 * The Library of Virginia
 * 800 East Broad Street
 * Richmond, VA 23219

Telephone: 804-692-3500 Fax: 804-692-3556 Hours and holidays:


 * Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
 * Please check our News &amp; Events Calendar or contact us for any changes to our regular hours due to holiday closings, special events, or inclement weather. The Library is closed often during a given month for various reasons.

Directions, maps, and public transportation:


 * Parking Information, Map, and Directions are found at the bottom of the page.

Internet sites and databases:


 * Library of Virginia Home. Contact Us, Forms, News &amp; Events, Support the Library, About us, For The Public Section, For Localities and State Agencies Section, For Libraries &amp; Educators Section.
 * Online catalogue. The LVA Catalog combines the "Books &amp; Journals" catalog, the "Archives &amp; Manuscripts" catalog, and the "Images &amp; Indexes" databases. You can search these catalogs simultaneously by using the "Full Catalog" page. You may also search each catalog separately by clicking on the catalog name or by using the navigation tabs above.
 * Digital collections include: *Land Records; Vital Records; Virginia Death Indexing; Henley Marriage/Obituary Index to Virginia Newspapers; Marriage and Obituary Index for Richmond Enquirer/Richmond Visitor; Petersburg Public Library Newspaper Index; Probate Records; Index to Wills and Administrations; Church Records; Bristol Church and Family Cemeteries Index; Military Records; Virginia Colonial Records Project; Coats of Arms; Index to Sources on Family Coats of Arms; Biographies; WPA Life Histories Collection. Also available on WorldCat.
 * Circuit Court Records Preservation Program Page dedicated to the Program and access to various links. For example: County and City Records - online guides and databases to county and city records available at the Library of Virginia, including court, land, vital, and probate records.

Collection Description
Has a historical map collection, Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants, Dunmore's War Collection, and Blandford Cemetery Survey Records Collection. Also, books, periodicals, government publications, state newspapers from 1736 to present, Virginia state records from the colony's founding through the present, architectural drawings and plans, manuscripts, archival records, rare books, prints and photographs, and fine art.

Tips

 * Many items in the Library's collections are as Tiff images. Your computer will need to recognize and handle the .tif images properly.  How to configure your computer for Tiff files.
 * Ordering Materials. Pre-paid service fee required. Orders can be placed online, by mail, by telephone, or by fax.
 * Please also check our calendar to ensure the Library will be open and available to the public during your planned visit.

Guides

 * Guide to Census Records
 * List of Guides. These items are available for example: Research guides; Newspaper guides; Census Records Guides; Civil War guides.
 * The Library of Virginia Using the Collections Guide.
 * Guide to Library of Virginia Website for Genealogists by Anquestory.
 * John S. Salmon, comp.. A Guide to State Records in the Archives Branch. (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia State Library, 1985).
 * Suzanne Smith Ray, A Preliminary Guide to Pre- 1904 County Records in the Archives Branch, Virginia State Library and Archives. (Richmond, Virginia: Library and Archives, [1988?]).
 * Lyndon H. Hart, A Preliminary Guide to Pre-1904 Municipal Records in the Archives Branch, Virginia State Library and Archives. (Richmond, Virginia Library and Archives, [1988?]). )
 * Virginia State Library. Archives and Records Division. Annual Reports of Archival Accessions. (Richmond, Virginia: Library and Archives, 1971–).

Alternate Repositories
If you cannot visit or find a record at the , a similar record may be available at one of the following.

Similar Collections


 * Family History Library, Salt Lake City, 450 computers, 3,400 databases, 3.1 million microforms, 4,500 periodicals, 310,000 books of worldwide family and local histories, civil, church, immigration, ethnic, military, Mormon records.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana) has a premier genealogical periodical collection, genealogies, local histories, databases, military, censuses, directories, passenger lists, American Indians, African Americans, Canadians.

Neighboring Collections


 * Virginia Historical Society,.
 * National Archives I, Washington DC, census, pre-WWI military service &amp; pensions, passenger lists, naturalizations, passports, federal bounty land, homesteads, bankruptcy, ethnic sources, prisons, and federal employees.
 * Daughters of the American Revolution Library, Washington DC, Revolutionary War and colonial period, including family and local histories, cemetery transcriptions, Bible records, 15,000 genealogical membership applications.
 * Maryland State Archives, census, court, church, vital, military, probate, land, tax, immigration, naturalizations.