Classes are free. Registration is required. All classes are one hour (unless otherwise specified). Want to find out what's happening at your library? Pick up the The Spot, the library's monthly newsletter, at any Roanoke Valley Library branch location or view it online .

Click here to register for classes, or call 853-2073.

Fall 2008 Program Schedule:

Family History Databases
First Mondays of the month, October - December 2008, 6:00 pm
Computer Lab, Main Library
The online subscription databases Ancestry Library Edition, Heritage Quest and Genealogy Bank offer full-text newspapers and books, and countless state, county, immigration and military records for the family historian. Learn how to mine their riches and how to access HQ and GB anywhere with your RVL library card and an Internet connection.

Preserve Your Family Papers
Monday November 10, 6:00 pm
Main Library, Brody Room
As a genealogist, you spend years collecting information and documents that record your family history. With all of the time and energy invested in collecting this information, it is important to know how to protect your work. Learn the do’s and don’ts of organizing and preserving genealogy research and family heirlooms. Learn where to store your records, back up electronic files, display family photographs and documents, and organize your research so that future generations can access this important information.

Veterans History Project Celebration: Call ahead to schedule your interview.
Tuesday November 11, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Main Library, Virginia Room
Attention Veterans: sign up today to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project so that your memories can be preserved as part of our national legacy. The mission of the Veterans History Project is to collect and preserve the personal recollections of wartime veterans (WWII - present), helpers on the homefront and registered conscientious objectors. The project, created by Congress, is building a lasting legacy of memoirs, recorded interviews, and other documents chronicling the veterans' and other citizens' wartime experiences, and how those experiences affected their lives and America itself. Interviews typically last 30 minutes. Call Alicia Sell at 853-5868 for more information or to schedule your interview.

Discovering Family: An Appreciation of the Southwestern Virginia Genealogical Society
Saturday November 15, 1:30 am - 4:00 pm
Main Library, Virginia Room
The Southwestern Virginia Genealogy Society has been a “Friend” of the VARoom since 1975. Members of the Society will be on hand to lend their hundreds of years of collective genealogy experience to your family history research. Find your inner genealogist, explore volunteer opportunities, learn about the benefits of joining the Society and see treasures in the Virginia Room. Talk “Ancestors” and enjoy refreshments too. Everyone is invited.

Finding Your Civil War Ancestors
Monday November 17, 6:00 pm
Main Library, Computer Lab
Three million men served in the Civil War. You may be a descendant of one of them. The class concentrates on Confederate veterans examining Virginia Room materials, Index to Compiled Service Records, online databases from the Library of Virginia, National Park Service, Ancestry Library Edition and more.

Photo Preservation Workshop
Saturday December 6, 2008, 10:00 am
Main Library, Brody Room
Photographs provide us a bird’s eye view into the past. Among the most cherished of historic resources, they are also the most susceptible to damage. This workshop will teach participants why photos deteriorate, how to decide what photos need to be preserved, and how to care for them to ensure that they will be around for future generations.

Genealogy 'By the Book'
Monday December 15, 6:00 pm
Main Library, Virginia Room
This class highlights resources in the library, including family histories, census and county records, military records, photographs, city directories, maps and much more. Just beginning your research? Perhaps you are an old pro who needs to be recharged. Come and join us to learn how to use the Virginia Room collection. Registration required.