WVU Libraries

The WVU Libraries and the West Virginia and Regional History Collection are pleased to announce that researchers from all over the world can now access information about the materials in the Collection virtually on the World Wide Web. The West Virginia and Regional History Collection’s new web site is now available at www.libraries.wvu.edu/wvcollection.

The West Virginia Collection is the largest repository of historical information regarding West Virginia materials in existence. Its holdings include a folk music collection, a nearly comprehensive collection of West Virginia newspapers (including pre-Civil War papers), photographs, county court records, and rare archives and manuscripts. The many archives, manuscripts, broadsides, and other materials provide excellent opportunities for research on West Virginia.

The archives and manuscript holdings consist of approximately three thousand collections. These are described in detail in the Guide to Manuscripts and Archives in the West Virginia Collection. This entire 598-page document is now available in PDF, or Portable Document Format, via the web.

Another nice feature of the site is the elaborate guide to Genealogical Research and Resources. Many users of the collection are conducting this research, and the guide will answer many questions and provide links to other web sites helpful to these users.

Many researchers studying West Virginia history travel far to use the Collection. The information on the web site will help them make the most of their time. Most of the materials above are listed on the site, along with their microfilm or manuscript box numbers, to assist researchers in locating the materials they need at their convenience.

Until now, this information was dispersed throughout several print sources, available only in the Library. The publication of the site merges technology with history to make the West Virginia and Regional History Collection more accessible than ever before.

Beth Toren — WVU Libraries
Mountaineer Spirit