HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Massanutten Regional Library’s Central Library in downtown Harrisonburg will be hosting the 2024 Shenandoah Valley Archives Fair.

The fair is set to take place Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The annual event, which is free and open to the public, is a celebration of Virginia Archives Month in the Shenandoah Valley. Visitors can meet with representatives of institutions throughout the Valley who collect archives and regional history, and learn about the resources each offers for local historians and genealogists.

Exhibitors will share the scope of their collections including unique primary sources, and explain how to conduct research with their collections. Library Director Zachary Elder said the archives cover a wide range of historic documents.

“Special collections could be archives there,” Elder said. Anything with that is a primary source. It could be a diary, it could be a, a genealogy record, family tree, family Bible and correspondence. Any of those things could be special collections.”

According to a news release from Massanutten Regional Library, this event will be of interest to students, teachers, historians, and genealogists. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions and share their areas of interest and research.

Visitors will also be able to attend an “Ask an Archivist” panel at 11 a.m. before the Fair officially begins at 11:30.

“We have enjoyed participating in this event since its inception and sharing information about our local resources with folks from all over the Valley,” Kristin Noell Evans, Head of Adult Services said in the release. “We are proud to be hosting this year’s Fair, especially as we will be able to share our collection of watercolors by local artist W. Austin Loewner, on display together for the first time since the artist donated them in 1978.”

Founded in 2019, this Fair offers visitors an opportunity to learn about more than a dozen collecting institutions, their extensive collections, and their unique expertise, all in one place.