12PM to 1PM (EST)
Cost: free
You’re invited to discover the fascinating history that surrounds you here in Pennsylvania!
“PA
History: Read It, See It” is a new series of virtual programs presented
by the State Library of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Each
month features a fun and factual investigation into one of the Trails
of History sites. These programs will provide suggestions
for books related to each topic that you may find at your
local public library, examples of site-specific rare and historic books
from the vaults of the State Library’s unique Rare Collections
Library, and a special insider virtual tour of Pennsylvania’s Historic
Sites and Museums. Let us inspire you as you plan seasonal road trips
across our State!
This
free, virtual series is appropriate for learners and explorers of all
ages and will be held the third Thursday of each month from 12pm to 1pm.
You must register online in advance to attend these events. Online registration forms associated with each event are included within the event listing. Upon registering, you will receive a link to attend via the Zoom platform.
PA History: Read It, See It Schedule of Virtual Programs
Thursday, October 21
“PA History: Read It, See It”
Pennsbury Manor (Historic Homes Trail)
Visit the reconstructed home of Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn (born on October 14, 1644).
Thursday, December 16
“PA History: Read It, See It”
Pennsylvania Military Museum (Military History Trail)
Encounter
stories of Pennsylvanians in military service and tour military
equipment, including two massive guns from USS Pennsylvania that were in
Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
12PM to 1PM (EST)
Cost: free
Through the year, the State Library will highlight components of its Rare Collections through a series of programs about the care and feeding of rare books. Join State Library Rare Collections Librarian Michael Lear as he delves into topics centered on preservation and history of the items protected within the vaults of the State Library. Each session offers an opportunity to learn more about the history of books.
Session Three: Illustrated Books Through Time
Join Michael on Wednesday, August 11 from noon to 1pm (EST) for a virtual presentation titled “Illustrated Books Through Time,” which will include an overview of the origin and evolution of illustrations in books from illuminated manuscripts to photography. Examples will include illumination, woodcuts, wood engraving, copper and steel plate engravings, etchings, lithographs, chromolithographs, and photogravures. Artists and prominent illustrators will be discussed in the context of examples presented.
You must register to attend this event. Please complete the registration form to receive a link to attend this live, virtual event via the Zoom platform.
This session will be recorded and will be added to the State Library's Lunch-and-Learn archive online shortly after the event.
12PM to 1PM (EST)
Cost: free
The State Library of Pennsylvania hosts a semi-regular lunchtime book club open to state employees as well as to the public. The book club now meets in the format of a virtual meeting. Attendees take part in conversations about the book along with Kathy Hale, Public Services Librarian Supervisor at the State Library of Pennsylvania. Occasionally, author visits are arranged as well.
Come to share thoughts about the characters, plot, setting and impact of the book with others who have read the book or any part of it.
At the next meeting, we will discuss
When I Was White: A Memoir by Sarah Valentine.
If you would like to attend (via Microsoft Teams), please email RA-tours@pa.gov and include your name in your message.
We'll provide you with a link to the virtual platform and send a meeting reminder the day before the event.
Book Description (as provided by the publisher):
"The stunning and provocative coming-of-age memoir about Sarah Valentine's childhood as a white girl in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and her discovery that her father was a black man. At the age of 27, Sarah Valentine discovered that she was not, in fact, the white girl she had always believed herself to be. She learned the truth of her paternity: that her father was a black man. And she learned the truth about her own identity: mixed race. And
so, Sarah began the difficult and absorbing journey of changing her identity from white to black. In this memoir, Sarah details the story of the discovery of her identity, how she overcame depression to come to terms with this identity, and, perhaps most importantly, asks: why? Her entire family and community had conspired to maintain her white identity. The supreme discomfort her white family and community felt about addressing issues of race--her race--is a microcosm of race relationships in America. A black woman who lived her formative years identifying as white, Sarah's story is a kind of Rachel Dolezal in reverse, though her 'passing' was less intentional than conspiracy. This memoir is an examination of the cost of being black in America, and how one woman threw off the racial identity she'd grown up with,
to embrace a new one.”
This
book
may be borrowed from most local libraries.
Please
complete the
State Library’s Inter-Library Loan Book Request Form
for assistance with borrowing
this book
via Interlibrary Loan.
You do not need a State Library card to participate in the book discussion.
12PM to 1PM (EST)
Cost: free
Join State Library staff and Pennsylvania author Catherine Jordan in an interactive virtual discussion of mystery writing and more. Catherine will discuss fiction, non-fiction, clarity in writing, and the art of writing. This one-hour program is designed for anyone aspiring to be a better writer.
Catherine has published two horror novels, an array of dark fiction in ten anthology collections, and has been featured within various online publications. She writes beer, wine, and cocktail articles for The Burg, an online and print magazine with over 40,000 readers, and also serves as the Review Coordinator for horrortree.com, which was voted one of the top 100 websites for writers. She has been a judge for the Bram Stoker Award and the ITW Young Adult Award, and she also edits and facilitates writing courses and critique groups. Catherine lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and five children. Visit her website.
You must register to attend this event. Please complete the online registration formto receive a link to attend via the Zoom platform.
This session will be recorded and will be added to the State Library's Lunch-and-Learn archive online shortly after the event.
12PM to 1PM (EST)
Mysterious events are happening at the State Library of Pennsylvania! Join Sandy Nork as she discusses her latest novel Flood Risk at a virtual event for the State Library of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania self published author Sandy Nork will discuss the origin and subjects in her Risk mystery series, and how and why self-publishing worked for her! Sandy Nork is an author, librarian, coffee aficionado, baker, and collector of small toys with a life of their own. She lives with her musician husband, Bill, along with his multitude of stringed instruments, in South-Central Pennsylvania. You can find her on Facebook and Goodreads as Sandy Nork, on Instagram as novelgal, and on Twitter as @novelgal. Her website is www.sandynork.com.
About the books:
Forty-year-old Japanese-American Valerie Sloan is an insurance investigator who works for her old friend and past partner Harry Zimmer. Her current partner, Rocky Russo, is a Philadelphia girl with a penchant for 80s music and speaking out of turn. Valerie and Rocky team up to find valuable musical instruments that have gone missing in this crime family mystery series.
Special Risk, Book 1, takes Valerie and Rocky on a hunt for a missing guitar in their Philadelphia home. During their search, Valerie discovers her connection to a crime family and what she is willing to do for success.
Flood Risk, Book 2, finds Valerie and Rocky in Nashville, Tennessee, searching for a mandolin. While there, Valerie learns some valuable lessons about honor and loyalty. Just as there is a benefit to having connections, there is also a price to pay.
Future books will include a visit to Hawaii and another to Las Vegas. Instruments go missing everywhere and Valerie and Rocky are on the job, looking for them.
Registration link:
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYlfuGuqDsvHtJ3uWFpFvw7JsTWXcxm9rwh
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.