The Library of Virginia has a variety of records in several collections (Secretary of the Commonwealth, Office of the Governor, Virginia General Assembly, etc.)  related to the Virginia Electoral College from 1789 to 2008.    Today, copies of the Certificate of Ascertainment and Certificate of Vote are transferred to the Library by the Virginia State Board of Elections.  The Certificate of Ascertainment lists the names of the electors appointed and the number of votes cast for each person during the general election.  The Certificate of Vote lists the totals for the Electoral College.  Additional records related to the 2008 Virginia Electoral College are included in the Governor Tim Kaine Administration Web Archive Collection.  You can read Governor Tim Kaine’s address to the 2008 Electoral College and view photographs of the event.

-Roger Christman, Senior State Records Archivist

*Original post slightly edited for clarity

I was reminded of this when I began processing the e-mail records of Governor Tim Kaine’s administration.  The Kaine administration transferred to the Library of Virginia approximately 1.3 million e-mail messages from 215 staff members.  Included are numerous Virginia Tech-related records including but not limited to the creation, work, and report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel, meetings between Kaine Administration officials and family members both pre- and post-settlement, settlement discussions and agreements, and implementation of the settlement.  The e-mail from family members to Larry Roberts, Counselor to the Governor, and Governor Kaine reflect their anger, grief, and search for answers.

Records pertaining to the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting will not be opened until final resolution of all litigation relating to the incident.  Some of these records may be kept confidential for longer in order to comply with the terms of the settlement agreements the Commonwealth accepted.  What the Library can release are the 16 April 2007 e-mail messages from the boxes of William H. Leighty, Governor Kaine’s Chief of Staff, and John Marshall, Kaine’s Secretary of Public Safety.  These records tell the story of that day in real-time through the e-mail they sent and received.  This is not a comprehensive history; it does not include telephone calls, etc.  It is just an outline.  [Note: a few images can only be read by clicking on "view full size"  and then using the "zoom" feature.]

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The Library expects to release e-mail from the Kaine administration in several phases by office or secretariat as soon as the Library’s archival staff has finished processing the material per Code of Virginia § 2.2-126 and § 42.1-78. Some records may still remain closed based on other provisions of the Code, such as the Virginia Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act and the Virginia Health Records Privacy Act

-Roger Christman, Senior State Records Archivist

Author’s Note: This post would not be possible without the efforts of my colleague and friend Kathy Jordan.  Kathy, the Library’s Digital Initiatives and Web Services Manager, developed the workflows and procedures the Library will use to make the Kaine administration e-mail (and attachments) publicly accessible through Digitool, the Library of Virginia’s digital asset manager.  Once in Digitool, the Kaine administration e-mail will be keyword searchable.

-Craig S. Moore, State Records Appraisal Archivist

Transcript of Governor Thomas Randolph letter to Speaker of the House of Delegates Lin Banks, 2 February 1821

Transcript of Secretary of War J.C. Calhoun letter to Governor Thomas M. Randolph, 26 January 1821

Last week President Barack Obama made minor news when he incorrectly signed the guest book at Westminster Abbey in London “24 May 2008.” Obama did not make the same mistake when, as a U.S. senator from Illinois and Democratic presidential candidate, he signed the guest book at the Virginia Executive Mansion on 17 February 2007.  Obama was the keynote speaker at the state Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Richmond.  Governor Tim Kaine endorsed Obama for president that night, becoming the first governor outside of Illinois to endorse a 2008 candidate for president.  The guest book page signed by Obama is a good example of what archivists call a record with secondary value.  The Society of American Archivists defines secondary value as “the usefulness or significance of records based on purposes other than that for which they were originally created.”  The significance of the guest book is derived from future events:  Obama winning the 2008 presidential election and Kaine’s importance as an early supporter.  Another example of secondary value is a 21 July 1987 letter written by Mark R. Warner to Governor Gerald L. Baliles.  The content of the letter is quite ordinary – a young businessman wants to get involved in Virginia politics and requests a meeting with the governor.  The letter’s secondary value originates from Warner’s election as governor in 2001 and United States senator in 2008.  When archivists appraise records to determine their permanent value, their primary concern is secondary value.

-Roger Christman, Senior State Records Archivist

The Report of Archival Accessions lists the creator, title, size, brief description, and accession number of the local, map, private, and state archival collections described and/or received during the time period.  Some of the local and state records collections listed may be closed for processing; check with Archives Research Services regarding availability for research use.

Primary Sources lists the latest collections processed, microfilmed, or digitized by the Library.  Like its companion publication, Report of Archival Accessions, Primary Sources gives the creator, title, size, and accession number for each collection processed during the previous quarter.  It also contains links to published finding aids for each collection.  Notable collections processed between July and September 2010 include:  Charlotte County Chancery Causes, 1765-1912 (bulk 1784-1912);  Robert S. Bloxom Papers, 1978-2003; and Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Counselor’s Office, 2001-2009 (bulk 2006-2009).

Current reports are located on the Library of Virginia’s Web site under the ”News and Events” section (linked above). Older reports are located under Library Collection Releases.

The Report of Archival Accessions lists the creator, title, size, brief description, and accession number of the local, map, private, and state archival collections described and/or received during the time period. Some of the local and state records collections listed may be closed for processing; check with Archives Research Services regarding availability for research use.

Primary Sources lists the latest collections processed, microfilmed, or digitized by the Library.  Like its companion publication, Report of Archival Accessions, Primary Sources gives the creator, title, size, and accession number for each collection processed during the previous quarter.  It also contains links to published finding aids for each collection.  Notable collections processed between March and June 2010 include:  Smyth County Register of Colored Persons Cohabitating Together as Husband and Wife, 27 February 1866; Barnard-Nickels Family Papers, 1929-1972; and Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Executive Office-Governor, Records, 2005-2009.

Current reports are located on the Library of Virginia’s Web site under the ”News and Events” section (linked above).  Older reports are located under “Library Collection Releases.”

Holy Cow. Image of Mark Warner from the Office of the Governor (2002-2006), Press Office, State Records Collection, Library of Virginia

Since 2005, the LVA has been “archiving” Web sites of enduring cultural value, especially those created and maintained by Virginia government. We started with the administration of Governor Mark Warner (2002-2006) and expanded into special topics of Virginia interest, such as the 2006 Senate race between George Allen and Jim Webb, the 2007 and 2009 General Assembly elections, the 2008 Congressional elections, and the Virginia Tech tragedy.  We are already archiving Web sites of the Governor Bob McDonnell Administration, Virginia’s 2010 Congressional candidates, and various organizations that have donated their paper records to the Library.

The Virginia Web Archive can be accessed from Virginia Memory under Digital Collections.

-Roger Christman, LVA Senior State Records Archivist