The Library is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Please check our News & Events or contact us for any changes to our regular hours due to holiday closings, special events, or inclement weather.

When planning a trip to the Richmond area, we recommend you check out the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau website.

Using the Collections and Policies:
While the Library’s reading rooms are open to the public, many of our collections are located in our closed stacks, meaning items must be requested through our catalog or via staff in order for you to use them. Therefore, access to these collections requires a valid I.D. In order to avoid delays and unexpected problems, please review the policies governing access to and use of our collections prior to your arrival at the Library. The Research and Information Services staff, located on the second floor of the Library, will assist you.

Tours of the Library:
Tours consist of an orientation video, a brief overview of the building (from the lobby), and a tour of the current exhibition. Each tour lasts about 45 minutes. Tours with advance notice are available based on staff availability. Special tours can also be arranged for educators and students. To arrange a tour please contact us or call 804-692-3527.

Sweetpeas Café
Sweetpeas, located on the first floor of the Library of Virginia, serves breakfast and lunch. The menu includes hot breakfast sandwiches, muffins, Paninis, wraps, salads, soups, daily specials and combos. You can enjoy your meal in the indoor seating area or the outdoor patio or take it to go. Prices range from $1.50 to $6.75. The café is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 804-692-3808.
Research Groups:
Groups planning to visit the library are encouraged to contact Archives Research Services (to use the archival, manuscript and map collections) or Library Reference Services (to use the reference collections and databases) before arrival. Research archivists or reference librarians may be available to speak to groups regarding use of the collections, indexes, and electronic resources. If the group has a special area or topic of study, staff will be able to prepare more effectively if notified of the group’s arrival ahead of time. We strongly recommend that research groups be limited to a maximum of twenty people in order to make effective use of time and resources.

Please be aware that it is important to contact us in advance especially if your group is not very experienced in using library collections. Staffing constraints, especially on Saturdays, may limit the amount of time and availability of research archivists or reference librarians to assist your group.

Parking:
The Library of Virginia offers limited free parking to patrons using the building during operating hours. If parking is not available, a map to other area parking decks is available here: (pdf). The parking garage entrances at the Library of Virginia are located on 8th and 9th Streets and have a height restrictions of 7 feet. Both 8th and 9th Streets are one way streets. Elevators will take patrons from the parking garage to the lobby of the library. Parking validations are given in the lobby when leaving the library.

irections:
Please be aware that because of numerous street repairs and construction projects you may experience detours and street closures in the downtown Richmond area. For directions from locations not listed below please use the interactive map above or another method of your choice.
From Interstate 95 (from the North or from the South)
Take Exit 74C. A highway sign will say Library of Virginia. Proceed west on Broad Street until you reach 9th Street. Turn right and immediately get into the far left lane. Proceed down the block and prepare to turn left into the parking deck.

From Interstate 64 West (e.g. coming from Williamsburg)
Take the exit for Fifth Street and the Coliseum. Turn left on Marshall Street a few blocks (past the Coliseum on your left) after you exit Interstate 64. Stay in the middle lane and proceed to Eighth Street, and turn right from that lane. The parking lot entrance will be immediately on your left.

From Interstate 64 East (e.g. coming from Charlottesville)
Take Interstate 95 South to Exit 74C. See instructions above for I-95.

Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
Parking and Directions
Phone: 804.692.3500 ▪ TTY/TDD: 804.692.3976

Regular Hours: Monday – Saturday 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM
check News & Events for updates or closings

About the 1939 World’s Fair Photograph Collection

Related Resources | Search Tips

About the Collection

Among the U.S. exhibits at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City was the Court of States, where 22 of the 49 states of the United States were represented. Unlike the more ostentatious exhibits sponsored by many of the other states, the Virginia Room was a quiet, circular space of muted colors and comfortable couches surrounding a gently splashing fountain. Visitors were served complimentary glasses of ice water as they perused the collection of photograph albums prepared by the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce.

The photo albums were shelved in bookcases embracing the curvature of the room, in alcoves underneath painted symbols on the walls representing twelve aspects of Virginia life: scenic tours, recreation, historic homes, culture, history, colonial archaeology, scenery and natural wonders, physiography, agriculture, education, government and the people, and industry, commerce, and transportation. Five to sixteen albums were devoted to each category.

Each photograph in the collection was mounted on a sturdy cardboard backing, with an accompanying caption printed under the picture. The photo albums were arranged in three-ring notebooks, each album bearing a distinctive title. Usage was heavy, and some volumes had to be replaced, so that in the end there were three sets of albums.

After the World’s Fair closed, the photographs (and the albums that housed them) were donated to the Prints and Photographs of the Library of Virginia by the State Chamber of Commerce. The Library’s digital collection consists of photographs from the first, most complete set of albums, augmented by additional photos from the second and third sets for a total of 3,018 images.

The database of the collection provides access to the bibliographic records containing the captions associated with each photograph. These captions are not always unique; often, two or three pictures share the same text. Also, occasionally the same photograph was used in different albums with different captions. The records can be searched by geographical locations, personal names, building names, historical subjects, and many other terms.