RADFORD – Volunteers from the Christiansburg Institute (CI) will be on the campus of Radford University today, March 26, to offer the community digitization services of their family memorabilia.
“Join Christiansburg Institute at Radford University for our second Community History Harvest,” CI announced. “RU Students and members of the community are invited to bring memorabilia that represent the history of themselves, their family, and their community for digitization.”
The service is available today, Saturday, March 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Heth Hall at Radford University. Anyone with questions can contact CIMA@christiansburginstitute.com.
Christiansburg Institute, Museum and Archives (CIMA) is also in the process of gathering archival items for its collections. Today’s digitization event is open to the public without having to donate the items to the archives. However, CIMA is always on the lookout for items to add to the archive collections.
“As an archive dedicated to the history of Christiansburg Industrial Institute and broader black history in Southwestern Virginia, we accept and maintain collections created by C.I.I. alumni and their descendants that demonstrate a connection to the school or region,” according to the CIMA website. “Our mission is to ensure these materials will be preserved and accessible to researchers for generations to come. Once your papers are accepted as part of the archives, the material will be housed in our environmentally-controlled and secure office where staff will oversee their proper storage and use. Collections will be accessible to you, your family, the public, and researchers such as students, professors, genealogists, and journalists so we can tell a more complete history of education and African-American life in Southwestern Virginia.
“While Christiansburg Institute Archives focuses its collections on the history of Christiansburg Industrial Institute, we all collect more broadly about African-American history in Southwestern Virginia. We collect a diversity of material types and formats, ranging in size from a single item to dozens of boxes. Donated materials do not need to be organized or stored in archival boxes.”