CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A collection of printed materials donated by the local printing company as it closed in 2008 is the subject of the Caribbean Genealogy Library’s presentation “St. Thomas Graphics: Documenting Community” to be presented virtually on Saturday at 2 p.m.
“St. Thomas Graphics: Documenting Community” will be presented by researcher Susan Lugo, with special appearances by Karl Callwood, Annice Canton, Glen “Kwabena” Davis, Cathy O’Gara and former Governor Charles W. Turnbull, Ph.D. The free presentation will feature the rich collection of print material and records donated to the library when the St. Thomas Graphics print business closed its doors.
The collection includes a wide array of funeral booklets, business publications, event program booklets, government reports, maps, posters, brochures, marketing material and forms from the late 20th century. Records include original photographs, typeset layouts, proof copies, original artwork, correspondence and transactional files.
Lugo will also highlight the significance of the printing industry, both in the Caribbean and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in documenting and preserving history and culture for research. These resources uniquely support both family history documentation and research for local history, education and scholarship.
The event will be the official public launch of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands/National Endowment for the Humanities grant-funded project to digitize portions of the collection for online viewing. Grant project funding also supported the development of online finding aids to enable researchers to use the St. Thomas Graphics Collection materials more efficiently. Digitized images and finding aids for the St. Thomas Graphics Collection will be introduced and demonstrated throughout the presentation.
Registration for the online Zoom event is required. Contact the library at [email protected] to register.