Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
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Senator Byrd’s Library Now Open for Research

7/28/2015

 
by Jody Brumage
​

We are excited to announce the opening of another part of Senator Byrd’s Collection for researcher access. The Library Collection is comprised of almost 800 titles, including a wide range of subjects from Ancient Greek and Roman historians and philosophers to volumes on early American history and constitutional law.
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A few months ago, we published a blog describing part of Senator Byrd’s Library Collection which was being processed and cataloged by CLS Intern Dylan Rosenlieb. These books comprise the main section of the collection,  containing over 600 individual books which Senator Byrd amassed over his 57 years in Congress. Some of these titles even pre-date his time in office, such as school books and yearbooks from Senator Byrd’s early education at Mark Twain High School. Senator Byrd also collected older books of speeches and memoirs of former members of Congress which date back to the early 19th century.
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A portion of the Robert C. Byrd Library Collection shelved in the archives.

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West Virginia’s Senators Fight for the ARC

7/21/2015

 
By Jody Brumage
​

In 1965, the 89th Congress passed the Appalachian Regional Development Act. The bill, signed by President Lyndon Johnson on March 9, 1965 formally established a track of funding from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which had been formed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The ARC encompasses 13 states: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The appropriations received by the ARC are administered by a commission comprised of the governors of the 13 member states and a federal co-chair who is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
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The Appalachian Regional Development Act bill from 1965. Click to view the full bill on “The Great Society Congress.”

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Waking Up “America’s Sleeping Tourism Giant”

7/14/2015

 
By Jody Brumage

In 1992, Senator Robert C. Byrd wrote in one of his Byrd’s Eye-View columns that “I have long believed that West Virginia is a prime site for the development of a viable and productive tourism industry.”

While West Virginia’s official greeting, “Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia,” is widely known today, that has not always been the case. Asserting West Virginia’s role as a major tourism attraction was a major goal of Senator Byrd’s congressional career.
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In 1961, during his first term in the U.S. Senate, Byrd published a Byrd’s Eye-View entitled “Tourism can be New Big Industry for West Virginia,” stating that “The only reason West Virginia’s tourism industry is not currently enjoying its full potential is that the State lacks the kinds of developed recreational areas and facilities needed to attract great numbers of travelers.” Byrd identified two key problems in the statement: first, West Virginia lacked a sufficient number and variety of areas set aside for tourism, and second, the state also lacked infrastructure to bring tourists to these places. Byrd’s lengthy career in public service would address both of these problems.

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Inventorying Senator Byrd’s AV Collection: Part II

7/7/2015

 
By Jody Brumage
​

Followers of the “Posts from the Archives” blog series will recall a post from this past February describing our project to inventory Senator Byrd’s Audio/Visual (AV) Collection in preparation for digitization. At the time, we had just started digging into the boxes and sorting the materials by media type. Now, several months later, we’ve made significant progress on this endeavor, though we are still making exciting new discoveries.
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A shelf containing hundreds of compact cassette tapes to be inventoried.

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The Byrd Center advances representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens.
© 2021 Robert C. Byrd Center for
​Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Voices of the Community series
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login