It was 1934 and the new Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control was trying to feel its way in the new era of regulated wetness. From St. Peter’s Catholic Church in downtown Richmond came a query as to whether it could offer sacra mental wine to its parishioners. The answer was “yes.“ From a billboard company in Richmond came the query as to whether it could advertise beer. Yes, said the ABC board, but the company could not tell where the beer would be sold.

SUZY SZASZ PALMER Metro Business asked Suzy Szasz Palmer, deputy librarian at the Library of Virginia, if libraries are still relevant to our everyday lives in this Google, Facebook and Twitter world: “Libraries are still very important today even in the digital world, which encompasses Google and other social networking sites. It is because of two things.

The Library of Virginia in downtown Richmond recently partnered with the Poe Museum to open a major exhibition in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe.  The exhibition, “Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster,“ examines the life of the legendary writer. It features more than 100 digital and original items and three interactive stations: “Poe’s Words” offers readings from Poe’s works, “Poe in Film” spotlights the 1928 silent film “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “Fact or Fiction” allows visitors to test their Poe-related knowledge.

Eerie, fearsome, terrifying, frightening, thrilling—all words indicative of the mystery surrounding Edgar Allan Poe’s life and the tone of his works.  From a glance at those colorful adjectives covering the dark vinyl walls of the “Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster” exhibit at the Library of Virginia, one can tell that this showcase is anything but ordinary.

If you go Where: Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad St.  When: Starting Monday; through Dec. 5 Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday Admission: Free Info: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/ or (804) 692-3500

John Grisham, a part-time Virginian and the author of 22 books, has been chosen to receive the Library of Virginia’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented on Oct. 17 at the 12th Annual Library of Virginia Awards celebration. Since publishing “A Time to Kill” in 1988, Grisham has written a novel a year, and all of them have become international best-sellers. His second book, “The Firm,“ spent 47 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list, becoming the best-selling novel of 1991.

Tommy Edwards may be the best-known local singer most people have never heard of. If you were around in the 1950s, though, you were probably singing his song. The Henrico County-born balladeer’s version of “It’s All in the Game” was the No. 1 hit in the country for six weeks in 1958. His earlier recording of the song had reached No. 18 in 1951.

The Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad St., is seeking applicants for its new volunteer docent program. Docents will greet and welcome visitors to the library. The library attracts 200,000 visitors annually. Researchers, students and tourists use its collection of nearly 110 manuscript items and more than 1.8 million books, bound periodicals, maps and audiovisual materials.

Whether he was discovering history of the city riverbank about to be sealed off by construction of the Richmond floodwall or tracing the origins of the gospel song “Wayfarin’ Stranger,“ Timothy Alan Thompson waxed intense about anything he undertook. Hired as the Army Corps of Engineers’ archaeologist on the Richmond Floodwall Project in 1988, he helped assemble a complex history of the people and properties associated with the Civil War-era Libby Prison, whose former site lay in the path of the floodwall. He later served on a committee that brought together descendants of the property owners and soldiers who had been at the prison to rededicate a prison historical marker.

“My mother was a saver and she believed in keeping things for history and heritage—letting your family know where you came from.“—MARY EASTERLY Mary Easterly was never one to throw much away.

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday
  Call: (804) 692-3900
  Online: The Library of Virginia Web site, http://lva.virginia.gov, has documents, videos, photos and other resources about the lives of the 2009 honorees.

Virginia women have made significant contributions to the state, the nation and the world. On Thursday, the Library of Virginia will honor eight of them. The 2009 Virginia Women in History project will recognize the honorees in a program from 6 to 8 p.m. in the library’s lecture hall. “In the past, the story of Virginia women was largely relegated to the footnotes of the state’s history,“ said Sandra G. Treadway, librarian of Virginia. “Today, the accomplishments and contributions of Virginia women are part of the mainstream of Virginia history.“

Library of Virginia conference “Straight to the Source: An Introduction to Research Using Archival Records at the Library of Virginia” will be the topic of the Friends of the Virginia State Archives 17th annual spring conference on Friday. The program will feature an introduction to genealogical research and presentations by the archival staff on specialized research topics, including Google for genealogists, post-1782 tax records at the library, the library’s new Web site, and the chancery records index.

After nine rounds of scrunch-faced spellings and a few gleefully lucky guesses, Michael Whalon terminated his competition with “eviscerate” yesterday in the 35th annual Richmond Times-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee.

If you’re playing by the old rules to find a job in this economy, you may be playing for a long time. Computers and networking have become an integral part of the job search and have taken the process beyond the traditional response to a help-wanted ad. For people in unskilled jobs or who haven’t gone through a job search for decades, the new requirements can seem daunting. Free help is available, though, from some unusual places—including libraries, churches and online communities.