Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

Sterling Park Woman's Club Library Committee Collection (SC 0091), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Unknown

Alternative Form Available

None.

Accruals

2010.0268X

Processing Information

Shannon Fuller, 31 August 2011

Historical Information

The planned community of Sterling Park originally known as "Broyhill's Addition to Sterling Park" was established in 1962. In 1966, the Sterling Park Woman's Club initiated a project to create a library in Sterling Park. The Sterling Park Woman's Club became a member of the Northern District of the Virginia Federation of Woman's Clubs in 1964.

The Sterling Park Woman's Club chose to establish a public library service in Eastern Loudoun County as their Community Improvement Program. The Woman's Club initiated this project in response to the dramatic changes in lower Loudoun County. The county had transformed from a rural area into a suburban area during the 1960s. Loudoun County was only being served by two public libraries (Purcellville and Thomas Balch) in the 519,000 square miles that Loudoun County covered. In 1966, the Sterling park Woman's Club Library Committee began the process of establishing a new public library. The project received strong community support and the Club's Library Committee worked closely with the Purcellville Library and Sterling Park Development Corporation. The Purcellville Library provided guidance, while Sterling Park Development Corporation helped secure a building for the library. The Sterling Park Woman's Club worked on the establishment of the library from May 1966 until the creation of the Sterling Park Library in April 1968.

The Woman's Club successfully helped run the library from 1968 to 1970. The Sterling Park Woman's Club held fundraisers, set up book donations, and organized many events at the Sterling Park Library. The Sterling Park Library joined Loudoun County Public Library system in 1973 with Joan Ciehoski (fl. 1970s) of the Sterling Park Woman's Club becoming one of the initial members of the Library Board. The Sterling Park Library is now referred to as Sterling Library.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of documents relating to the Sterling Park Woman's Club and the creation of the Sterling Park Library. They include documents of correspondence and club reports or minutes. The correspondence includes letters to the Virginia State Library, now The Library of Virginia, The American Library Association (ALA), and other organizations requesting and/or relating to the funding and development of Sterling Park Library. The majority of these letters were written by Sharon Dalton (1938- ), but others include Mrs. Warner E. Erwin Jr. (fl. 1960s). These date from June 1966-April 1968. There are letters between the Sterling Park Woman's Club, ALA, Virginia Federation of Women's Clubs, and other clubs belonging to the Federation. In these letters, members of Sterling Park Woman's Club seek advice on the creation, development, and financing of a library. These letters are all dated June 1966.

The reports include club minutes and reports on the library after its establishment. A number of topics are included in these reports including fund raising events, library status updates, library programs, and more and date from 1968-1973. There are official summary reports and a citation of the Community Improvement Program sponsored by the Virginia Federation of Women's Clubs and Sears-Roebuck dating from 1968-1970. There is one letter between the Sterling Park Woman's Club's Mrs. Maud Brodd (1932- ) and Senator Dirksen's wife, Louella (1899-1979), dated April 1968.

Arrangement

Folder

Related Material

The Woman's Club of Loudoun, Inc. (M 024), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA; Purcellville Woman's Club (M 046), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA; Sterling Park, Virginia Collection (SC 0007), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Other Finding Aid

None

Technical Requirements

None