Mary Riley Styles Public Library
Descriptive Summary
Falls Church History Room, Mary Riley
Styles Public Library
Recording Services for the Visually Handicapped/Recording Services
for the Visually Impaired, 1958-2005
Record Group 4-5
2 boxes
Materials in this collection are in
English.
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description was completed in 2019.
Biographical/Historical Note
The Recording Services for the Visually Handicapped (RSVH), now the Recording Services for
the Visually Impaired (RSVI), was a volunteer group that recorded textbooks and other
academic materials for visually impaired students. For many years they had an office in the
Falls Church Public Library (now the Mary Riley Styles Public Library).
The recording group was started as the Northern Virginia Recording Group in 1958 by the
Falls Church Junior Woman's Club. In 1963 the Recording Services for the Visually
Handicapped was incorporated by the State of Virginia as an independent organization. The
name was changed to the Recording Services for the Visually Impaired in 2003.
text
Scope and Content
The files were organized into six series: Series 1 has the articles of incorporation and
by-laws as well as a list of their board of directors. Board meeting minutes comprise Series
2 (although not a complete set) and correspondence is in Series 3. Series 4 has the subject
files and Series 5 hold the newsletters. The newsletters are often referred to as Annual
Reports. Newspaper clippings, photographs and a floppy disc make up Series 5 through 7.
Speeches relating the history of the RSVH can be found in the Subject files in the folder
labeled Speakers (RG 4-5-4-10).
Arrangement
The meeting minutes, correspondence and newsletters were arranged in chronological order.
The subject files are in alphabetical order.
Contents List
Series 1: Organization (Box 1)
By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation,
1966-2003
1
Board of Directors,
1986-2000
2
Series 2: Meetings (Box 1)
Board Meetings, Minutes,
April 1964-April 1970 [book]
1
Board Meetings, Minutes,
1970-1973
2
Board Meetings, Minutes,
1974-1975
3
Board Meetings, Minutes,
1976-1979
4
Board Meetings, Minutes,
1980-1982
5
Board Meetings, Minutes,
1986-1991
6
Board Meetings, Minutes,
1992-1994
7
Board Meetings, Minutes,
1999-2005
8
Board Meetings, Secretary notes,
1988-1992
9
Series 3: Correspondence (Box 1)
Correspondence, Appreciation Letters,
1971, 1981-1997
1
Correspondence, General,
1968-1970
2
Correspondence, President's Letters,
1987-1990, 2000
3
Series 4: Subject Files (Box 1)
Certificate of Appreciation [blank forms]
1
Grant from The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation,
1987
2
History, The Falls Church Lions Club,
1940-1990
3
Series 4: Subject Files, continued (Box 2)
Instructions for Readers
4
Name Change,
2002-2003
5
Officer Job Descriptions
6
Priorities for Reading Jobs
7
Publicity,
1961-1970* has photograph
8
Publicity,
1971-1987
9
Speakers,
1962-1991 [includes speeches relating the history of RSVH]
10
State Corporation Commission,
1963-2000
11
Volunteers Needed Advertisements
12
Series 5: Newsletters
Newsletters,
1962-1975
1
Newsletters,
1975-1989
2
Newsletters,
1990-1994 [includes photographs]
3
Newsletters,
1995-1999, 2005
4
Series 6: Newspaper Clippings,
1966-1993
Series 7: Photographs
Series 8: Media
Newsletter, 1997, on a word perfect file saved on a floppy disc
1