Virginia Child Protection Newsletter records

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of James Madison University is retained by James Madison University. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information, contact the Special Collections Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Virginia Child Protection Newsletter Records, 1927-2017, UA 0061, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Summary

Extent:
2.48 cubic feet 8 boxes
Creator:
James Madison University. Department of Psychology. Center for Child Abuse Education
Abstract:
The Virginia Child Protection Newsletter (VCPN) Records, 1927-2017, comprise eight boxes of materials related to the publication and distribution of the newsletter. The collection contains correspondence, requests for reference materials and back issues, reference lists for each volume, year-end reports, and grant summaries.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Virginia Child Protection Newsletter Records, 1927-2017, UA 0061, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

The Virginia Child Protection Newsletter (VCPN) Records, 1927-2017, comprise eight boxes of materials related to the publication and distribution of the newsletter. The collection contains correspondence and complimentary notes, requests for reference materials and back issues, reference lists for the sources used in each volume, year-end reports, grant summaries, and select physical copies of newsletters.

Correspondence for the collection ranges from complimentary notes to consultations related to the VCPN issues. These primarily contain congratulatory messages or questions about specific sources in regards to publishing the VCPN issues with correspondence focusing on questions before publication and consultations dealing with questions from subscribers of the newsletter. Requests comprise emails/forms that request back issues, reference lists, or permissions to reprint the article/newsletter in their own publication.

Reference lists contain bibliographies for each issue published and are arranged based on topic, not volume or issue number. Additionally, because they are separated based on content, there are overlapping bibliographies for certain issues. "VCPN on the Web," a subgroup within the series of Reference Lists, also contains various bibliographic information. Similar to a bibliography, it documents the VCPN's presence on the internet through review citations, links to website mentions of the VCPN, and information on where they have been reprinted.

Year-end reports contain summary reports for the VCPN issue year, typically starting July 1 and carrying on through June 30 of the following year. They're comprised primarily of complimentary notes, statistics on the number of subscribers, resource lists for places where their newsletter was reprinted or mentioned, and some years contain published copies of the VCPN issues. Similarly, grant summaries mostly comprise generated lists of the VCPN accomplishments including workshop and conference distribution and participation, publications, ongoing distributions, and correspondence. Some issues do contain a grant summary essay discussing the accomplishments of the year.

Biographical / historical:

The Virginia Child Protection Newsletter (VCPN) was originally published by the University of Virginia, with the support of the Bureau of Child Protective Services, Virginia Department of Welfare, beginning in 1974. In 1981, VCPN was transferred to James Madison University when Dr. Joann Grayson and student, Charlotte McNulty, won a bid from the Department of Social Services to take over the newsletter. Each newsletter focuses on one or more topics in child welfare and spotlights local organizations in Virginia that are dedicated to the issue's related topic. Topics included physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; missing children; and the impacts of drugs and alcohol. Some of the articles provide a survey of literature, address current and practice issues, or discuss grants for Virginia community projects. The VCPN was mailed to about 13,000 agencies and individuals in Virginia and across the United States.

Dr. Joann Hess Grayson joined James Madison University in 1975 through the Department of Psychology. In addition to her role as editor of the VCPN, she worked full-time as a professor and supervisor for Psychology 202- Introductory Field Work up until her retirement in 2011. At this time, Debbie Sturm, Professor in the Department of Graduate Psychology, became the new editor of the VCPN. As of 2023, VCPN is no longer in print.

Acquisition information:
Dr. Joann Grayson, professor and psychologist from JMU's Department of Psychology, transferred the bulk of the collection on April 5, 2017. There were then additional transfers in April and May 2017, one of which included two boxes from Wanda Baker.
Appraisal information:

Some letters of a sensitive nature were removed by the transferring office pending approval for their inclusion with redaction. Location of letters are noted at the file level. Additionally, printouts of Google search results for "Virginia Child Protection Newsletter" or similar phrases were discarded. "VCPN on the Web" contained a grouping of materials termed "mentions," "other mentions," and "reprints" which comprised web citations (dead links), reprinted articles, etc. in which VCPN articles are mentioned, cited, or reprinted were not retained. Reference lists of the reprinted articles, etc. were retained and filed under the Reference Lists series. CDs and floppy disks comprising draft articles and graphics printed in the physical newsletters were discarded as well.

Processing information:

Much of the collection was transferred in binders. Materials were removed and re-foldered according to original order and groupings.

Arrangement:

Series 1: Correspondence and Requests, 1981- 2017

Subseries 1.1: Correspondence and Complimentary Notes

Subseries 1.2: Requests for Reprints and Back Issues

Series 2: Reference Lists, 1927-2010

Series 3: Year-end Reports and Grant Summaries, 1990-2010

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard