Richmond Architectural Surveys: Choices in Digitization

Abstract

In 2008, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries received a donation from the City of Richmond, Virginia, that was a perfect candidate for digitization: the Richmond Architectural Survey (RAS) Collection ( http://go.vcu.edu/ras ). The collection consists of over 600 survey forms, photographs, and other data sheets documenting the vernacular architecture of two districts of Richmond (Jackson Ward and Oregon Hill). The surveys were completed by Richmond city employees in the mid-1970s, with each survey form being devoted to a particular building or city block.