Thomas Balch Library holds a significant collection of audio and video materials, including numerous collections of oral history interviews, radio recordings, and more. More than 900 hours of digitized content is available to be easily discovered and explored at the Library. Collections available include the WAGE Radio Collection, offering more than 700 recordings from live local and national radio broadcasts recorded between 1953 and 1985. Also available are Oral History interview collections collected by the Loudoun Laurels project of the Loudoun Healthcare Foundation, the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library and the Black History Committee of Friends of the Thomas Balch Library Inc. (BHC), as well as by other individuals and organizations. Among those interviewed are long-time residents, local politicians, Loudoun County civil rights and preservation leaders, educators, and historians such as Charles P. Clark, John Divine, and J. Dabney Simpson. These collections offer a wealth of historical information that can now be accessed by anyone at the Library, offering a unique way to study, understand, and interact with history

A partial index of interviewees (updated August 2010) is available. Disposable earphones are available for purchase, or patrons may bring their own earphones to use with audio-visual archival collections. Please contact us for additional details.

The following collections are available digitally, on-site at the Library:

Collection M 012 Black History Committee Oral History Project 2000-2006, Ongoing

The Black History Committee of Friends of the Thomas Balch Library Inc. (BHC) was formed in June 2000. The BHC began working on the Oral History Project in 2000 and continued until 2006. The project’s goal was to preserve and share Loudoun County’s African American history. This collection consists of oral history recordings and written transcripts of the recordings related to African American history in Loudoun County. These sound recordings were made on cassette tapes and include information on family histories, race relations, segregation and desegregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and the socio-economic issues faced by African American communities in Loudoun County. The majority of the interviewees were African American, but some whites with African American connections were also interviewed.

Collection M 014 Loudoun County Oral History Project 1975-1998

Beginning in the mid-1970s, interviews for what became the Loudoun County Oral History Project were conducted to preserve the history, culture, and lifestyles of Loudoun County and its citizens. Eugene Scheel, a local historian and cartographer, conducted the majority of the interviews. Other interviewers who participated in the project include: Jane Sullivan, Vivian Chola, Barbara Dutton, and Loudoun Valley High School students. The individuals interviewed for the project included members of well-known Loudoun families such as Cockerill, Fry, Furr, Potts, Powell, and Purcell. Also interviewed were prominent individuals within the Loudoun County community including B. Powell and Agnes Harrison, Anna Hedrich, Louisa Hutchison, Basham Simms, Charles Blair Tavenner, and John W. Tolbert.

This collection consists of oral history interviews, and includes information on family histories, community histories, schooling, politics, and the socio-economic issues faced by families in Loudoun County. Many interviews also focus on specific topics including: the civil rights movement, integration of Loudoun County schools, and the Great Depression.

Collection M 045 Loudoun Laurels Collection 2008 - Ongoing

In 2008, the Loudoun Healthcare Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Inova Loudoun Hospital, created the Loudoun Laurels as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their service to Loudoun County. Up to three Laureates are chosen each year and honored at a gala each fall that also serves as an annual fundraiser. The Loudoun Laurels also serves as an oral history project. Each honoree participates in recording an audio-visual oral history to document his or her life, history, and contributions to Loudoun County. In 2010, the Loudoun Laurels became an independent, not-for-profit foundation.

Collection AV 013 Thomas Balch Library Oral History Collection 2015 - Ongoing

The Thomas Balch Library Oral History Series is a project launched by the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library in January 2015. Produced by members of the Friends Board, this on-going series of video interviews was created with the goal of recording the oral histories of individuals who have shaped Loudoun County History.

Collection M 083 WAGE Radio Collection 1958-2003

On 6 March 1958, WAGE Radio went on the air as Loudoun County’s first and only radio station. Based in Leesburg, WAGE Radio began as a daytime radio station with an emphasis on local news. Many notable personalities influenced and developed WAGE Radio over the years, including William H. Spencer, Jr. (28 February 1917-23 October 2007), John R. Gill (21 September 1917-30 November 2002), William J. Chewning III (14 May 1931-13 May 2008), and Paul Draisey (26 April 1956-16 April 2012). In 1995, WAGE became a twenty-four hour news and talk radio station and included nationally syndicated programs. WAGE continued its commitment to local news and events, however, and covered local events, births, weddings, deaths, weather, traffic reports, agriculture, sports, and even birthdays until decreasing local ad revenue forced the station off the air in 2009.

This collection consists of WAGE Radio broadcast recordings, including reporting on local news and events, local sports, politics, and international affairs. Many of the recordings on international affairs were hosted by news director William Chewning III. The majority of the recordings are from the 1970s and 1980s with some recordings from the late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1990s.