The UncommonWealth – Voices from The Library of Virginia

The “Ice Queen” of Richmond, Virginia: Jane King and Her Enduring Legacy

While processing a Richmond City chancery suit styled Admx. of John M. McGowan vs. Jane King, etc., I noticed that the suit included some records…

Caroline CollinsNovember 4, 2026

Archives Education & Programming

You Have No Right: Law and Justice in Virginia – Individual Rights and Civil Liberties

Editor’s Note: This blog post contains information from the Library of Virginia's 2012–2013 exhibition "You Have No Right: Law and Justice in Virginia" developed by…

Library of VirginiaNovember 2, 2026

Archives Digital Projects

Digitizing Virginia’s “Free Negro Registers”

They said it couldn't be done—that tracking down, borrowing, and digitizing every surviving “Free Negro Register” in Virginia was simply too massive a project to…

Lydia NeurothOctober 28, 2026

The Stacks Virginia Authors

New Books – October 2026

The Library of Virginia's first-floor lobby and Exhibition Gallery are open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The second-floor Reading Rooms are open Tuesday-Friday, 9:00…

Annie HattonOctober 26, 2026

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

You Have No Right: Law and Justice in Virginia – Citizenship

Editor’s Note: This blog post contains information from the Library of Virginia's 2012–2013 exhibition "You Have No Right: Law and Justice in Virginia" developed by…

Library of VirginiaOctober 19, 2026

Black and white photography of a fenced cemetery. Notes in the margins of the photograph.

Archives Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Life, Death & Archives

The primary purpose of an archive is to act as a center for memory. This memory can be preserved in emails sent 2 months ago…