Guest Contributor – The UncommonWealth

Reading Our Way Around the Library: A Library Staff Book Club

In my pre-librarian life as a Foreign Service spouse, I discovered that starting a book club when I arrived at a new post was a…

Guest ContributorMarch 9, 2026

Public Libraries

Infinite Possibilities for Math and Art at the Library

In November 2025, the J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library received an email that stopped us in our tracks: “Congratulations! The ARSL Grant Review Team is…

Guest ContributorFebruary 9, 2026

Public Libraries

Art for Adults: Exploring Circular Weaving at Salem Public Library

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of leading a hands-on Circular Weaving class as part of our ongoing Art for Adults series at the…

Guest ContributorJanuary 12, 2026

Public Libraries

120 Years of the Virginia Library Association: Reflections from the New Executive Director

T he Virginia Library Association (VLA) began its long history on December 6, 1905, when librarians met in Richmond and formally established an association dedicated…

Guest ContributorDecember 8, 2025

The Kepone Disaster at 50: Lessons and Legacies

Fifty years ago, on December 17, 1975, Virginia governor Mills E. Godwin stepped to the microphone in front of reporters. He announced an authorization from…

Guest ContributorDecember 1, 2025

Public Libraries

Why Not a Public Wedding at the Library?

I didn’t need much convincing when Julia Berg, head of programs, partnerships and outreach for Arlington Public Library, first came to me with the idea…

Guest ContributorNovember 10, 2025

Public Libraries

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts: Ghost Hunting Kits Now Available at Franklin County Public Library

If you’ve ever felt a mysterious chill in the air, heard footsteps in an empty hallway, or wondered if that creaky noise was more than…

Guest ContributorOctober 13, 2025

Public Libraries

Disaster Preparedness Workshops Support Seniors Through Library Outreach

With the support of the Friends of the Library and a microgrant from AARP, the Chesapeake Public Library is launching a three-part disaster preparedness series…

Guest ContributorSeptember 8, 2025

Public Libraries

Samuels Public Library’s Party of the Year

What can I say about A Taste for Books? At Samuels Public Library in Warren County, Virginia, it's more than a fundraiser — it’s the…

Guest ContributorAugust 11, 2025

Newspapers

How the Bicycle Boom of the 1970s Prepared the Way for the Bikecentennial

Fifty years ago, a front page photograph in the February 28, 1974 issue of Southwest Times, published in Pulaski, Virginia, showed Dr. David Stanley, a…

Guest ContributorJuly 16, 2025

Public Libraries

Hikers’ Corner at the Waynesboro Public Library

The Waynesboro Public Library is located just three miles from the Appalachian Trail, placing us in a unique position to support thru-hikers traveling the nearly…

Guest ContributorJuly 14, 2025

Freed From the Archives: The Life of Emanuel Jones of Surry

In January 2025, Mr. Thomas Baxter reached out to Virginia Untold Project Manager Lydia Neuroth to share about research he had conducted on an enslaved…

Guest ContributorJune 25, 2025

Public Libraries

Until Freedom Comes: Newport News Public Library’s Black History Exhibit

On Juneteenth 2021, the Newport News Public Library unveiled a local history exhibit titled Until Freedom Comes: The African American Experience in Newport News, viewable…

Guest ContributorJune 9, 2025

Newspapers

From Richmond to São Paulo: International Art Collaboration on the Eve of World War II

On January 17, 1939, American businessman Donald McKenzie Blair arrived in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil, on board the Normandie. His arrival…

Guest ContributorJune 2, 2025

Public Libraries

A Community’s Need Becomes a Community Opportunity

For a public library, summer is possibly the busiest time of year. It’s when some version of a summer reading program is offered. Aimed at…

Guest ContributorApril 14, 2025