Guest Contributor – Page 2 – The UncommonWealth

A FUN Twist on Movie Night at Fluvanna Library

Who wants to watch a movie when you can be in the movie? Several years ago, while visiting another library’s webpage, I discovered that they…

Guest ContributorFebruary 10, 2025

Public Libraries

Alexandria’s Black Family Reunion

The Alexandria Library Local History/Special Collections branch has a national reputation concerning Virginia history. Researchers not only use this collection when conducting genealogy and Civil…

Guest ContributorJanuary 24, 2025

Public Libraries

From Motto to Action: Creating ‘A Library for All’ Through Community Partnerships

Since 1966, the motto of the Lynchburg Public Library has been “a library for all citizens.” It’s one thing to repeat it for nearly 60…

Guest ContributorNovember 12, 2024

Public Libraries

Collective Curiosity: Exploring Learning Circles for Teens

When I was assigned the task of starting a "Learning Circle" at my library, Prince William Public Libraries (PWPL), I was unsure what it entailed.…

Guest ContributorOctober 14, 2024

Public Libraries

Borrow the Outdoors: Camping Gear at the Library

Do you want to go camping or hiking in the Shenandoah Valley? Maybe you have never camped before or want to get your family outside…

Guest ContributorSeptember 9, 2024

Public Libraries

Partnership Breathes New Life into Local Juvenile Detention Home

What began as an outreach opportunity between the Chesterfield County Public Library (CCPL) and the Chesterfield Juvenile Detention Home (CJDH) has evolved into a year-round…

Guest ContributorAugust 12, 2024

Public Libraries

Quiet Spaces in Loud Places

Roughly 20% of the population is neurodivergent, meaning that over 6,000 individuals in Halifax County, Virginia, have a neurodivergent condition. These children and adults had…

Guest ContributorJuly 8, 2024

Education & Programming

Lessons from Lucyville

Now celebrated as a federal holiday, Juneteenth marks the date of June 19, 1865, when the Union Army arrived in Galveston and announced that the…

Guest ContributorJune 19, 2024

Public Libraries

Preserve Your Memories at the Vinton Library

If we had to guess, you probably have boxes or drawers full of outdated media. Don’t worry, we do too! And we have a solution…

Guest ContributorJune 10, 2024

Archives Digital Projects

“Your Humble Petitioner”: William Caswell’s Success Against the Odds

Katie Drash Mapes, history graduate student at VCU and museum educator with Preservation Virginia, shares what she discovered about William Caswell, a free Black man,…

Guest ContributorMay 20, 2024

Public Libraries

A Whole New World: VR Programming at Colonial Heights

The Sphere in Las Vegas is a virtual reality building seating 18,000 viewers, and as the lights dim to darkness, these viewers become fully enveloped…

Guest ContributorMay 13, 2024

Virginia Authors

National Poetry Month 2024 With Melanie McCabe

Melanie McCabe is the author of three books of poetry: The Night Divers (a finalist for the most recent Library of Virginia Literary Awards), What…

Guest ContributorApril 26, 2024

Virginia Authors

National Poetry Month 2024 with Laura Bylenok

Laura Bylenok is the author of three books, including Living Room, winner of the Backwaters Prize in Poetry; Warp, winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize;…

Guest ContributorApril 19, 2024

Virginia Authors

National Poetry Month 2024 with Gregory Orr

Gregory Orr is the author of thirteen collections of poetry, the most recent of which is Selected Books of the Beloved. He is also the…

Guest ContributorApril 12, 2024

Public Libraries

Survival Skills for the Zombie Apocalypse: Not Your Average Survivalist Program

Last year, during the swarm of programming that is summer reading, the Pulaski County Library System held a series of programs in collaboration with Claytor…

Guest ContributorApril 8, 2024