Guest Contributor – Page 3 – The UncommonWealth

The Human Library

"A Human Library?" I first became aware of this concept while preparing for an interview with Bina Venkataraman about her book, The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking…

Guest ContributorNovember 13, 2023

Doctor, Poisoner, Governor, Rebel: John Pott, America’s “Founding Physician”

From the earliest days of America’s founding, we as a nation have sought heroes to help tell our story. Whether iconic leaders like Washington and…

Guest ContributorNovember 1, 2023

Newspapers Public Libraries The Stacks

The History of Book Censorship in Virginia

This is a condensed excerpt is from a longer article, "From Berkeley to Beloved: Race and Sexuality in the History of Book Censorship in Virginia”,…

Guest ContributorOctober 6, 2023

Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

Reopening the Vestry Records of St. John’s Church

So begins the first entry in the oldest surviving volume from the Henrico Parish vestry records. That entry describes the meeting of six of the…

Guest ContributorSeptember 27, 2023

Archives Digital Projects

Documenting Lynching in Virginia: A Transcription Project at James Madison University

Mob violence against perceived threats to a local community has been a staple of US history, with its long tradition of vigilantism and “popular justice,”…

Guest ContributorSeptember 13, 2023

Education & Programming

One Small Step

StoryCorps, a groundbreaking oral history organization, has given over 640,000 Americans across all 50 states the chance to record conversations about their lives and preserve…

Guest ContributorSeptember 1, 2023

Public Libraries

Books on Wheels: A Summer Library Program

Before I begin describing what exactly the Books on Wheels service is, I want to give you some context regarding the community Augusta County Library…

Guest ContributorAugust 14, 2023

Public Libraries

Don’t Throw It Out – Repair It at the Library

Imagine your favorite necklace clasp broke, but you don’t have small tools to repair it. While it may not be worth enough to take to…

Guest ContributorJuly 10, 2023

Public Libraries

The Great Gatsby Gala

On Saturday, April 22nd, Virginia Beach Public Library’s (VBPL) Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library transformed into Jay Gatsby’s West Egg mansion to host the Great…

Guest ContributorJune 12, 2023

Public Libraries

Bridging the Digital Divide: Local Libraries Receive Support to Boost Digital Skills in Their Communities

In 2022, the Public Library Association (PLA) awarded $1.1 million to 160 public libraries across the United States to conduct digital literacy workshops in their…

Guest ContributorMay 8, 2023

Public Libraries

Make It Reel

The mission of the Newport News Public Library is to "Connect, Inspire, Enrich, and Empower". We continually seek ways to engage with our community, in…

Guest ContributorApril 10, 2023

Virginia Authors

National Poetry Month 2023 with Sandra Beasley

Sandra Beasley is the author of Made to Explode, winner of the Housatonic Book Award; Count the Waves; I Was the Jukebox, winner of the…

Guest ContributorApril 7, 2023

Public Libraries

Some “thing” New to Check Out at the Library

Many public libraries offer a collection of non-traditional items to check out called a “Library of Things,” ranging from musical instruments to board games to…

Guest ContributorJanuary 9, 2023

Public Libraries

A Space Time Continuum

In my youth, there were square glass boxes on almost every corner. It was a common feature that flourished in most cities and even rural…

Guest ContributorDecember 12, 2022

Public Libraries

Voices of Community

A little over nine months ago, I attended a professional development webinar on podcasting. I was feeling, to put it frankly, down in the dumps.…

Guest ContributorOctober 10, 2022