Films and Television – The UncommonWealth

The Stacks

Free to View: The Virginia State Library Film Lending Service

Decades before Netflix mailed its first DVDs, and even before you could ride your Huffy down to the local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video for a…

Vince BrooksMarch 23, 2026

The Stacks

Season’s Readings!

The Vaster Wilds Lauren Groff A harrowing and thrilling tale of a young servant girl who escapes the hardships, disease, and social caste system of…

Jessi BennettDecember 17, 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

Manuscripts & Special Collections Virginia Authors

Rebuilding Hippodrome History

Downtown Richmond seems to be perpetually under construction. The Library of Virginia has had several buildings downtown during its 200-year history and the 800 block…

Library of VirginiaOctober 16, 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

Newspapers

Virginians in the Projection Booth

On 28 December 1895, the Lumière Brothers, Auguste and Louis, gave the first public viewing of a projected motion picture at the Salon Indien du…

Errol SomayApril 13, 2022

Division of Motion Picture Censorship Records at the Library of Virginia

The Division of Motion Picture Censorship existed as a section of the Department of Law (now the Office of the Attorney General) from 1922-1966. Originally…

Nathan VerillaDecember 6, 2021

Digital Projects Newspapers

Virginia Chronicle Surpasses Two Million Pages!

The newspaper page count has officially surpassed two million on Virginia Chronicle! An array of new titles have been added to the Library’s growing digital…

Kelley EwingDecember 1, 2021

Education & Programming

Virginia in Jeopardy!

In memory of Alex Trebek we would like to start your weekend off with some actual questions (ahem...answers) about Virginia from Jeopardy! Just hover your…

Library of VirginiaNovember 13, 2020

Archives Digital Projects

Homeland is "creating a heck of a lot of buzz and excitement with our citizens!"

Homeland’s season 7 finale aired last Sunday night. Showtime’s critically acclaimed drama stars Claire Danes as CIA Officer Carrie Mathison and Mandy Patinkin as her…

Roger ChristmanMay 2, 2018

Not If You Were The Last Man On Earth!: Virginia’s Board of Censors

The Virginia Board of Censors (1922–1966), later the Division of Motion Picture Censorship, was tasked with identifying obscene, indecent, and immoral scenes in motion pictures.…

Joanne PorterOctober 5, 2017

Newspapers

Alexandria in a time of war: From Mansion House to Camp Distribution

Alexandria was a lively town during the Civil War, so it’s no wonder PBS draws from the city’s history for its new drama Mercy Street. The…

Kelley EwingFebruary 26, 2016

Archives The Stacks

A Day in the Archives with Who Do You Think You Are?

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was called to a meeting in the Library’s Special Collections reading room on a busy day in…

Gregg KimballApril 20, 2015

Archives Education & Programming The Stacks

Why Research Family History?

Those born in Virginia (or those who have lived here for any length of time) will either nod approvingly or roll their eyes at this…

Gregg KimballApril 17, 2015

Archives Digital Projects

Kaine Email Project @ LVA – Who is Rusty Shackleford?

This is the eighth in a series of posts spotlighting recently released email from Governor Tim Kaine’s administration. These posts are not meant to be comprehensive but to…

Roger ChristmanApril 1, 2015