Public Library Spotlight (Blog Series) – Page 4

Life as a Library Fellow: My Experience in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

I fling open the black metal front gate, and the bright morning sun greets me. I begin walking down the bustling street, passing taxi cabs,…

Guest ContributorDecember 13, 2021

Public Libraries

Providing Service While Straddling Two States

I have never read the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, but I feel that I am currently living my version of…

Guest ContributorNovember 8, 2021

Public Libraries

Hopping the Pond: A Sister Library in England

The J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library decided to take a trip across the pond...virtually, of course. In February of 2020, we took our first steps…

Guest ContributorOctober 13, 2021

Education & Programming Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: Dial A Story

How many librarians does it take to read a story? Definitely more than one if it is for the Library of Virginia’s Dial a Story…

Sue La ParoSeptember 13, 2021

Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: There’s a Dinosaur in the Library

If you want to shake up your community’s perception of the public library, I strongly suggest you consider getting a giant dinosaur skeleton. An 18-foot…

Guest ContributorAugust 9, 2021

Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: The Great Library Bake Off

Were you a pandemic bread baker? A Great British Bake Off binger? A curator of lockdown kitchen disasters? Several staff members at the Jefferson-Madison Regional…

Guest ContributorJuly 19, 2021

Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: Enchanted Trails

What do you do in the middle of a pandemic that will take a family’s mind off the pandemic, but still keep everyone safe from…

Guest ContributorJune 18, 2021

Newspapers Public Libraries

Celebrating Juneteenth in 1890 and 2021

IIn 2020, Governor Ralph Northam issued an executive order proclaiming Juneteenth as a Virginia state holiday. Later that year, the General Assembly unanimously voted in…

Library of VirginiaJune 14, 2021

Public Libraries

Starting from Scratch: The Building of a New Library is More Than a Building.

Holly Ritchie is the director of the new Manassas Park City Library. It doesn’t seem to matter where we are or what we do for…

Guest ContributorMay 10, 2021

Public Libraries

Who Am I? : Local History Collections Offer Essential Answers

Public libraries have always been a safe place to facilitate challenging thought and promote community and personal growth. Many patrons have formed their identity through…

Guest ContributorApril 12, 2021

Public Libraries

One Year Later

"We’ll be back in two weeks,” we said. No one could have fathomed that almost one year later we’d still be battling COVID-19.I began working…

Reagen ThalackerMarch 8, 2021

Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: Rockbridge Regional Library System

Occasionally, we ask guest writers to share information or stories about researching in our collections, public library programming or activities, and other topics which Library…

Guest ContributorFebruary 8, 2021

Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: Library on the Go

Occasionally, we ask guest writers to share information or stories about researching in our collections, public library programming or activities, and other topics which Library…

Guest ContributorDecember 14, 2020

Public Libraries

Public Service in the New Normal: Newport News Public Library and COVID-19

Editor’s Note: The Commonwealth of Virginia’s library systems differ dramatically both in the size of their facilities and the amount of people they serve. The…

Guest ContributorSeptember 14, 2020

Public Libraries

Managing in a Pandemic

Editor’s Note: The Commonwealth of Virginia’s library systems differ dramatically both in the size of their facilities and the amount of people they serve. The…

Guest ContributorAugust 10, 2020