Posts – The UncommonWealth

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

Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

Ambition: To Be A Success

Ambition: To Be Successful In the 1950s and 1960s it was fashionable to ask high school seniors what their life's ambition was and to place…

Jessi BennettFebruary 4, 2026

Archives Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

25 Years of Connecting Users with Archival Collections

The Library of Virginia’s archival collections can be discovered online at the Archival Resources of the Virginias (ARVAS). ARVAS is a finding aid aggregator. Virginia…

Karen KingFebruary 2, 2026

Archives Newspapers

There’s Blood in the Salad

I was sitting in my office indexing coroners’ inquisitions as I do most days. My badge hung heavily around my neck. I could feel the…

Mary Ann Mason, They/ThemJanuary 28, 2026

The Stacks Virginia Authors

New Books – January 2026

The Library of Virginia's first-floor lobby and Exhibition Gallery are open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The second-floor Reading Rooms are open Tuesday-Friday, 9:00…

Annie HattonJanuary 26, 2026

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections Public Libraries

Virginia’s Coal Towns

In his diary on July 18, 1709, William Byrd of Westover remarked, "Tom returned from Falling Creek and brought me word all was well there…

Vince BrooksJanuary 21, 2026

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

Taking Office: Gubernatorial Inaugurations in Virginia

Editor’s Note: This blog post contains information from the Library of Virginia's 2001–2002 exhibition, "Taking Office: Inaugurations of Virginia's Governors," curated by Barbara Batson and…

Library of VirginiaJanuary 14, 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

Archives Digital Projects

“Inquiring of a family by the name of King”: Seeking Family after the Civil War

On June 18th, 1882, a woman from wrote from Corinth, Mississippi to the sheriff in Mecklenburg County, Virginia requesting the man’s “kined atenchen ” to…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 7, 2026

Newspapers

“Columbia’s Roll Call”: Hampton Institute’s 1892 Pageant & the Native American Struggle for Citizenship

When I first arrived at the Library of Virginia for my summer internship in public history, I was given two projects: to write a biography…

Jessica VigilJanuary 5, 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

Education & Programming

“To Take Our Place in the Business World”: Jackson Ward’s Segregated Economy

House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History (July 17, 2025 – February 28, 2026) highlights the history of Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood and explores the…

Library of VirginiaDecember 15, 2025

Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Newly-Available Archival Accessions, July 1- September 30, 2025

The Library of Virginia maintains the most comprehensive collection of information about Virginia’s history, culture, and government. We hold more than 200 million manuscript items,…

Trenton HizerDecember 12, 2025

Newspapers

Breaking [Old] News!

With nearly fifty titles recently added to Virginia Chronicle, there is a wealth of new historical newspaper content to explore. Community weeklies and dailies; military,…

Kelley EwingDecember 10, 2025

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