Guest Contributor – The UncommonWealth

Hikers’ Corner at the Waynesboro Public Library

The Waynesboro Public Library is located just three miles from the Appalachian Trail, placing us in a unique position to support thru-hikers traveling the nearly…

Guest ContributorJuly 14, 2025

Freed From the Archives: The Life of Emanuel Jones of Surry

In January 2025, Mr. Thomas Baxter reached out to Virginia Untold Project Manager Lydia Neuroth to share about research he had conducted on an enslaved…

Guest ContributorJune 25, 2025

Public Libraries

Until Freedom Comes: Newport News Public Library’s Black History Exhibit

On Juneteenth 2021, the Newport News Public Library unveiled a local history exhibit titled Until Freedom Comes: The African American Experience in Newport News, viewable…

Guest ContributorJune 9, 2025

Newspapers

From Richmond to São Paulo: International Art Collaboration on the Eve of World War II

On January 17, 1939, American businessman Donald McKenzie Blair arrived in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil, on board the Normandie. His arrival…

Guest ContributorJune 2, 2025

Public Libraries

A Community’s Need Becomes a Community Opportunity

For a public library, summer is possibly the busiest time of year. It’s when some version of a summer reading program is offered. Aimed at…

Guest ContributorApril 14, 2025

Public Libraries

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