For many entering the United States, bureaucratic paperwork is one of their first encounters with the United States government. Deepak Singh, author of How May…
Library of VirginiaApril 19, 2023
Robert K. Sutton’s Nazis on the Potomac details the intelligence operations that took place in Virginia’s Fort Hunt during World War II, including the interrogation of…
Library of VirginiaMarch 20, 2023
The Library of Virginia (LVA) is known for its remarkable collections and its outstanding support for anyone interested in exploring those collections. Many Virginians, though,…
Library of VirginiaMarch 13, 2023
Shortly after the end of the Civil War, which had a devastating impact on the commonwealth’s records, the Virginia State Library (now Library of Virginia)…
Library of VirginiaMarch 3, 2023
It is often assumed that after Congressional Reconstruction in Virginia ended in 1870, no Black men won election to political office in the state until…
Library of VirginiaFebruary 22, 2023
For March 2023, the Common Ground Virginia History Book Group is exploring the history of Southern baking with Rebecca Sharpless’s Grain and Fire. Sharpless explores…
Library of VirginiaFebruary 20, 2023
Brenda Mitchell-Powell’s book Public in Name Only explores the history of racial segregation in Virginia public libraries through the example of the Alexandria library system and…
Library of VirginiaJanuary 23, 2023
The Common Ground Virginia History Book Club focuses on approachable books focused on Virginia-centered nonfiction. Most of these books are historical narratives and biographies such…
Library of VirginiaDecember 21, 2022
In February 1816, the Virginia state legislature passed “An Act to provide an accurate chart of each county and a general map of the territory…
Library of VirginiaDecember 5, 2022
In 1987, the Richmond Times-Dispatch contemplated the future of local libraries thirty-eight years ahead, in the far-flung year of 2025. “There will still be books…
Library of VirginiaNovember 18, 2022
When Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) archivists from the Library of Virginia travel to circuit court clerks’ offices to examine items as potential candidates…
Library of VirginiaNovember 2, 2022
As the Library of Virginia approaches its bicentennial next year, it is a good time to reflect on what collections the Library holds but also…
Library of VirginiaOctober 21, 2022
When Liza Mundy’s book Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II was published in October 2017, one…
Library of VirginiaSeptember 23, 2022
Rachel Findley was a mother. She was a grandmother. She was a Virginian. She was also enslaved. The law defined Rachel as property. Because Rachel…
Library of VirginiaAugust 31, 2022
