Posts – Page 10 – The UncommonWealth

“Yours in Utmost Disgust”: Desegregation Letters to the Governor of Virginia

How do archivists describe documents that reflect years of trauma and oppression with sensitivity? What if these documents are inflammatory letters written during an era…

Library of VirginiaJune 5, 2024

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

“Every Other Interest was ‘Eclipsed'”: Norfolk’s Day in the Sun

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit family living in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on April 8. The day…

Nathan VerillaJune 3, 2024

Gilbert Hunt, Richmond Hero, Part II: Finding Judy Martin

This is part two of a two-part blog series on Gilbert Hunt and his first wife, Judy Martin. You can read the first part here.…

Jennifer TaylorMay 31, 2024

Archives Education & Programming

The Movement: Danville Civil Rights Demonstrations in 1963

On June 10, 1963, after months of peaceful protest of Danville’s segregationist policies and entrenched racism, the city's white police force, aided by deputized municipal…

Mary Ann Mason, They/ThemMay 29, 2024

Virginia Authors

New Books – May 2024

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…

Donna PletcherMay 27, 2024

Archives Conservation Digital Projects The Stacks

CCRP Records Rooms Road Trips: Teaming up with Virginia Untold

My first three locality visits this season also involved traveling with my colleague and Virginia Untold project manager Lydia Neuroth. While my visits pertained specifically…

Tracy HarterMay 22, 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

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections

“We have everything to gain by working together”: Virginia – Korea Relations

In 1973, the Korea-U.S. Economic Council (KUSEC) formed “to boost mutual understanding and to strengthen economic ties between the US and Korea.” This private organization…

Cara GriggsMay 17, 2024

Archives Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers

Gilbert Hunt, Richmond Hero: Part I

When I began processing a portion of the Richmond City Chancery Causes, I did not know the name “Gilbert Hunt.” I had not known about…

Jennifer TaylorMay 15, 2024

Public Libraries

A Whole New World: VR Programming at Colonial Heights

The Sphere in Las Vegas is a virtual reality building seating 18,000 viewers, and as the lights dim to darkness, these viewers become fully enveloped…

Guest ContributorMay 13, 2024

Archives Digital Projects

World War II Military Athletics

Whether serving abroad or on the home front, sports were a large part of everyday life in the military during World War II.Many different sports…

Lauren CaravatiMay 8, 2024

Manuscripts & Special Collections The Stacks

Tracking the Sinews of America in 13 Languages

While researching for the Asian American Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) Resources web page in 2020, I came across a U.S. government publication called Sinews…

Cara GriggsMay 6, 2024

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024!

On April 30th, a new exhibit opened in the Library’s Local History and Genealogy Room showcasing Governor Mark Warner’s trade mission to Japan and India…

Cara GriggsMay 1, 2024

Virginia Authors

New Books – April 2024

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…

Donna PletcherApril 29, 2024

Virginia Authors

National Poetry Month 2024 With Melanie McCabe

Melanie McCabe is the author of three books of poetry: The Night Divers (a finalist for the most recent Library of Virginia Literary Awards), What…

Guest ContributorApril 26, 2024