Posts – Page 20 – The UncommonWealth

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

The First Civil Rights: Black Political Activism After Claiming Freedom

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

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections Newspapers Virginia Authors

Snakey Noodles

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

Jane Connelly: A Story from the City of Richmond Hustings Court Exhibit

In last month’s Virginia Untold blog post, we shared about the exhibition currently on display in our pre-function hall to celebrate Black History Month: “I…

Lydia NeurothFebruary 15, 2023

Education & Programming Public Libraries

February is Love Your Library Month

And what better way to love your library than to use it! Reading aloud to children is another excellent way to celebrate Love Your Library…

Sue La ParoFebruary 13, 2023

Digital Projects Newspapers

New Titles on Virginia Chronicle

Virginia Chronicle, the Library of Virginia’s freely accessible digital newspaper database, has recently added a notable assortment of new titles, including school newspapers, labor newspapers,…

Kelley EwingFebruary 8, 2023

Archives Newspapers

Dr. Ware’s War on Kissing

December 26, 1902 was, by all appearances, a slow news day for the Staunton Spectator and Vindicator. The Virginia newspaper featured such prosaic headlines as…

Rebecca SchneiderFebruary 6, 2023

Digital Projects Newspapers

Newspaper Conversations in Charles City County

In 1966, Charles City County was the kind of place that big city newspapers found easy to overlook. Entirely rural, with an estimated population of…

Angela LehmanFebruary 1, 2023

Virginia Authors

New Books – January 2023

George Washington's Revenge: The 1777 New Jersey Campaign and How General Washington Turned Defeat into the Strategy that Won the Revolution / Arthur S. Lefkowitz…

Donna PletcherJanuary 30, 2023

Archives Conservation

Announcing the 2023 Circuit Court Records Preservation Program Grants

The Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) Grant Review Board met on January 6, 2023 at the Library of Virginia to consider records preservation grant requests…

Greg CrawfordJanuary 27, 2023

Archives Education & Programming

“I have this day committed to jail…”: An exhibition from Virginia Untold

On February 1, in celebration of Black History Month, a new exhibit from Virginia Untold will open to the public. This exhibition represents a small…

Lydia NeurothJanuary 25, 2023

Education & Programming Virginia Authors

“Pioneers in American librarianship who happen to be Black”

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

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Using georectification to reveal history’s layers

As part of my training in spatial history at George Mason University, I have had a chance to become acquainted with open-source programs like QGIS,…

Cassandra FarrellJanuary 18, 2023

The Stacks

You Requested It…How?

A staff member recently asked me when VTLS, the Library’s first Integrated Library System with an online catalog for the public, was installed. While searching…

Ginny DunnJanuary 16, 2023

Archives Newspapers

Connecting pervading beliefs about disabilities to the policies that affect disabled people

This is the third (and final) in a series of blog posts Jenna Gabriel wrote as part of her work as an extern in State…

Jenna GabrielJanuary 11, 2023

Public Libraries

Some “thing” New to Check Out at the Library

Many public libraries offer a collection of non-traditional items to check out called a “Library of Things,” ranging from musical instruments to board games to…

Guest ContributorJanuary 9, 2023