Posts – Page 32 – The UncommonWealth

Archives

A Scandal in the Making: Ice Cream Saloons and the Unaccompanied Woman

This is an entry in our “Random Reference” series, which features interesting discoveries made and reference questions answered by our Archives & Library Reference Services…

Amanda MorrellAugust 16, 2021

Archives

“In the way that all slaves were married”: The Legal Legacy of Unjust Laws

To what lengths would you go to prove your identity if you had no documentation? One formerly enslaved woman was able to do so 150…

Tracy HarterAugust 11, 2021

Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: There’s a Dinosaur in the Library

If you want to shake up your community’s perception of the public library, I strongly suggest you consider getting a giant dinosaur skeleton. An 18-foot…

Guest ContributorAugust 9, 2021

Digital Projects Newspapers The Stacks

Digitizing Newspapers: It’s Global!

A little more than 20 years ago, the Library of Virginia performed most newspaper inventory, cataloging, and even preservation microfilming in-house. We did use online…

Kelley EwingAugust 4, 2021

Virginia Authors

New Books – July 2021

The Library of Virginia's second-floor reading rooms are now open to all with no advance appointment necessary during our current hours, which recently expanded to…

Donna PletcherAugust 2, 2021

Archives

Commonwealth v. Fanny

CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and…

Lydia NeurothJuly 28, 2021

Archives

Florida Connections in 1830s Richmond City Deeds

It is not uncommon to see immigration and migration references when processing local records collections, so it was not especially surprising to find a few…

Eddie WoodwardJuly 21, 2021

Public Libraries

Public Library Spotlight: The Great Library Bake Off

Were you a pandemic bread baker? A Great British Bake Off binger? A curator of lockdown kitchen disasters? Several staff members at the Jefferson-Madison Regional…

Guest ContributorJuly 19, 2021

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Yesterday’s Selfies

Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared in Broadside, the magazine of the Library of Virginia, Issue No. 4, 2020. Squeezing into a…

Dale NeighborsJuly 14, 2021

Digital Projects The Stacks

More Than a Fresh Coat of Paint: Improving the Online Experience with LibGuides

The Library of Virginia has long maintained an excellent series of introductory guides to the Library’s resources and subject areas. At first, these were mostly…

Library of VirginiaJuly 12, 2021

Archives

Building The Local Government: Drawings from the Buildings and Grounds Collection

The Library of Virginia’s Buildings and Grounds Collection consists of selected images from the Public Buildings and Grounds series of local government records. These items…

Greg CrawfordJuly 7, 2021

Archives Digital Projects The Stacks

Virginia Untold Hires Grant-Funded Project Manager

Hi, I’m Lydia, the new Project Manager for Virginia Untold. I’m using this blog post to introduce myself and my interest in this project. Going…

Lydia NeurothJune 30, 2021

The Stacks Virginia Authors

New Books – June 2021

As of May 28, 2021, the Library of Virginia’s second-floor reading rooms are open to all with no advance appointment necessary during our current hours: Tuesday–Friday,…

Donna PletcherJune 28, 2021

Manuscripts & Special Collections

Correspondence of a Union Spy: The Elizabeth Van Lew Papers

Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared in Broadside, the magazine of the Library of Virginia, Issue No. 1, 2020. Known as a famed…

Trenton HizerJune 23, 2021

The Stacks

Reading Local Gossip: 7 Questions with McKenzie Long

This is a blog entry in a series introducing LVA employees and exploring what they do day-to-day. If you are interested in what goes on…

Vince BrooksJune 21, 2021