Library of Virginia

09/09/2026

For the past four summers, we have looked forward to welcoming a new Transforming the Future of Libraries and Archives (TFLA) cohort to the Library of Virginia. Once again, this group of interns wowed us with their enthusiasm, engagement, and energy. Read about their specific projects in today's The UncommonWealth.

https://uncommonwealth.lva.virginia.gov/blog/2026/09/09/tlfa2026/

09/08/2026

The Library of Virginia's Library Development division provides in-person and virtual training to public library staff throughout the Commonwealth, including "Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue," a workshop that equips participants with the skills to identify, assess and engage in difficult conversations that can impact individual and organizational success. Pictured here is Barry Trott, the Library of Virginia's adult services consultant, conducting this training recently at the Fairfield Area branch of Henrico County Public Library.

Learn more about the Library of Virginia’s public library services at https://www.lva.virginia.gov/services/public-libraries

09/08/2026

September is National Literacy Month! The Library of Virginia supports our public libraries with the 1,000 Things Before Kindergarten literacy program throughout the state. This program helps families of our youngest, soon-to-be readers with a simple, innovative and fun approach to establishing strong early literacy skills.

Participants are encouraged to read aloud together, engage in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) activities and focus on social and emotional behaviors. The Library supplies instructions, folders, reading log sheets and completion certificates to participating libraries. Learn more at https://vpl.lib.va.us/youth-services/

09/08/2026

The Virginia Literary Awards Silent Auction is live until Sept.19! Bid on exclusive packages from unique Virginia experiences, gifts for literary lovers and even stays in intriguing places.

Today we’re highlighting two items that may sound similar but are very different! The first is a stay at the beautiful Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond. The 130-year-old hotel is a mainstay for good reasons: the history, the architecture (thank you Lewis Ginter!), the food (this stay comes with breakfast!) and the alligators (don’t worry, they’re only statues now).

The other item includes four tickets to Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest in Lynchburg. Enjoy a guided tour of the property and learn more about Jefferson’s life and legacy both inside and outside the estate’s garden and home that was designed by the namesake himself.

Bidding on either (or both!) of these items can help you experience Virginia’s unique places while supporting the Library of Virginia.

Remember, anyone can bid — attendance to the Virginia Literary Awards is not required (although we would love to see you there).

Place your bids: https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/valiteraryawards
Get tickets for the Literary Awards: https://lvafoundation.org/tickets/

09/07/2026

The coal mine labor unrest of the late 1800s may not have been as large in scale in Virginia as it was in West Virginia and Kentucky, but important labor movements still happened here. Labor organizer Mother Jones organized her first coalfield strike in Norton at the Dietz Mine in 1891. She was again back in Norton to organize “her boys” against the Stonega Coal Company in 1901. By the 1930s, the United Mine Workers of America had organized the central Appalachian coalfields, resulting in higher wages and better working conditions.

Learn more about the history of Virginia coal towns in the UncommonWealth at https://uncommonwealth.lva.virginia.gov/blog/2026/01/21/virginias-coal-towns/

Image: Part of the Library of Virginia collection of photographs prepared for the Virginia Room Exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. https://bit.ly/LVA1939WorldsFair

09/05/2026

The Virginia Literary Awards Silent Auction is live! You can view and start bidding on exclusive packages from unique experiences to exciting events and even visits to historical places in Virginia. https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/valiteraryawards
When you register, you’ll receive auction countdown notifications. (Attendance to the Literary Awards is not required to participate!)

Today’s featured package includes an afternoon tea service at The Queen’s Library Tea Room, named one of “The Ten Essential Spots in Richmond” by Garden and Gun magazine and voted best tea room or shop in Richmond by Richmond Magazine. This experience comes with tea and finger food in a completely private room to make the experience all-encompassing. Make a bid on this tea service and benefit the Library of Virginia.

If you are interested in attending the 2026 Virginia Literary Awards on Saturday, Sept. 19, get more information at https://www.lva.virginia.gov/events/litawards

09/04/2026

National Newspaper Carrier Day honors the hard work of newspaper delivery workers and commemorates the hiring of America's first paperboy, 10-year-old Barney Flaherty, by The Sun publisher Benjamin Day in 1833. Shown here are hardworking fellows in 1950s photos from the Library's Associated Photographer’s Studio Negatives collection.

09/04/2026

For National Library Card Sign-Up Month, we’re sharing some library cards from public libraries across Virginia. If you’ve got one of these, tell us in the comments.
Be sure to renew or sign up for your library card this month!

09/03/2026

Thank you ABC 8News - WRIC for this feature on our upcoming event in partnership with University of Virginia Library, "Libraries and Learning: Navigating the AI-Answer Economy," a discussion between Librarian of Virginia Dennis T. Clark and University of Virginia Dean of Libraries Leo Lo on the role of libraries in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Register here for the event: https://lva-virginia.libcal.com/event/16172688

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/library-virginia-uva-ai-talk/

The Library of Virginia and the University of Virginia will host a talk in late September about the role libraries play in an increasingly AI-driven world.

09/03/2026

In this Library of Virginia recorded talk, Virginia Humanities HBCU fellow Michelle Oliver, a financial genealogist, preservation strategist and public history researcher, introduces “The Insurance-Industrial Complex of Slavery,” examining how insurance markets, public infrastructure and industrial enterprise converged to transform enslaved lives into risk-managed financial assets.

Drawing on archival research conducted at the Library and informed by more than two decades of professional experience in financial systems and risk analysis, this study reexamines antebellum Virginia through the lens of insurance design.