Our vast and varied collections of government documents, photographs, business records, and manuscripts help to add depth and complexity to investigations of history, social science, government, and civics. The staff continually mines the Library’s collections to develop new offerings in the form of classroom resources that can bring Virginia’s history alive for citizens of all ages.

To this end, we offer a series of lesson plans correlated to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) and based on primary source documents in our collections that are available for use. Please visit Virginia Memory to explore these valuable classroom resources.

The Library of Virginia periodically offers special programs for school-aged audiences that allow youth to explore our exhibitions and to learn more about the many functions of the Library of Virginia. Annual events like our Family Day program use history as a basis of hands-on activities and entertainment for hours of enriching fun for parents and children alike.

We also offer youth programs in conjunction with our exhibitions, in which we allow for an age-appropriate interpretation of the exhibition content. These sometimes take the form of contests for students grades K-12, giving them an opportunity to explore Virginia’s past and to display their unique talents.

Additionally, each year we offer educational resources in the form of our Virginia Women in History and African American Trailblazers in Virginia History, programs which include posters, biographical profiles, and additional educational resources for use in the classroom.

In the Spotlight: Winners of the Poe Young Writers’ Competition Announced

The Library of Virginia and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum have announced the winners and finalists of the “Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster” Young Writers’ Competition. High school students were invited to submit their poetry and short stories, written in the veins of the genres Poe mastered—mystery, science fiction, and horror. First place winners earned a $100 savings bond, second place finalists earned a $50 savings bond, and third place finalists and "People’s Pick" Competition winners earned a prize pack. Click here for a full list of the winners and their entries.

Listen to a reading by Evelyn Hildebrand, second place winner for the short story division in the "Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster" Young Writers' Competition (concluded in May 2009).

Available Now: "Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster" Tours and Educational Programs

Bring your school or community group to the Library of Virginia to experience the Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster exhibition. Your group can take a tour of the exhibition, or request to have a special educational program included as a part of your visit. The programs “The Truth about Poe” and “Poe’s Richmond” guide students in the investigation of primary source documents about Poe’s life, and can be adapted for students in elementary school through middle school. Both experiences contain elements that correlate to Virginia Standards of Learning for both social science and language arts.

These programs are free but limited by staff availability and must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance. For more information contact Tameka Hobbs, program and education coordinator, Library of Virginia, at tameka.hobbs@lva.virginia.gov or 804.371.2126, or click here to schedule your visit.

Thanks to all who attended the “Going to the Source: Teaching and Learning with Digital Primary Sources” conference! The conference’s purpose was to explore and demonstrate how teachers can find and use the Library of Congress’s and the Library of Virginia’s digitized primary sources to enhance social studies instruction through interactive presentations and hands-on activities.

This event was sponsored by: The Library of Virginia, Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Northern Virginia Partnership (TPSNVA), and Patrick Henry Committee and St. John’s Church Foundation. More information and access to resources used at the conference is available at Going to the Source.

The Library of Virginia hosts tours of our public facilities and exhibition gallery and conducts workshops for educators and students. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about the Library’s rich history and mission, as well as to explore documents in our collection that can be used for teaching geography, social studies, civics, and government.

Your group can start your tour with an orientation video that gives an overview of our history and collections. You also may arrange a visit to our Special Collections department to learn about some of the rarest and oldest items in our holdings. We encourage visits by groups of older students who may be interested in using the Library’s collections for research projects. Please note that these options are limited by the availability of staff, by space in the facility, and by the rules and policies governing research and access to materials, which are outlined in our Visitors' Guide.

Please contact us for more information.