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Encyclopedia Virginia
Virginia Humanities says it is headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia.
What it is
Encyclopedia Virginia is a free web resource about Virginia’s history and culture for students, teachers, and communities. Its topical and biographical entries are written by scholars for a general audience, reviewed by contributors and editors, and separately checked by fact checkers and copy editors. Readers can search or browse alphabetically, through biographies and categories, or by map and media. Entries can pair subjects with primary documents, images, audio and video, and virtual tours; the wider media collection also includes podcasts and 3D objects. The Map App lets readers explore historical events on a map, in a distance-ordered list, or with category filters. Classroom versions are labeled for Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grades 11+. New entries are published regularly. Since 2012, the project has also served as digital publisher of the ongoing Dictionary of Virginia Biography in partnership with the Library of Virginia. Text is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license, while media-object copyrights belong to others. The project is a Virginia Humanities initiative partnered with the Library of Virginia.
For and against
For
- Free access to history and culture content.
- Entries include scholarly writing and editorial review.
- Search and browse across maps, media, and categories.
- Classroom versions are labeled by grade level.
- Map App offers map, list, and category views.
Against
- Media-object copyrights are not owned by the site.
- Staff cannot assist with individual research questions.
- Text reuse is limited by a noncommercial license.
The verdict
Encyclopedia Virginia offers multiple ways to explore state history, from biographies and topical entries to maps and media. Readers planning to reuse material should distinguish the text license from the separate rights attached to displayed media.
Who it suits
It suits readers exploring Virginia history, including students and teachers seeking entries with primary sources and multimedia. Classroom labels may help educators choose age-appropriate versions.
Plans and prices
Free access
Free resource; no paid tiers stated
Read 9 Oct 2026 · encyclopediavirginia.org
On the record
- Browse and search
- The site provides search, alphabetical browsing, biographies, a map, media, and virtual tours.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Content
- The site publishes topical and biographical entries written by scholars, edited for a general audience, and fact checked.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Content license
- Textual content is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Corrections
- Readers can report entry errors through the comment form on an entry or by email, preferably with supporting citations.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Dictionary of Virginia Biography
- Since 2012, Encyclopedia Virginia has partnered with the Library of Virginia as digital publisher of its ongoing Dictionary of Virginia Biography.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Editorial review
- Entries go through contributor and editor review, and are separately reviewed by fact checkers and copy editors.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Education
- The site offers scaled entries labeled for Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grades 11+.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Map app
- The Encyclopedia Virginia Map App lets users explore historical events by map, distance-ordered list, and category filters.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Media formats
- The media collection includes virtual tours, 3D objects, video, podcasts and audio, and images.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Media rights
- The license does not cover images, audio, or video; reuse permission should be requested from the media object’s copyright owner.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Notable limitation
- Encyclopedia Virginia says it does not own copyrights to the media objects displayed on the site.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Organization
- Encyclopedia Virginia is a project of Virginia Humanities in partnership with the Library of Virginia.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Partnership
- Encyclopedia Virginia is a Virginia Humanities project in partnership with the Library of Virginia.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Primary sources
- Entries are accompanied by primary documents and media, including images, audio and video clips, and virtual tours.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Primary sources and media
- Entries can include primary documents, images, audio and video clips, and virtual tours of historic sites.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Encyclopedia Virginia is a free multimedia resource about Virginia’s history and culture for students, teachers, and communities.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Reader feedback
- Readers can report entry errors using the form at the bottom of an entry or by email, preferably providing citations to sources.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Search and browsing
- The site provides search, alphabetical browsing, biographies, categories, maps, and media browsing.encyclopediavirginia.org · read 9 Oct 2026
