Editing United States Virgin Islands (section)

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of the Virgin Islands}}
The culture of the Virgin Islands reflects the various people that have inhabited the present-day U.S. Virgin Islands and [[British Virgin Islands]], which despite their political separation have kept close cultural ties. The culture derives chiefly from [[West African]], European and American traditions, in addition to the influences from the immigrants from the Arab world, India and other Caribbean islands. The islands were strongly influenced by the British, Dutch,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Life in Denmark and 2017 centennial in St.Thomas of U.S. Virgin Islands |url=http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2016/04/27/life-faraway-kingdom-denmark-and-2017-centennial |url-status=dead |access-date=May 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513051220/http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2016/04/27/life-faraway-kingdom-denmark-and-2017-centennial |archive-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref> French and Danish during the long periods the islands were under these powers.

===Music===
{{Main|Music of the Virgin Islands}}

===Media===
The islands have a number of AM and FM radio stations (mostly on St. Thomas and St. Croix) broadcasting music, religious, and news programming. (See [[List of radio stations in US Territories]].) Full- and low-power television stations are split between St. Thomas and St. Croix. (See [[List of television stations in the U.S. Virgin Islands]].) Newspapers include:
* ''The Avis'', printed daily on St. Croix
* ''[[The Virgin Islands Daily News]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virgin Islands Daily News |url=http://www.dailynews.vi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324133409/http://www.dailynews.vi/ |archive-date=March 24, 2010 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |website=virginislandsdailynews.com ; dailynews.vi}}</ref> printed daily on St. Thomas
* ''St. John Tradewinds'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the Frontpage |url=http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220072415/http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com/ |archive-date=December 20, 2012 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |website=stjohntradewindsnews.com}}</ref> distributed weekly on St. John
* ''St. Thomas – St. John This Week''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virgin Island Vacation Guide – What to Do, Restaurants, Hotels in St Thomas & St John |url=http://virginislandsthisweek.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407075357/http://virginislandsthisweek.com/ |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |access-date=April 3, 2014 |website=virginislandsthisweek.com}}</ref> (online only)
* ''St. Thomas Source''<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Thomas Source |url=http://stthomassource.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227150137/http://stthomassource.com/ |archive-date=February 27, 2012 |access-date=February 27, 2012 |website=stthomassource.com/}}</ref> (online only)
* ''St. Croix Source''<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Croix Source |url=http://stcroixsource.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228142739/http://stcroixsource.com/ |archive-date=February 28, 2012 |access-date=February 27, 2012 |website=stcroixsource.com}}</ref> (online only)
* ''St. John On Island Times'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=St John On Island Times |url=http://www.onislandtimes.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220113037/http://onislandtimes.com/ |archive-date=February 20, 2014 |access-date=2014-01-21 |website=onislandtimes.com}}</ref> news and information on St. John, USVI
* ''The Virgin Islands Consortium'' (online only)

===Libraries===
Soon after becoming a US territory in 1917, the first public library was formally accepted as a gift from the Junior Red Cross. The St. Thomas Library opened in December 1920. The library occupied rented quarters and frequently moved. The [[Carnegie Corporation of New York]] provided grant funding from 1929 through 1933 to the US Virgin Islands for the development of library services by sending librarians, funding for books, and training for the supervising librarian.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Garrison |first=Gretchen |date=April 1943 |title=Peacetime Story: Virgin Island Libraries, 1920 - 1941 |journal=Wilson Library Bulletin |volume=17 |pages=622–625}}</ref>

An early and enduring pioneer for libraries in the Virgin Islands was Enid M. Baa. Ms. Baa was one of the four first high school graduates in St. Thomas and participated in the establishment of the first high school library. Soon after her graduation, Ms. Baa was selected by the Carnegie Foundation and Governor Pearson for a scholarship as a special student to the Graduate Library School at Hampton Institute. After graduating from the program in 1933, Ms. Baa returned to the Virgin Islands to be appointed by Governor Pearson as Supervising Librarian for the Virgin Islands. She was the first woman to hold a cabinet-level office in the Virgin Islands government. In 1943, Ms. Baa returned to the US to complete her studies at Columbia University and worked in the library field in the US. Among the positions she held include Head of Serial Cataloging Section at the United Nations Library and Specialist in Cataloging of Spanish or Portuguese materials at the New York Public Library. In 1954, Ms. Baa was appointed Director of Libraries and Museums under Governor Archibald Alexander. She received the John Jay Whitney Foundation Fellowship in 1955 on the basis of her contribution to the preservation of the Sephardic Jewish Records of the Virgin Islands and the re-indexing of these records in a card file. The family records of US senator [[Judah P. Benjamin]], artist [[Camille Pissarro]], medical pioneer Jacob Da Costa, and others can be found in the documents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 26, 2021 |title=USVI Public Library System, Enid M. Baa |url=https://www.usvipubliclibraries.com/enid-m-baa-public-library-and-archives |access-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126205901/https://www.usvipubliclibraries.com/enid-m-baa-public-library-and-archives |url-status=live }}</ref>

The US Virgin Islands Public Library System currently consists of five libraries. Three in St. Croix: Athalie McFarlane Peterson Public Library in Frederiksted, and the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and the Florence Augusta Williams Public Library, both in Christiansted. One in St. John, Elaine Ione Sprauve Public Library and Museum of Cultural Arts in Cruz Bay. While St. Thomas has two: Charles Wesley Turnbull Regional Public Library in Estate Tutu and Enid M. Baa Public Library and Archives in Charlotte Amalie, the Enid M. Baa Library is currently closed to the public and used for administrative purposes. The US Virgin Island Public Library System is administered by the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources' Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums.<ref name="www.usvipubliclibraries.com">{{Cite web |title=US Virgin Islands Public Library System |url=https://www.usvipubliclibraries.com/ |access-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126205850/https://www.usvipubliclibraries.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The US Virgin Islands Public Library System provides free reader services to adults, children, young adults, and seniors. Collections include: adult fiction and non-fiction; children's fiction and non-fiction; reference materials, magazines, daily newspapers, and DVDs. The library system also houses original and microfilm collections of Virgin Islands Archives, records, newspapers and other materials. The Virgin Islands Automated Library System provides a database and computerized support network for books, reading materials and patron records for the library and archives collections. The viNGN Public Computer Centers provide patrons with free access to high-speed connections to access the Internet and the World Wide Web.<ref name="www.usvipubliclibraries.com"/>

===Public holidays===
{{Main|Public holidays in the United States Virgin Islands}}
* January 1: New Year's Day
* January 6: Three Kings Day
* January (third Monday): Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* February (third Monday): Presidents' Day
* March 31: [[Transfer Day]] (celebrates the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the US)
* March–April: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday
* May (fourth Monday): Memorial Day
* June 19: [[Juneteenth]]
* July 3: [[Emancipation Day#US Virgin Islands – July 3|Emancipation Day]]
* July 4: U.S. Independence Day
* September (first Monday): Labor Day
* October (second Monday): [[Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day]]/Columbus Day
* November 1: [[D. Hamilton Jackson]] Day (also known as "Liberty Day", or "Bull and Bread Day")
* November 11: Veterans Day
* November (fourth Thursday): Thanksgiving Day
* December 25: Christmas
* December 26: Christmas Second Day (also known as "[[Boxing Day]]")

Virgin Islands government employees are also given administrative leave for St. Croix [[Caribbean Carnival|carnival]] events in January and St. Thomas carnival events in April/May.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-25 |title=Governor Bryan Announces Administrative Leave for St. Thomas Carnival |url=https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-announces-administrative-leave-for-st-thomas-carnival/ |access-date=2020-10-02 |website=Government of the United States Virgin Islands |language=en-US |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421065736/https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-announces-administrative-leave-for-st-thomas-carnival/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gov. Bryan Announces Administrative Leave For Holiday Season |url=https://viconsortium.com/vi-community_center/virgin-islands-gov-bryan-announces-administrative-leave-for-holiday-season |access-date=2020-10-02 |website=viconsortium.com |language=en |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029003246/https://viconsortium.com/vi-community_center/virgin-islands-gov-bryan-announces-administrative-leave-for-holiday-season |url-status=live }}</ref>