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Archive: June 2009 (11 Posts)

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

2,454 Words About a 'Quiet' Poet

Posted by: Matt Raymond

This week’s Newsweek has a lengthy profile of our Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan. It’s a fascinating read, and I’d commend it to your attention. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Kay a few times and talking with her several more times, and I think the article does a wonderful job of capturing her personality, her …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Hey U, Tune In: The Library Is Now on iTunes U

Posted by: Matt Raymond

Blog. Twitter. YouTube.  iTunes.  Yeah, we speak Web 2.0. You nation’s Library has millions of stories to tell, so we’re trying to tell them as many places and to as many people as possible–whether on our own website or elsewhere.  And now you can add another biggie to the list: iTunes U. For those who …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

New Teachers Site Is All 'Class'

Posted by: Matt Raymond

Starting about two decades ago, the Library of Congress–under the direction of Librarian of Congress James Billington–began moving more ambitiously into the K-12 education space than it had previously. In 1990 the Library began a pilot program to distribute digital primary-source materials on CD-ROM to classrooms. The program, known as American Memory, has today blossomed …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Souped-Up Chassis, More Horsepower

Posted by: Matt Raymond

If you’ve visited this blog before, you might be doing a double-take. The Web Services team here at the Library (who are doing some simply amazing things) has given the blog a fresher look and new functionality. First, there’s a cleaner, more aesthetic look to it, and I like how the collections are now highlighted …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Strong Words in the Manuscript Room

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Let’s take a little test. I’m going to say a word, and you’re going to say the next word that leaps into your mind. OK, here goes: Nabokov. You said “Lolita,” right? Of course. Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” published in 1955 and made into a film directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, is the work most …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Portraits — and Pot-Shots — in Song

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Long before we were being sold something (through advertising jingles) or somebody (through campaign ads), presidential campaign seasons brought out the songwriter in many a partisan.  This unique niche of Americana is celebrated in a new Library of Congress exhibition on the web, titled “Voices, Votes, Victory: Presidential Campaign Songs.” The tradition of writing songs …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Read All About It: Magnificent Milestone

Posted by: Matt Raymond

My capacity for metaphors is somewhat limited, so forgive me if I repeat a word I tweeted recently (“tweet-peat”?): Yesterday the Library and the NEH held a news conference celebrating the “odometer” of the Chronicling America program’s surpassing 1 million digitized pages from historic newspapers. Seven new partner states have been added, bringing the total …