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Archive: December 2012 (11 Posts)

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

Civil War Cartography, Then and Now

Posted by: Erin Allen

During the Civil War, cartographers invented new techniques to map the country and the conflict more accurately than ever before in the nation’s history. Since then, cartographic technology has evolved in ways never imagined, but many basic elements of mapmaking remain the same. The following is an article, written by Jacqueline V. Nolan and Edward …

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

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

Posted by: Erin Allen

I remember the moment I found out that jolly old St. Nick was more an idea than a physical person shimmying down a chimney to deposit presents underneath the tree. First clue, we didn’t have a fireplace. I can’t remember exactly how old I was, probably elementary school age. The night before Christmas I could …

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

The Sensei from Sioux City

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Today marks 19 years since the passing of one of the world’s great management thinkers—W. Edwards Deming. After World War II, the U.S. did something remarkable in the history of war – it helped its friends and even its former foes get back on their feet economically.  In Europe, that was accomplished through the Marshall …

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

Trending: The End of the World

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The Maya calendar has generated a lot of buzz about the impending end of the world as we know it, on Dec. 21, 2012. The following is an article written by colleague Audrey Fischer from the November-December 2012 issue of the Library’s new magazine, LCM, highlighting what’s “trending” in the news, on the web and …

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

Inquiring Minds: Scholar Manuel Castells on Social Movements

Posted by: Erin Allen

The following is a guest post by Jason Steinhauer, program specialist in the Library’s John W. Kluge Center, as part of the Inquiring Minds series. The revolutionary wave of demonstrations, protests and wars known collectively as the Arab Spring has spanned Algeria to Oman, covering a distance of 3,400 miles and toppling regimes that governed …

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

InRetrospect: November Blogging Edition

Posted by: Erin Allen

In November, Library bloggers presented a feast of posts, sure to whet a variety of appetites. Here are a few selections. In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog 1707: A Year That Will Resonate with Handel Lovers 1707 was a good year for Handel. The Signal: Digital Preservation When Data Loss is Personal Leslie Johnston talks …

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

Fa la la la la

Posted by: Erin Allen

This Saturday marks my return to the Kennedy Center stage singing as part of The Washington Chorus in our annual series of holiday concerts. I’ve been a part of this large ensemble for about three years now, and our December concerts are some of our most popular. There’s nothing like singing yuletide carols to get …

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

Curator’s Picks: Exposing Cartoon Art

Posted by: Erin Allen

The collections of the Library of Congress are vast and varied. And, what better way to get to know them but through our many wonderful curators. In this edition of “Curator’s Picks,” Sara Duke, curator of popular and applied graphic art in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division, and reference librarian Megan Halsband of the …

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

Inquiring Minds: An Interview With Author William Martin

Posted by: Erin Allen

What if Abraham Lincoln recorded his innermost thoughts as he moved toward the realization that he must end slavery? What if he lost that diary, but a recently discovered letter suggests that the diary is still out there? Such is the premise of “The Lincoln Letter” (Tor/Forge, 2012) by William Martin, his latest mystery novel …