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Archive: January 2015 (10 Posts)

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

A Jefferson Book, Rediscovered in Law Library

Posted by: Erin Allen

A tiny, handwritten “T” at the bottom of page 113 offered a clue that this book – long part of the Law Library collections – needed a new home: the permanent exhibition of Thomas Jefferson’s library. Every four months, Anna Bryan and other catalogers in the U.S./Anglo Division’s Rare Materials Section work on an ongoing …

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

Buying a Library

Posted by: Erin Allen

Two hundred years ago today, President James Madison approved an act of Congress appropriating $23,590 for the purchase of a large collection of books belonging to Thomas Jefferson in order to reestablish the Library of Congress. Under Madison’s leadership, the United States went to war with Great Britain in 1812. After capturing Washington, D.C. in …

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

The Library to the Rescue

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a story in the January/February 2015 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) The Library of Congress has a long tradition of assisting other institutions in preserving their collections. Nearly a century after the Library of Congress collection was destroyed by a …

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

Conservator’s Picks: Treating Treasures

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a story in the January/February 2015 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Conservation Division chief Elmer Eusman discusses conservation treatment options for a variety of prized collection items. Pre-Columbian Objects “Collections such as this classic Maya whistling vessel, dated A.D 400-600, …

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

American Ballet Theatre Exhibit Closes Saturday

Posted by: Erin Allen

The Library of Congress exhibition, “American Ballet Theatre: Touring the Globe for 75 Years,” closes this Saturday, so if you’re in town, make sure to visit. American Ballet Theatre (ABT), which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2014, donated its archives of more than 50,000 items of visual and written documentation to the Library. The exhibition features …

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

The Science of Preservation

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a story written by Jennifer Gavin for the January/February 2015 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Scientific research in its laboratories helps the Library to preserve and display world treasures. Books with cracked leather bindings; crumbling, yellowed maps and newspapers; faded …

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

Instrumentally Yours

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

The late 19th century gave rise to some truly imaginative, public-minded Americans. We all know about the Thomas Edisons, the Henry Fords, the Garrett Morgans. But there were others who, while not household names today, lived very interesting lives and left behind fascinating legacies. Among these we find Dayton C. Miller, born on a farm …

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

Inquiring Minds: The Document Man

Posted by: Erin Allen

Armed guards? Check. Secret rendezvous points? Check. Mysterious steel briefcase? Check. Sounds like a James Bond movie. But it’s just a day in the life of Christopher Woods, director of the National Conservation Service in Britain. By day, he’s a leading conservator in the field with more than 29 years experience working in the heritage …

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

From Dollars to Distinction

Posted by: Erin Allen

I’m a big fan of “Downton Abbey,” so naturally I have been anticipating this season’s series premiere for several months. Following the episode, there was a special on how the show accurately represents the customs and manners of 1900s Britain. If you’re not familiar with “Downton,” the show centers around the wealthy Crawley family, headed …