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Archive: February 2017 (20 Posts)

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

Love in the Ex-Slave Narratives

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by Sabrina Thomas, a research specialist with the Library of Congress’s Digital Reference Team.) Finding stories of love within the narratives of ex-slaves shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, for the millions of men, women and children who endured atrocities and injustices under the institution of slavery, the …

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

Beyoncé, Paul Bowles and More: Current GRAMMY Nominees with Library Connections

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by Stephen Winick, writer-editor in the American Folklife Center.)  This year the GRAMMY awards promise to be exciting for music fans everywhere, but especially fans of the Library of Congress. At least four of the nominees have connections to the Library’s American Folklife Center (AFC). They present archival recordings, …

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

Literacy Awards: Thomas Jefferson Would Have Approved

Posted by: John Sayers

(The following is a guest post by Guy Lamolinara, communications officer in the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.) Thomas Jefferson, the Library of Congress’s spiritual founder, wrote about the pursuit of happiness. “I like to think that literacy is fundamental to that pursuit. So many doors are closed to those who …

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

World War I: From Red Glare to Debonair

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following post is by Jennifer Gavin, senior public affairs specialist at the Library of Congress.) With its more than 90-year history, most Americans are aware of the military-based newspaper “The Stars and Stripes.” But many don’t know that it came into existence as a morale-builder after Americans surged into France during World War I …

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

Smokey Robinson at Gershwin’s Piano

Posted by: Gayle Osterberg

This Friday (Feb. 10) PBS stations nationwide (9 pm Eastern – check your local listings) will share with America the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song tribute concert honoring Motown legend Smokey Robinson. It was a great pleasure to host Smokey, Berry Gordy, family and friends at the Library the day before the …

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

Experts’ Corner: Presidential Podcasts

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following article is from the January/February 2017 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Library of Congress historians Julie Miller, Barbara Bair and Michelle Krowl contribute their knowledge of the presidents to a new podcast series. In 2016, The Washington Post presented a podcast series called …

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

Pic of the Week: Saturdays at the Young Readers Center

Posted by: Erin Allen

The Young Readers Center in the Library of Congress hosted a series of events Jan. 28 to celebrate its new Saturday hours of operation, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The center, which opened in October 2009, will offer more young people and their families the opportunity to experience the wonders and resources of the nation’s library. “It …

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

Literacy Awards Opens for Fifth Round of Applications

Posted by: John Sayers

(The following is a guest post by Guy Lamolinara, communications officer in the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.) Three awards totaling $250,000 are being offered for the fifth year in a row by the Library of Congress Literacy Awards program. Applications are due no later than March 31 at midnight EST. …