But sometimes, more is more, as Walt Disney found out after he created Mickey Mouse  in the late 1920s and had trouble finding a home for Mickey’s first two cartoons (“Plane Crazy” and “The Gallopin’ Gaucho”), which were silent, before scoring a solid hit with the musical talkie “Steamboat Willie.” 

“You can run any of these pictures and they’d be dragging and boring, but the minute you put music behind then, they have life and vitality they don’t get in any other way,” Disney once said.

The Library of Congress today opens “Molto Animato!” an exhibition celebrating the winning combo of animation and music, in its Music Division Performing Arts Reading Room in the James Madison Building (101 Independence Ave., S.E., Room LM113, Washington, D.C.) The exhibition will be on view through next March 28 and will be open from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Featured items include a pen-and-ink brush drawing of conductor Leopold Stokowski by caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias; the score from “Bambi,” with music by Frank Churchill and Edward Plumb and lyrics by Larry Morey; John Alden Carpenter’s manuscript piano score for “Krazy Kat: A Jazz Pantomime”; and the movie poster for “Walt Disney Pictures Presents Aladdin.”

Also on view will be items from the Library’s Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature, the David Raksin Collection of film scores (You can view excerpts, including the cartoons, from his scores for “Giddyap” and “The Unicorn in the Garden”) and the Howard Ashman Collection, including the draft script of Disney’s animated film “The Little Mermaid” and audio of Howard Ashman singing Disney movie songs of his own composing.

Let’s face it: sometimes silence is golden, but “Fantasia” wouldn’t have been nearly as fantastic without the power of music.  Here’s Mickey, in “Fantasia,” dressed to enact “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a symphonic poem by composer Paul Dukas.

Sprawled on the lawn, curled up on the sofa, sitting on the steps in the piazza — they’re communing with a great author, or a funny author, or an author who’s telling them how to cook or knit or fix something in their life that’s broken. Some of them are reading poetry.  Some of them are reading it on e-book devices.

There are millions of them, all scattered around.  One book to a person, one person to a book.

Saturday, more than 120,000 of them are projected to be on one lawn, in one city, at one time: on the National Mall at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.  It’ll happen from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine — free of charge.

YES.

More than 70 major authors will speak about their writing before happy crowds in pavilions dedicated to Fiction & Fantasy, History & Biography, Mysteries & Thrillers, Children, Teens & Children, and Poetry & Prose. The authors will also sign books for their fans.

Families can enjoy the literacy-promotion activities of the state and territorial Centers for the Book in the Pavilion of the States; kids can enjoy activities and presentations planned just for them in the “Let’s Read America” pavilions. The “Digital Bookmobile” will be there.  The Library of Congress will showcase its Library of Congress Experience and social-networking activities, including this blog , its Flickr page and its Facebook page. The whole thing will be on Twitter (@librarycongress, hashtag #nbf).  Also, our website for the book festival is a great place to plan for this feast, complete with fresh podcasts from more than a dozen of this year’s authors. There’s a Young Readers’ Toolkit there, too. And the day of the book festival, webcasts of many of the author presentations will be available on the festival website.

Here’s a tip — this “Lollapalooza” of the book world is going to open with a flourish. A team of young people’s authors, fronted by the irrepressible National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jon Scieszka, will launch the new read.gov website that promotes reading and literacy for all ages as the festival opens at 10 a.m., in the Children’s pavilion.  You won’t have to be a kid to get a kick out of this one: The new site will premiere a serial story, with the first (completely zany) chapter to be read by Scieszka from the stage.  It’s titled “The Exquisite Corpse Adventure,” and to find out what happens next — this story will unfold every two weeks for a year — you’ll have to go to read.gov.

But to find out what the coolest event is in Washington D.C. is on September 26, 2009, you’ll have to go to the National Mall between 7th and 14th streets.  Wear comfortable shoes — and prepare to be swept away!

 It doesn’t have to be all about Hard Times.  Perhaps you’re just ready to do what you love, all the time – like the local woman who enjoys painting, and has converted her joy into a job converting former wine-bottles into hand-painted containers for oil, vinegar, soap or lotion, which are now being sold at craft festivals around the area. It’s her full-time employment.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau  she is one of the “nonemployer businesses” that saw an increase of 4.5 percent between 2006 and 2007 for a total of 21.7 million people.  Of those, 19.1 million were sole proprietorships – the self-employed.

 You might wonder what you could do from home, or where to begin. Could a hobby actually support you? Perhaps you have an aptitude in one area, maybe you worked in human resources – have you thought about helping others with their resumes?  Or you’re tech-savvy, good with web tools?  Maybe website development, computer consulting or programming is up your alley.  

 If you need more ideas, explore the U.S. Census’ “Nonemployer Statistics” to see what others are doing, explore some of the ideas presented in a number of books on the topic, and take a look at the Small Business Administration (SBA), especially its Small Business Planner that provides a number of online resources.

 Here at the Library of Congress, within the stacks in the Science & Business Reading Room in the Adams building, there are a number of publications providing practical information on businesses you can do from home.  There are tips for setting up your home office, assessments to help determine your readiness for a home-based business, and examples of what others have done.  Some books provide ideas and “how-to” steps.  To identify these books, try a catalog subject search for “home-based businesses” and explore the possibilities.  (Librarian tip: sort the list in descending order to see the most recent publications for this subject.)  If you would like to consult any of these books here at the Library, please contact a reference librarian, easily reachable through the Ask a Librarian service.

Thanks to Business Reference Specialist Donna Scanlon of the Science, Technology & Business Division for this post!

Bestselling authors David Baldacci, John Grisham, John Irving, Julia Alvarez, Judy Blume, Ken Burns, Gwen Ifill, and Jodi Picoult–as well as celebrity chef Paula Deen–will be among scores of authors and illustrators presenting at the festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are serving as Honorary Chairs.

Librarian of Congress James Billington thinks it’s “one of our most exciting author lineups ever,” and with eight years of festivals and hundreds of authors to look back on, that’s saying something.

The festival–where you can hear these and scores of other authors speak (free of charge), get books signed by the authors, and enjoy numerous activities including many designed for children and families–will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. between 7th and 14th Streets from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine.

This year’s festival will incorporate several new social-networking features, including Twitter ( @librarycongress — and help us spread the word by using hashtag #nbf ), to more actively engage festivalgoers and help them receive the latest festival news, schedules and other information.

The full lineup of authors (more will be added as the event draws near) can be found here. The full press release is here.

The tradition of writing songs extolling the virtues or abhorring the flaws of candidates for our nation’s top office goes as far back as George Washington, the subject of a flattering song after he took office. 

The Library has a rich collection of such material to share, from sheet music for campaign ditties to copies of “songsters,” pocket-sized music books candidates’ fans would turn to when they wanted to break out in song for any likely crowd.  The exhibition brings Internet researchers much of the same material that was displayed in an exhibition at the Library’s Music Reading Room from October, 2008 through early March, 2009.

There will be 10 “most-requested” photos from these Library collections, including the iconic Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange, four by Walker Evans (here’s Roadside Stand near Birmingham, Alabama) and images by Gordon Parks (Washington, D.C., Government Charwoman) and Marion Wolcott (Jitterbugging in Negro Juke Joint, Saturday evening, outside Clarksdale, Mississippi).

There will also be 14 staff picks for your edification and perusing pleasure, including Chicago, Illinois in the waiting room of the Union Station by Jack Delano, Fiddlin’ Bill Hensley, mountain fiddler, Ashville, North Carolina by Ben Shahn and Soda Jerker, Corpus Christi, Texas by Russell Lee. (The guy is more of an ice-cream flinger, actually, but that wasn’t the job title.)

The Library’s Prints and Photographs Division houses 14 million items, ranging from historical photographs and architectural drawings to advertising labels and posters from all over the world. You can find more than a million pictures among the digitized collections in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog at the Library of Congress website. You might also enjoy the special presentations of photos that also appear in American Memory and Exhibitions.

For more information or to ask a question about the sets of photos in Flickr, please visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room homepage.

Lincoln is, of course, a major inspiration to the President-elect and a strong influence on the themes of the upcoming inauguration.

So we know you’re waiting with baited breath, as are we, to find out whether Obama is going to serve Lincoln’s favorite scalloped oysters — the recipe for which contained sherry as well as Worcestershire sauce and cracker crumbs. While this delicacy was not included on either of Lincoln’s inaugural menus, pickled oysters were served at the second inaugural. Yum! (No, seriously, that sounds good to me.)

White House cuisine has changed a bit with the times. Although French cuisine is still popular for state dinners, our contemporary presidents seem to be leaning toward Tex-Mex fare. On Inauguration Day you might wish to plan your own presidential menu. You could start off with Barbara Bush’s Mexican Mound (corn chips, ground meat and taco seasoning), followed by Bill Clinton’s favorite chicken enchiladas, topped with Laura Bush’s guacamole and served with LBJ’s “ranch spiced tea.” For dessert, jump back in time and serve Lincoln’s favorite lemon custard pie.

If Tex-Mex is not your thing, try Harry Truman’s tuna and noodle casserole with white cheese sauce and Pat Nixon’s baked stuffed tomatoes. If this seems too healthy, indulge a little with the Carter family’s peanut refrigerator cake or Warren Harding’s favorite bourbon balls. In moderation, of course.

Or maybe you want to celebrate the inauguration by using recipes from the time of our Founding Fathers, such as Martha Washington’s “Great Cake,” Thomas Jefferson’s macaroons or Dolly Madison’s pink peppermint ice cream. To wet your whistle, try John Adams’ “berry shrub” (blackberry or raspberry juice, sugar, brandy and rum), James Madison’s favorite whiskey sours (lemons, water, sugar, and aged bourbon whiskey, 100 proof), or a fine wine from Monticello.

Presidential food and entertaining at the White House always seem to capture people’s interest. The Library of Congress Science Reference Section frequently fields a number of queries relating to presidential cuisine. Take a look at science reference specialist Alison Kelly’s Presidential Food Guide for more information about cooking and entertaining in the White House.

Image: Executive pastry chefs during Bill Clinton’s tenure prepare a gingerbread White House.

(Mad props to Jennifer Harbster in our Science, Technology and Business division for helping with this post!)

My, how time flies.

If I weren’t back on Atkins, I might be tempted to track down a cupcake and a birthday candle, because today is the first anniversary of this blog. (It is also, not coincidentally, the 208th birthday of the Library of Congress, a milestone this blog itself will not reach until the year 2215, long after the entire Internet has been downloaded onto nanobots and injected into our bloodstreams. Assuming, of course, that our new nanobot overlords still indeed call it the “Internet.”)

I don’t really have anything particularly profound to say about it, but when has that ever stopped a blogger?

Here is a short list of observations, lessons learned, and potential new directions:

1 ) The past year has been an incredibly fun voyage. I have treasured the interaction, the ability to communicate in ways that more traditional mechanisms don’t really permit, telling a few interesting stories you might not otherwise read about, and the thought that I have been able even in a small measure to stoke people’s interest in the Library of Congress.

2 ) You comment-spammers are persistent!

3 ) When we launched, there were fewer than 10 federal blogs, and we were — as far as I know — the first truly institution-wide blog among federal agencies. As of today, that list has more than tripled to at least 31. Even if it all ends tomorrow, it’s a distinction of which I’ll always be proud.

I’m also humbled that we have been able to provide many of our sister agencies (at least a dozen, I’m sure, but I’ve lost count) with guidance and advice as they wade into their own blogospheric waters. (Michelle Springer in our OSI Web Services Division deserves much of the credit here.) If being among the first has helped others to follow, I think that in itself is a pretty nice legacy to have.

4 ) I danced a little happy dance when we cracked the Technorati Top 10,000. We have basically a single post to thank for that. We were wallowing well into the 40,000s before that.

5 ) I have a meeting scheduled tomorrow with some folks internally to help plot a course for future improvements. Maybe I’ll bring low-carb cheesecake.

First and foremost will involve upgrading to the latest version of WordPress, but we want to look beyond the merely technical. (And yes, I’d like to fix a lot of those glitchy punctuation issues that seem to pop up on old posts. I’m told it’s a javascript something-or-other, but I don’t know what coffee has to do with anything.)

6 ) It’s taken longer than expected, but I still anticipate that this blog will leave “pilot” status and achieve formal recognition. This is probably more federalese than you’re interested in, but getting a policy in place also holds the door open to additional blogs sprouting up around the Library. Some of my colleagues are coming to me with great ideas, and I have to confess that I can’t wait to become an avid reader of other Library blogs. Frankly, my own writing bores me to tears — but thanks for sticking with me anyway.

7 ) Every day that I do not have time to post, I am wracked with horrible guilt. My various other duties come first, duties which are very much not in pilot status, but I know that regularity and compelling content build readership and a sense of community. I am very interested in building on what we started a year ago. Perhaps it’s time to make another run at wheedling some of my colleagues into co-author status. (I have to admit to being a wee bit jealous of other federal blogs with multiple contributors, although I am fortunate to have wonderful ideas and draft language that are often sent to me by colleagues.)

8 ) And finally, if the nanobots are reading this, I hope that they keep this blog — or whatever its successor ends up being — up and running. Access to knowledge is at the core of our mission, something I am confident will remain true long after I and everyone I work with today are long gone.

Meanwhile, we continue to take additional steps into Web 2.0. I anticipate that you’ll soon start to see a lot more video content from the Library in a lot more places, and much better stuff than my own interim slap-dash efforts. (What’s the deal with my “Brary of Ongress” avatar?!)

We’re talking about expanding on social-networking in meaningful ways. For instance, we’d really like to find a way to allow people to share their myLOC collections beyond just the typical “send a postcard” links, which are admittedly a little last century. Also, I’ve been dabbling in Twitter a bit in my spare time. I’m still intimidated by the thought of having “another beast to feed,” but I have to admit that I do like the concept.

We have a lot of whip-smart people around here with a lot of ambitious ideas. Resources and time permitting, I hope to help them realize as many of those goals as we can.

What do you think would improve this blog? Where would you like to see the Library go next in Web 2.0?

(Image of very old computer from the PPOC.)

I got an email yesterday, however, that was too good not to share it in its entirety, with the author’s permission. And I swear we didn’t pay him to write this:

I just visited the Library of Congress for the first time yesterday [April 21]. It was pouring rain, and I went in through the Madison building to get my Researcher card and came to the Jefferson building through the tunnel. I took care of my business at the Folklife Center, then wandered around to the front from the rear corridors, so I wasn’t ready for the full impact of the front part of the building.

I have traveled a bit – not as much as I’d like, but a bit – and I’ve seen some beautiful things. I’ve never been stunned by the sheer beauty of a place like that in my life. Aside from my son being born and my wife on our wedding day, I have never been moved like that by sheer, stunning beauty.

If it’s possible to fall in love with a building, I may have.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to actually work there. Could a person spend day after day surrounded by so much grace and beauty and not be changed in some subtle, fundamental way? Would it make you more awake to the beauty around you or would it raise your expectations so much that everything would start to feel washed out and empty?

The exhibitions were startlingly well done, too, by the way. I was struck by how sensitively they’d been put together. The Constitution exhibit didn’t shy away from how some people had been failed by our Constitution. (I loved the Native American woman in the AV display describing her contempt for it.) I love that to get to the 16th Century maps, you walked through a really well put together exhibit of Mezoamerican culture. (I particularly liked the description of the extent of the Inca Empire). I loved the touchscreen technology on the monitors scattered around throughout the public area of the building.

The one impression that stays with me is that of the staircase leading up from the tunnel. You come out of a very functional, utilitarian tunnel into a staircase that is very 1920s/30s and as you walk up the marble steps, you feel just the slightest bit off-balance because each step has been worn down by a century or so of people walking on them. There is a feeling of continuity in that which really inspires me.

As I proof-read this letter, I am astonished by the number of times I’ve used the word “love”. I’m a grumpy, curmudgeonly person by nature. I don’t throw the word “love” around casually. Obviously the Library has touched me in some important way.

Thank you.

John Fladd
New Boston, NH
www.almostgruntled.com