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Category: Washington DC

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Rare Map on Display at Library Scored Some “Firsts”

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Engraver Abel Buell “came out of nowhere,” at least in terms of cartography, when he printed a United States map in 1784. “He’d never done a map before,” says Edward Redmond of the Library’s Geography and Map Division. Nonetheless, Buell set records. He was the first U.S. citizen to print a map of the United …

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

A Book Festival for the Bird(er)s

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

David Allen Sibley – yes, the author of the recently updated “Sibley Guide to Birds,” that indispensable handbook on all things feathered – will appear at this year’s National Book Festival, Saturday, August 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. In addition to this most highly respected ornithologist, we will also welcome Sally Satel, …

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

Library in the News: May 2014 Edition

Posted by: Erin Allen

As May came to an end, so did the second and final term of Natasha Trethewey as U.S. Poet Laureate. She gave her final lecture at the Library of Congress on May 14. “At the Library of Congress on Wednesday night, Trethewey began, as she often does, with her personal history and then moved into …

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

Stay Up With a Good Book, Too —

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

The author lineup for the 2014 Library of Congress National Book Festival is growing all the time, building excitement for the free event being held Saturday, August 30 from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Yes, that’s right, a 12-hour day in a new venue, with all the features …

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

The Library in History: Library Analyst Helped Launch NASA

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a story written by Cory V. Langley, a communications specialist in the Congressional Research Service, that is featured in the May – June 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM, now available for download here. You can also view the archives of the Library’s former publication from 1993 to 2011. Amid fear and anxiety …

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

CRS at 100: Informing the Legislative Debate Since 1914

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is an article compiled by Cory V. Langley, a communications specialist in the Congressional Research Service, that is featured in the May – June 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM, now available for download here. You can also view the archives of the Library’s former publication from 1993 to 2011. The centennial …

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

The Power of One: Roy Wilkins and the Civil Rights Movement

Posted by: Erin Allen

Civil Rights activist Roy Wilkins devoted his life to achieving equal rights under the law for the nation’s African Americans. The legacy of slavery, Roy Wilkins once wrote, divided African Americans into two camps: victims of bondage who suffered passively, hoping for a better day, and rebels who heaped coals of fire on everything that …

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

Pics of the Week: Behind the Music

Posted by: Erin Allen

Last week, the Library hosted the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation for its annual “We Write the Songs” concert, featuring the songwriters performing and telling the stories behind their own music. Carly Simon, Randy Newman and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart joined others in performing some of their most popular tunes. “We used …

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

Inquiring Minds: The Intrepid Explorer

Posted by: Erin Allen

(From time to time, we’ll feature the story of one of our many researchers here at the Library and the discoveries they made using our collections. The following is the story of Meg Kennedy Shaw, who conducted research on her father, a British desert explorer, botanist and archaeologist.) Meg Kennedy Shaw has made many trips to …