http://blogs.loc.gov/loc "Light and liberty go together." Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:40:28 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Ever wonder what goes on before an exhibition is mounted and displayed?  My colleague Donna Urschel takes an in-depth look at the preservation steps that were required for the Library's "Herblock!" exhibition, on display through May 1: [caption id="attachment_1695" align="alignright" width="238" caption="Famed editorial cartoonist Herb Block ("Herblock")."][/caption] Preserving 'Herblock' a Rewarding ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/02/preserving-herblock-a-rewarding-job-for-conservators/ Even for many of those who might yawn their way through the gridiron action on Sunday between New Orleans and Indianapolis, they will perk right up and stare intently at the screen during the station breaks. Super Bowl commercials have become something of an event of their own, alongside the actual ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/02/more-reasons-to-watch-super-bowl-than-football/ (The following is a guest article about new preservation capabilities at the LOC by my colleague Donna Urschel, which was recently published in the the Library's staff newsletter, the Gazette.) [caption id="attachment_1672" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Preservation Research Chief Eric Hansen explains how equipment is used to capture sound from damaged audio recordings. ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/02/new-optical-lab-brings-loc-into-21st-century/ In 1867, the American West was still very much wild.  It was into that new frontier that a young photographer named Timothy O'Sullivan ventured to provide a visual record of the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, led by Clarence King. As much a PR effort to encourage settlement of the ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/01/a-masterful-frame-job/ (Guest post by Michelle Springer, Library of Congress Office of Strategic Initiatives) Jan. 16 is the two-year anniversary of the launch of the Library's account on Flickr, the photosharing website. We started with approximately 3,100 photos in our account; today 30 additional archives, libraries, and museums from the U.S., Australia, Canada, ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/01/library%e2%80%99s-flickr-site-celebrates-the-taggable-twos/ As America prepares to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday later this month, the Library of Congress also will have two offerings in February in commemoration of African American History Month.  On Feb. 3, the Library will launch a new online exhibition about the National Association for the Advancement of ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/01/naacp-online-exhibition-symposium-coming/ Today Katherine Paterson, the author of “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Jacob Have I Loved,” “The Day of the Pelican” and more than 30 other children’s books, was named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. She summarized her platform for the reading-promotion post in four words: ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/01/read-for-your-life/ … And despite all good cheer, It sized up as “boringest night of the year.” Still 36 hours until Christmas dawning, And reruns of reruns were leaving ‘em yawning. The tree decorating had happened last week The lineup of movies appeared rather bleak. The cookies were eaten; the sprinkles were scattered No Christmas ‘till Christmas! That’s clearly ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2009/12/twas-the-night-before-the-night-before-christmas/ There's something very satisfying in music about the number three: three notes in a basic chord, a romantic waltz in 3/4 time, the three-movement form of early symphonies. So it's appropriate that the Library's third blog (behind this one and "Inside Adams" from the Science, Technology and Business Division) would come ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2009/12/roll-over-beethoven/ December 18 is a special day in the yearly calendar of the Library of Congress – it’s the day when several of the rare stringed instruments in the Library’s collection are taken from their display cases and handed to the members of a talented string quartet.  The collection was assembled ... http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2009/12/the-violins-come-out-to-be-played/