On Wednesday, the Library of Congress rung in William Shakespeare’s birthday with a celebration worthy of a standing ovation at the Globe Theater. Actors from the Shakespeare Theater Company’s Academy for Classical Acting at The George Washington University presented scenes from “Macbeth,” “Cymbeline,” “The Tempest,” Richard III” and “Julius Caesar.” (My own 10th grade recitation …
Posted in: Events, Photos, Pic of the Week, Uncategorized
Every year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and citizens are called upon to do their part in protecting the environment, to promote and participate in “green living” and to celebrate our natural resources. Conducted in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book and the Center for Environmental Literacy at Saint …
Posted in: Events, Today in History, Uncategorized
Today marked a rather monumental occasion as the space shuttle Discovery made its final flight – not to the stars but to its permanent home at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum annex near Dulles, Va. Library of Congress staff members were able to capture its final spin, as it took a few turns …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Events, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized, Video, Washington DC
One of the things I love most about going home to southern Mississippi is going home to my mom’s garden. The sights and smells are always like a big, warm hug. The jasmine she’s got growing on a trellis is a focal piece. The calla lilies lining one side of the yard are some of …
Posted in: Books, Collections, LC Web site, Photos
In the wee hours of the morning on April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic – the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time – sank into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg only a few hours earlier. More than 1,500 people died. This year marks the centennial of one …
Posted in: Collections, History, Music, newspapers, Photos, Today in History, Uncategorized
The Library of Congress is constantly in the process of improving its products and services to better assist its patrons, friends and researchers. Recently we launched a series of updates to the website, enabling users to find and use our online materials more easily. The Library’s main web search function has been improved. A new …
Posted in: Collections, LC Web site, Maps, News, Uncategorized
On May 5, the Library will close its popular exhibition “Creating the United States.” The exhibition has been on view for four years and seen approximately 2 million visitors passing through its space. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough once called it the one exhibition every American should see on a visit to Washington, D.C. Notable …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Congress, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site, Manuscripts, New Visitors Experience, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Heads up, all you fans of the Library of Congress National Book Festival – it’s going to be two days again this year, with more than 100 authors, following last year’s successful launch of the full-weekend approach. The festival will be held on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Streets on Saturday, Sept. 22, …
Posted in: Books, Capitol Hill, Concerts, Education, Events, LC Web site, Music, National Book Festival, Podcasts, veterans history project, Washington DC
From time to time, I’d like to blog about notable historical events or otherwise interesting advents in our nation’s past, courtesy of Today in History, which mines the American Memory collections to discover what happened in our nation’s history on each date throughout the year. Today’s “TIH” marks the day in 1917 the United States …
Posted in: Collections, History, LC Web site, Today in History, Uncategorized, veterans history project
April marks National Poetry Month, a time for poets and lovers of poetry everywhere to unite, recite and delight in the art and in those who have created it. The annual commemoration was inaugurated in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Some of my favorite poets include Byron, Tennyson, Yeats and Neruda. And I …
Posted in: Congress Blogs, Events, LC Web site, Poetry, Uncategorized
