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By: Tina Gheen
Alaska has now been added to the Indigenous Law Portal on Law.gov. As I mentioned last summer, the Indigenous Law Portal is a free resource that brings together digitized collection materials from the Law Library of Congress as well as links to tribal websites and primary source materials found on the web. We have added …
Posted in: In Custodia Legis
By: Jennifer Gavin
It’s the day after Christmas, ho-ho-ho-hum. The presents are already open, your elbows are getting rubbed a little raw with all these relatives around, and you’re sick of holiday cookies and candy and fruitcake. It’s all too tempting to jump on the old cellphone and see what snarky things are being said on social media, …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
Every year, the Library of Congress decorates the Great Hall with a tall tree for the holidays, replete with lights and ornaments for the enjoyment of visitors. Zelma Cook of Tryon, N.C., recalls her first Christmas tree and holidays spent with her family and the mill workers of the village in this excerpt from American Life Histories: …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Peter Armenti
Among the many materials in the Library’s Rare Book and Special Collections Division that focus on book design and fine printing are nearly two-dozen small chapbooks popularly known as Robert Frost‘s “Christmas Cards.” The chapbooks, first issued in 1929 and annually from 1934-1962, are collectible curiosities. While you might expect each one to feature a …
Posted in: From the Catbird Seat
By: Erin Allen
“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…” reads the familiar poem most of us know as “The Night Before Christmas.” However, that title isn’t really correct. Clement Moore first penned the poem in 1822, under the title “A Visit From St. Nicholas.” Moore is thought …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Betty Lupinacci
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in the Processing Section of the Law Library. Monday morning we received five large boxes shipped from the Nairobi field office of the Library of Congress. It’s always fun when these deliveries arrive as we never know what we’ll find. The last shipment from Nairobi was mostly …
Posted in: In Custodia Legis
By: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Monica Mohindra of the Veterans History Project.) “Home for the holidays”- it’s a sentiment that can cut across lines we might otherwise let divide us. For my dad, it means a longing to be with his family in India for Diwali, a multi-day festival of light that falls …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post from Francisco Macias of the Law Library of Congress.) Each winter we see poinsettias adorning houses, shopping centers and offices throughout the country. But a little known fact is that the poinsettia is an endemic flora of Mexico. In Spanish it is often called “flor de nochebuena” or simply …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
In 2014, December 16 marked the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the forces of Antiochus IV. Also referred to as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah recalls the event. According to the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, at the re-dedication …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Betty Lupinacci
Today’s interview is with Brandon Fitzgerald, project manager of a Law Library staffing contract. Brandon does a terrific job managing a group of contractors who help keep our collections orderly and updated. Describe your background. I’m a native son of Cleveland, Ohio which for all its grit remains one of my favorite cities. After traveling …
Posted in: In Custodia Legis