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By: Jennifer Gavin
What can you say about an artist who directed and co-designed the sets for an opera about a guy whose nose detaches from his face and – well – runs off? Leora Maltz-Leca, a Library of Congress fellow of the Swann Foundation, which supports the arts of cartooning and caricature, will answer that question on …
Posted in: Timeless
What makes television shows like Bones, Criminal Minds, CSI, Law and Order, and NCIS so popular? Is it the intriguing plots and stories? I tend to think we love these shows because of the cool science and state of the art technology employed by the characters to catch criminals. If I weren’t a librarian, I …
Posted in: Inside Adams
By: Jennifer Gavin
This year’s selections for the National Recording Registry were announced today — the ninth annual addition to a list now totaling 325 recordings deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant and worthy of preservation for all time. According to the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress – with input from the Library’s …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
What exactly is a “shirtwaist?” The American shirtwaist was a fashion trend for women at the turn of the 20th century, noted for the pairing of tailored shirt and skirt – offering a glimpse of the ankles – and was very fashion-forward during its day. “Shirt-waist sets are among the attractive dress accessories to tempt …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Matt Raymond
Before I came to the Library, I was privileged to do communications work for UNICEF. A colleague of mine, Steve Cassidy, a former CNN newsman and the head of UNICEF’s electronic media programs, and I would discuss the concept of the “electronic hearth,” a phrase that had been used to describe television in America. Where …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
This is the 17th in a series of guest posts by Abigail Van Gelder, who with her husband, Josh, is journeying across the country on the Library’s “Gateway to Knowledge” traveling exhibition: It’s not supposed to snow in Texas, so we are starting to think the snow clouds are following us! After grinding through many …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Jennifer Gavin
Heads up, all you hawk-followers out there – “Shirley,” the Cooper’s hawk who spent several days in the dome cupola of the Library of Congress Main Reading Room recently, was released into the wild at about 11 a.m. Tuesday in Virginia’s Sky Meadows State Park. When the bird was taken from its carrier by Linda …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
There’s something about strapping on a pair of roller skates and the exhilaration of speeding across the floor, taking fast turns, testing your agility as you maneuver against and in tandem with those like-minded. The sport is very near and dear to my heart, as I recently joined the ranks of the DC Rollergirls, the …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
Working-class men and women, the poor, the destitute – all individuals whom society can sometimes take for granted – held a special place for photographer Milton Rogovin. He made it his life’s work to really see them through his lens and document the humanity of those he called “the forgotten ones.” Just a few weeks …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Jennifer Gavin
Today the Librarian of Congress named the 25 films that will comprise the National Film Registry’s entries for the year 2010. These are films that have cultural, historical or aesthetic significance that warrants their preservation for posterity. All in all, there are 550 films in the registry. Although there is great variety in this year’s …
Posted in: Timeless