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By: Erin Allen
The Library of Congress has one of the world’s premier collections of U.S. and foreign genealogical and local historical publications. The Local History and Genealogy Reading Room, located in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, is the hub for such research. More than 50,000 genealogies and 100,000 local histories comprise its collections. The Library’s royalty, nobility …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Trevor Owens
And if so, why would you ever want to? About a year ago the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections announced a rather exciting project, to digitize the data tapes from the Explorer I satellite mission. My first thought: the data on these tapes is likely digital to begin with, so there’s not really something …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Erin Allen
On Dec. 22, 1864, William T. Sherman sent President Abraham Lincoln a telegram that included a pretty monumental “gift,” according to the Civil War general. “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah with 150 heavy guns & plenty of ammunition & also about 25.000 bales of cotton. W. T. …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Jennifer Gavin
Quick: what do the movies “Mary Poppins” and “Pulp Fiction” have in common? Well, yes, they’re both motion pictures. But now, both are listed on the Library of Congress National Film Registry, a collection of films – 25 are added each year – deemed worthy of preservation due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic significance. …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
On Dec. 16, 1773, a group of Bostonians dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded ships docked in Boston Harbor and dumped some 340 chests of tea into the water. Today marks the 240th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. “A number of brave & resolute men, determined to do all in their power to save their …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Kate Murray
If you’ve ever been to a warehouse store on a weekend afternoon, you’ve experienced the power of the sample. In the retail world, samples are an important tool to influence potential new customers who don’t want to invest in an unknown entity. I certainly didn’t start the day with lobster dip on my shopping list …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Erin Allen
This Thursday and Friday, the Library of Congress is hosting a special “Celebration of Mexico” to honor the culture and history of Hispanic Americans and highlight the Library’s collection of Hispanic materials, which is the largest in the world. During the event, the Library will present the world premiere of the oldest-known documentary footage of …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Susan Manus
The December 2013 issue of the Library of Congress Digital Preservation newsletter (pdf) is now available! In this issue: Beyond the Scanned Image: Scholarly Uses of Digital Collections Ten Tips to Preserve Holiday Digital Memories Anatomy of a Web Archive Updates on FADGI: Still Image and Audio Visual Guitar, Bass, Drums, Metadata Upcoming events: CNI …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Butch Lazorchak
This is part two of the Content Matters interview series interview with Diane Papineau, a geographic information systems analyst at the Montana State Library. Part one was yesterday, December 5, 2013. Butch: What are some of the biggest digital preservation and stewardship challenges you face at the Montana State Library? Diane: The two biggest challenges …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Erin Allen
Making a splash in the news headlines was the public opening of The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive. The Library of Congress hosted MacFarlane, Druyan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and a host of other scientists and educators during a special event in Nov. 12. Full …
Posted in: Timeless