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Category: Favorites From the Fifth Floor

Monkey Skin, Elephant’s Breath, and Kitten’s Ear: History of Color Naming

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

There is scarcely any subject that has so many practical and scientific aspects as the subject of color (Henry LeFavour, Elementary Color, 1895:p1) There are many ways to study color*. We can trace the history of color pigments, the development of color chemistry, the effect of color on our psyche, and the perception of color. …

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What is…Trivia!

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Question: How can you test your knowledge and impress your friends? Answer: Trivia! Everyone loves trivia and Science.gov is asking us to “Test your knowledge of science trivia and take the Science.gov Trivia Challenge.” These trivia challenges are part of a continuation of the celebration of its 10th anniversary. The trivia questions were thought up …

Black and white photograph of librarians, mostly women, working with catalog cards in the Processing Department of the Library of Congress.

The Ambitious Girl

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

This week I have been relocating to a new office. This is my first move since I joined the Library over ten years ago and boy have I accumulated a vast collection of files and paper. Many of these files have been buried away and it takes a move like this for some interesting stuff …

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Collecting and Preserving Websites

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

As librarians, we identify, evaluate, select, collect, describe, preserve and provide access to materials to facilitate use. As librarians of the 21st century, we have integrated digital collections such as ebooks, databases, datasets, and other digital objects into our traditional analog collections. What about websites? Do libraries collect websites? Back in January,  I presented on …

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Stumbled Upon In The Stacks, Or The Chimp In My Office

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Our guest author today is Michelle Cadoree Bradley, Science Reference Specialist.  Michelle entered the Library of Congress as part of the Library of Congress Intern Program (1989-90).  After completing her internship she joined the then Science and Technology Division.  She holds a master’s in Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University School of Library and …

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World War II ‘Scientific Manpower’

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

K-rations, better night vision binoculars, and synthetic rubber are just a few examples of innovations resulted from scientific research during World War II.  The story of science during World War II is one of partnerships and prolific research. On June 28, 1941, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8807which established the Office of Scientific Research and …

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Stumbled upon in the Stacks

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Today’s guest post  was written by our summer intern Brian Horowitz from Montgomery College, Maryland. As an intern at the Library of Congress, Science Business and Technology Division, I have been able to wander in the books stacks of the Library of Congress.  It was there that I met Brevet Major Alfred Mordecai, a man …