One of my favorite Library resources has just gotten better now that the Gazette of the United States has been added to Chronicling America. The Gazette was the leading Federalist newspaper. The paper was friendly to the administration of George Washington and had as one of its biggest supporters, the first Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. …
It may seem odd for a blogger at Inside Adams, a blog covering mostly business and science topics, to be writing about a Folklife collection, but stay with me. It may be true that there isn’t much of a “business” nature in a Folklife collection, but many of the field projects do include interviews about …
This post was written by John F. Buydos a Reference Librarian in the Science Section. The Sweet’s Catalog File is a building product source and a frequently used title here at the Library. It is an example of a master catalog (i.e., catalogs or partial catalogs from several manufacturers, with a combined index) in the …
I found the most interesting title while I was working on a major revision to the federal budget guide. It was published by Robert A. Mayo in 1847 and has one of those long titles that were popular in the mid-19th century – A synopsis of the commercial and revenue system of the United States, …
Business Reference is often asked for information about older or defunct businesses and finding any information can be challenging. But it is even harder to research businesses that were owned and operated by African Americans. While some business directory publishers may have denoted those businesses in some way, that wasn’t always the case. Recently I …
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. …
Looking at budgets is an interesting way to gain some insight into the history and development of the United States. It shows what was going on and what was important at any given time.
Working at the Library has meant that I have had to adjust my concept of business history. Prior to working here, doing business research meant finding the most current and up to date information and history meant two years. It wasn’t long after starting that I realized Library of Congress researchers had a much different …