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Posted by: Margaret Wood
On September 7, 2021, the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge opened in Washington, D.C. This new bridge replaced an older bridge, also called the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. Both bridges were named in honor of the famous 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass who lived in Washington, D.C., for the last years of his life and …
Posted in: In the News
Posted by: Margaret Wood
We often talk about how Congress.gov is a group project comprised of multiple partners who provide different content and services to the site. The Library of Congress OCIO division provides the software and hardware for the site while, the reference librarians in the Law Library help public patrons navigate the site and construct searches for …
Posted in: Congress
Posted by: Margaret Wood
European history is full of rulers whose names have included nicknames that designate some outstanding characteristic. For example, Richard I of England was known as Lionheart for his bravery in battle. Then there is Joan, Queen of Castile, also known as Joanna the Mad. She acquired this nickname after the death of her husband Philip …
Posted in: Global Law
Posted by: Margaret Wood
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Over two years after the end of World War I, Congress approved the burial of an unknown soldier at Arlington Cemetery (March 4, 1921, ch. 175 41 Stat. 1447). The law provided that the Secretary of War [was] authorized …
Posted in: In the News
Posted by: Margaret Wood
Growing up in the southwest in the 1960s and 1970s, I was keenly aware of the dangers of forest fires and remember the images and campaigns headed up by Smokey Bear. I knew that Smokey was based on a real bear cub who had been rescued from a forest fire but I knew nothing else …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
We celebrated the beginning of meteorological fall with our Congress.gov Public Forum on September 2, 2021. The forum opened with a recap by Andrew of the enhancements to Congress.gov since last fall. We will be posting a recording of this forum in the near future. In the meantime, our release today includes historical content in …
Posted in: Congress
Posted by: Margaret Wood
Over the years, I have regularly attended dance and yoga classes at St. Mark’s Capitol Hill, which sits just east of the Adams Building. I have often heard a story about how the church vestry applied to place the building on the National Register of Historic Places to prevent the Library of Congress from tearing …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Margaret Wood
I enjoy commemorating anniversary dates for all sorts of events both on the wider historic stage and with respect to the Library. Yesterday, July 5, 2021, was the fifth anniversary of the retirement of our former legislative website THOMAS. This might sound like a sad anniversary, but THOMAS was replaced by Congress.gov into which we …
Posted in: Congress
Posted by: Margaret Wood
On July 22, 2021 at 3:45 CDT, two Law Library staff members, and one former Law Library colleague will be participating in a presentation at this year’s annual conference of the American Association of Law Libraries. The conference was scheduled to be in Cleveland originally but has changed to be an all virtual event. I …
Posted in: In the News