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Posted by: Matt Raymond
As the Gulf Coast holds its collective breath in preparation for Tropical Storm Gustav, it does so with an eerie sense of deja vu: It was exactly three years ago today that Hurricane Katrina made its devastating landfall. The Digital Reference Team at the Library of Congress has updated the Today in History page for …
Posted in: History, News, Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Our “convention correspondent,” Carol M. Highsmith, burned the midnight oil to file her first dispatches from Denver (after 1 a.m. local time!) As promised, we bring you a sampling of the copyright-free images. And as previously mentioned, we will also post some highlights next week from the Twin Cities. President Bill Clinton Fires up the …
Posted by: Matt Raymond
The Brookings Institution this week rated 61 federal Web sites based on 18 criteria such as publications, databases, audiovisual material, disability access, personalization, and privacy and security policies. This blog’s mother ship, LOC.gov, ranked No. 8. The full PDF report is here. (Congrats to our friends at USA.gov!) We’re constantly working to enhance our Web …
Posted in: LC Web site, News, Technology
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Time was, the most common question we would get at the Library of Congress was, “Where are all the books?” (The answer is here.) But a new question has begun to rival that query in frequency: “Where is the ‘Book of Secrets’?” Well, for the next month, at least, you can find it at the …
Posted in: Books, Events, Film, News, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Further to the “Surface” technology I mentioned yesterday, you can see it in action for yourself in this ABC News story (about halfway in). NOTE: Sometimes it will say that the previous link doesn’t exist, which is generally rectified by refreshing your browser. Also on the convention front, I’m pleased to announce that the Library …
Posted in: Collections, Events, News, Photos
Posted by: Matt Raymond
As Americans settle in to watch the two major party nominating conventions this week and next, have you ever wondered what political conventions were like before the days of the Web, television, or even the telegraph? The Humanities and Social Sciences division at the Library of Congress has provided timely summaries of the Democratic and …
Posted in: Events, History, LC Web site, News, Photos, Technology
Posted by: Matt Raymond
There are almost as many different ways to watch movies today as there are movies themselves: on television (broadcast, cable, satellite, video on-demand, DVR), on disc (DVD or BluRay, at home or on the road), or in digital version on countless varieties of portable devices. But can anything truly top the experience of watching a …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Events, Film
Posted by: Matt Raymond
You can find out that answer to that question and many more in the August edition of the Library of Congress Wise Guide, which is now online.
Posted in: History, LC Web site
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Today is one of my favorite days of the year, because it is one of the most compelling versions of “show and tell” anyone will ever get to see! Every year for the past few years, thanks to the generosity of the late Mrs. Jefferson Patterson and the James Madison Council, the Library of Congress’s …
Posted in: Cataloging, Collections, Copyright, Events, Exhibitions, History