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Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is an article written by Harry Katz in the September-October 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. Katz is a former curator in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division and author of a new Library publication, “Mark Twain’s America.”) Samuel Clemens’ fight for the intellectual property rights to Mark Twain’s works helped protect …
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a feature on “Technology at the Library” from the September-October 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) The Library of Congress holds the largest collection of flutes in the world, due in great measure to the generosity of Ohio physicist and amateur flutist Dayton …
Posted in: Collections, Music, Preservation, Technology
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Tom Wiener of the Library’s Publishing Office and editor of “The Forgotten Fifties: America’s Decade from the Archives of Look Magazine.) Look Magazine was a large format, glossy-paged publication that emphasized photography as much as words. Published between 1937 and 1971, it is recalled now as the poor …
Posted in: Books, Collections, Events, History, Photos
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Julie Miller, early American specialist in the Manuscript Division.) Through the winter and spring of 1825, the Philadelphia publisher Mathew Carey sat for the painter John Neagle. On Feb. 1 he recorded in his diary: “His portrait appears a flattering one. If true, I am a better looking …
Posted in: Collections, History, Manuscripts
Posted by: Erin Allen
Today we celebrate the 227th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia, Penn., which was ratified at the Constitutional Convention on Sept. 17, 1787. The Library recently released a series of interactive eBooks for tablets, including a set on the Constitution, which can be downloaded for free on iBooks. The new Library …
Posted in: Collections, Education, History, Manuscripts, Today in History
Posted by: Erin Allen
(Today is the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated annually Sept. 15-Oct. 15. This year, the Library’s Hispanic Division marks its 75th anniversary. The following is an article from the July-August 2014 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine .) Dating back to the middle ages, the Library’s Hispanic world collections are the largest in …
Posted in: Books, Capitol Hill, Collections, History, Libraries, Manuscripts, Today in History, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post written by Yasmeen Khan, senior book conservator in the Conservation Division.) Conservation staff recently treated I recently examined a rare Persian manuscript in preparation for display in the Library of Congress exhibition, “A Thousand Years of the Persian Book.” The bound 103-leaf manuscript, dated 1583 and attributed to Central Asia, …
Posted in: Collections, Exhibitions, Manuscripts, Preservation
Posted by: Erin Allen
Music is a powerful tool. It can create an emotional response, a feeling, a certain attitude. Music can unite people, and give a voice when simple words fail. During the Civil Rights Movement, music played a vital role. Freedom songs drew from spirituals, gospel, rhythm and blues, football chants, blues and calypso and were sung …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Exhibitions, History, Music
Posted by: Erin Allen
In August, the Library of Congress was busy with exhibitions and expositions, opening “American Ballet Theatre: Touring the Globe for 75 Years” on Aug. 14 and hosting the 14th annual National Book Festival on Aug. 30. “At the company’s heart was ballet theater, a physical way of creating a new world onstage,” wrote Sarah Kaufman …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Events, Exhibitions, National Book Festival, News, Newspapers, Preservation, Technology, Washington DC