(The following post was written by Peter Armenti, literature specialist in the Library’s Digital Reference Section and a regular contributor to the poetry and literature blog, “From the Catbird Seat.”)
For nearly 20 years, the Today in History feature has been one of the most popular areas of the Library of Congress website. Drawing heavily from our digitized content in order to highlight people, events and activities associated with each day of the year, Today in History is an important portal for educators, students and lifelong learners interested in learning about American history and culture.
In August, Today in History received its first major redesign in nearly a dozen years, and the redesigned collection can now be accessed from the Library’s home page. In addition to a streamlined look that allows easier navigation among Today in History’s 542 essays, the collection also offers an email alert service where you can subscribe and receive daily notices about the day’s featured items.
When Today in History launched in 1997, the Library’s digitized content was limited primarily to some two-dozen collections that then formed our American Memory collections. During the years, the number of those collections grew, and they provided content for new entries and for existing entries to be enhanced. Those collections are now being fully integrated into the larger Library website, while additional digitized collections are regularly added to our online offerings.
We hope you’ll subscribe to this daily feature and look forward to a historical highlight each day in your inbox. We’ll also promote Today in History on our Twitter feed and on our Facebook page, so watch for us there.