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Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is an article, written by Brett Carnell and Helena Zinkham of the Prints and Photographs Division, for the November/December 2016 Library of Congress Magazine.) “If one is the possessor of health and strength, a good news instinct … a fair photographic outfit, and the ability to hustle, which is the most necessary qualification, …
Posted in: Collections, Curators, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site, LCM, Photos, Women's History
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post written by Stephanie Hall of the American Folklife Center.) In 1934, folklorist John Lomax and his 19-year-old son Alan went to southern Louisiana to collect folksongs and music in many styles from several ethnic groups in English and French. Among the songs in the resulting collection is “Trench Blues,” a …
Posted in: American Folklife Center, Audiovisual, Collections, Curators, History, Music
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a feature story from the November/December 2016 Library of Congress Magazine, LCM, that was written by Helena Zinkham, director of the Library’s Collections and Services Directorate and chief of the Prints and Photographs Division. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) What do Marilyn Monroe, Civil War soldiers and the Wright Brothers …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Books, Civil War, Collections, Curators, Education, History, LC Web site, LCM, Photos, Social Media
Posted by: John Sayers
The two-day celebration of Smokey Robinson’s 50-year career—and his selection as the 2016 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song—began in the nation’s capital with a touching trip down the keyboard of George Gershwin’s piano and ended with a rollicking concert of his greatest hits. During his visit, Robinson sat down …
Posted in: Concerts, Events, Music, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
With the recent “fall back” of daylight saving time, we had to reset our clocks and maybe our brains to get used to the change. And, if you’re someone that conducts business in different time zones, that adjustment can take additional getting used to. I know I always have trouble remembering how far ahead or behind …
Posted in: Collections, History, Maps, Today in History
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Those who appreciate high-quality broadcast news were saddened today to learn of the passing of longtime PBS NewsHour co-host and Washington Week moderator Gwen Ifill. The former New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News political, congressional and White House reporter, 61, had been under treatment for cancer. She and her NewsHour co-host Judy Woodruff …
Posted in: American Folklife Center, Audiovisual, Books, Collections, History, Law Library, National Book Festival, News, Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Erin Allen
November is National Novel Writing Month. Perhaps you’ve heard of, or even signed up for, the NaNoWriMo movement. Encouraging individuals to write and complete a 50,000-word novel from November 1-30, the nonprofit movement provides support, inspiration and community for budding writers to pick up that pen or open that laptop. To date, more than 9 …
Posted in: Books, Collections, Exhibitions, Manuscripts, National Book Festival
Posted by: Erin Allen
Adding another “book” to its social media shelf, the Library of Congress welcomes the Veterans History Project to Facebook. There, VHP will be sharing the stories of our veterans along with other news and initiatives. Visitors are also encouraged to share their own stories and help VHP collect more. VHP’s Facebook joins several other Facebook accounts from the …
Posted in: American Folklife Center, Collections, Folksonomies, History, Social Media, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Beverly Brannan, curator of photography in the Prints and Photographs Division. Helen Johns Kirtland must have been a very persuasive person because only a few U.S. women obtained credentials to report in countries actively fighting in World War I. Both she and her husband Lucien Swift Kirtland secured …
Posted in: Collections, Curators, History, Photos, Women's History