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Archive: 2016 (165 Posts)

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New Online: More Presidents & Newspapers

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by William Kellum, manager in the Library’s Web Services Division.)  July was a relatively quiet month for the Library’s websites, highlighted by the long-planned retirement of THOMAS, covered in this excellent blog post from the Law Library’s In Custodia Legis blog. New in Manuscripts The William Henry Harrison Papers have recently …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

The NEH “Chronicling America” Challenge: Using Big Data to Ask Big Questions

Posted by: Erin Allen

The following cross-post was written by Leah Weinryb Grohsgal of the National Endowment for the Humanities and originally appeared on The Signal: Digital Preservation blog. Historic newspapers offer rich histories of American life, with glimpses into politics, sports, shopping, music, food, health, science, movies and everything in between. The National Digital Newspaper Program, a joint effort …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Trending: Olympic Games

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a feature in the July/August 2016 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM, that was written by Audrey Fischer, magazine editor. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Broadcasts of the Olympic Games bring the event to life for millions of viewers and leave a record behind for posterity. …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Letters About Literature: Dear Dorothy Parker

Posted by: Erin Allen

We’re winding down our blog feature highlighting the 2016 Letters About Literature contest with winners from Level 3 (grades 9-12). The contest asks young people in grades 4 through 12 to write to an author (living or deceased) about how his or her book affected their lives. Today we feature National Prize-winner Sara Lurie of Colorado, who wrote …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Pic of the Week: Final Projects

Posted by: Erin Allen

On Wednesday, the Library of Congress Junior Fellows Summer Interns presented more than 100 rare and unique items from 17 Library divisions. The display provided the opportunity for fellows to discuss the historic significance of the collection items they have researched and processed during their 10-week internships. Some highlights included: an Olmec ceramic figurine (900-1200 …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Saving the Sounds of Radio

Posted by: Mark Hartsell

The Library of Congress is working to preserve the nation’s historical broadcasts When Wilt Chamberlain smashed an NBA record in 1962 by scoring 100 points in a single game, a radio broadcast provided the only real-time account of the Stilt’s incredible feat. When Charles Lindbergh flew the Atlantic, Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation in …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

World War I: A Wartime Clipping Service

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a post by Arlene Balkansky, reference specialist in the Serial and Government Publications Division, and Will Elsbury, military history specialist in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division.) The Library of Congress’ historical newspaper collections are extensive in their coverage of World War I. From the beginning of the war to America’s involvement to …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Letters About Literature: Dear Gayle Forman

Posted by: Erin Allen

Last week, we featured the first of two letters that tied for the National Honor Award for Level 2 in the Letters About Literature contest. The initiative is a national reading and writing program that asks young people in grades 4 through 12 to write to an author (living or deceased) about how his or her …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Pic of the Week: Teacher Institutes

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following was written by Stephen Wesson, Educational Resource Specialist at the Library of Congress.) This June and July, teachers and school librarians from more than 40 states have gathered in Washington for the Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institutes. These intensive, week-long professional development sessions, which are organized by the Library’s Educational Outreach division, …