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Archive: November 2018 (14 Posts)

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

“Rear Window”: National Film Registry 30/30

Posted by: John Sayers

The following is part of a 30-post series on the Library’s Now See Hear! blog celebrating 30 years of our National Film Registry, which selects 25 films each year showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation. The 30th National Film Registry selections will be announced next month. This …

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

Native American Heritage Month: Bringing Native Voices to Light

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

On June 4 in the Madison Building’s West Dining Room, Dwayne Tomah of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine stood to sing a tribal war song at a celebration organized by the American Folklife Center. It was an emotional moment for Tomah — the song hadn’t been performed publicly in 128 years. He was able to …

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

My Job at the Library: A Folklife Cataloger Reflects on Her Career

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Margaret “Maggie” Kruesi is the first and, so far, the only cataloger to work at the Library’s American Folklife Center (AFC). Before starting in 2004, she earned a Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania and acquired considerable experience cataloging and otherwise processing archival collections at Penn’s Van Pelt Library. She will retire from …

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

“Do the Right Thing”: National Film Registry 30/30

Posted by: John Sayers

The following is part of a 30-post series on the Library’s Now See Hear! blog celebrating 30 years of our National Film Registry, which selects 25 films each year showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation. The 30th National Film Registry selections will be announced next month. This …

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

Pic of the Week: Gettysburg Address

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

On Nov. 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Invited to give a “few appropriate remarks” to dedicate a cemetery for Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln delivered — over the course of about two minutes — what has become one of the most widely recognized speeches in …

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

Sample a Taste of History This Thanksgiving!

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

This is a guest post by Lavonda Kay Broadnax, digital reference specialist in the Library’s Research and Reference Services Division. Thanksgiving is a holiday that evokes thoughts of food and history. Many items in the Library of Congress’ collections capture the intersection between food and history, but the most notable may be an 1881 cookbook …

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

30 Years of Movies in 30 Days

Posted by: John Sayers

Over on our “Now See Hear!” blog, we’ve been featuring a special series of posts celebrating the 30th anniversary of our National Film Registry. Each year since 1989, the Librarian of Congress has selected 25 films of cultural, historic and/or aesthetic importance that showcase the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness …

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

The First Film Version of Frankenstein, Newly Restored!

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

This is a guest post by Mike Mashon, head of the Moving Image Section of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. He writes about the first of many films based on Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein,” published 200 years ago this year. The post is republished from the division’s blog, “Now See Hear!” Rarely …

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

I Can’t Wait to Slow Down: Looking Forward to Tracy K. Smith on the Air

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

The following guest post is by Jeff Shotts, executive editor at Graywolf Press, publisher in association with the Library of Congress of the anthology “American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time” by U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith. Regular, daily poetry programming on the airwaves has not only been saved, it’s been revitalized. American Public …