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Category: Books

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

Carl Reiner Webcast Now Online

Posted by: Matt Raymond

Legendary comedian Carl Reiner spoke to a standing-room-only audience at the Library the other day, and I had the very good fortune of attending. I guess I should not have been surprised that this 87-year-old man was every bit as funny and incisive as he always has been.  He spun terrific yarns, was always quick …

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

A Dozen Ways to Experience the National Book Festival

Posted by: Matt Raymond

Whether you can be in Washington tomorrow or not, there are many ways for everyone to be a part of the 2009 National Book Festival.  I came up with at least a dozen: 1. Attend!  It’s tomorrow (Sept. 26) from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT on the National Mall (between 7th and 14th), rain …

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

Read.gov: Rarely Has Reading Been So Much Fun

Posted by: Matt Raymond

The next two days for us will be a whirlwind of events as we celebrate the ninth annual edition of the National Book Festival.  But there’s one aspect I just absolutely had to call out. Our folks have been busily working behind the scenes on a revamp of our literacy.gov website, which promotes lifelong literacy …

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

National Book Festival: For Your Listening Pleasure

Posted by: Matt Raymond

#nbf Heads up: The first batch of podcast interviews with 2009 National Book Festival authors are now online here, on iTunes here (link opens in iTunes client) and on iTunes U here (link opens in iTunes client). Included in the first round are Junot Diaz, Rickey Minor, James Patterson, George Pelecanos, Nicholas Sparks and David Wroblewski–with more …

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

Is a Bad Economy Ever 'Good'?

Posted by: Matt Raymond

It’s sometimes said that if you want a really steady income, become an undertaker. There’s no doubt right now that times are tough all over.  The news media is among the industries that have been hit especially hard–in this case, by factors including changing technology and news-consumption habits, but also by lower ad revenues from …

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

Life in a Library 'Theme Park'

Posted by: Matt Raymond

The Library of Congress acquires some 10,000 items a day for its collections. But many of our finest acquisitions are not bound between leather covers or captured on a reel of celluloid: They are the people who make our collections come alive, who unearth meaning and inspiration among our 653 miles of stacks. One such …