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Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
I was 15 years old, sitting cross-legged next to my friend Mascha on a cork-tile floor at Mammoth Gardens, a roller-skating rink built in 1910. Plaster, occasionally, was falling from the ceiling – because the band on the stage that night was the drum-heavy Santana, which had just released its 1970 album “Abraxas.” That’s the …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Education, Events, Libraries, Pinterest, Social Media
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Today we’re going to add a new term to your broad vocabulary: Fenian. It’s a noun that describes a member of an Irish or Irish-American brotherhood dedicated to freeing Ireland from British dominion. The name was taken from the “Fianna,” a group of kings’ guards led by the legendary Irish leader of yore, Finn MacCool. …
Posted in: American Folklife Center, Civil War, Education, History, Music, Newspapers
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
With the Library of Congress National Book Festival just days away (it’s a week from this weekend, Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22, free of charge on the National Mall) we have a lot to share in addition to more than 100 best-selling authors for readers of all ages. One of the great stops …
Posted in: Books, Capitol Hill, Civil War, Collections, Concerts, Copyright, Curators, Education, Events, Law Library, LC Web site, Libraries, Maps, Music, National Book Festival, Newspapers, Photos, Preservation, Social Media, Technology, Veterans History Project, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
This is a guest post by Cheryl Fox of the Library’s Manuscript Division The First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas (July 21, 1861) set many precedents in American history—key troops were transported by train, battle reconnaissance was attempted via observation balloon, battle scenes were sketched and the battle’s aftermath, photographed to be published in newspapers. And …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Books, Capitol Hill, Civil War, Education, Exhibitions, History, Libraries, Maps, Photos, Today in History, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Old newspapers have acquired an iffy reputation over the years. We bemoan the trees that had to die to bring them into existence for their one day of glory; we dub them “mullet-wrappers” or note, as they do in the British Isles, that “Yesterday’s news is tomorrow’s fish-and-chip paper.” But old newspapers can be addictive! …
Posted in: Civil War, Education, History, LC Web site, Libraries, Newspapers, Preservation
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
On Monday (June 25) at the Library of Congress – in a conference anybody can attend, free of charge – the contributions of a congressman you’ve probably never heard of, but really should know about, will be explored. Justin Morrill of Vermont may never be as well-known as his executive-branch supporter in these endeavors, Abraham …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Capitol Hill, Civil War, Education, Events, History, Libraries, Manuscripts, Science, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
This is a guest post by Donna Urschel of the Library’s Public Affairs Office. If you’ve ever wondered where you are, or where you might be going, know this: if you have access to a computer, the Library of Congress now has 30,000 maps online to guide you. In the basement level of the Library’s …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Congress, Curators, Education, History, Maps, Preservation, Technology, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
This guest post is by Photography Curator Carol Johnson of the Library of Congress. The sesquicentennial of the Civil War coincides with renewed interest in 3-D images for movies, cameras, and television. Although 3-D technology seems new, stereo photography first became popular around the time of the Civil War. In fact, many Civil War photographs …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Education, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site, Photos, Preservation