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Category: Collections

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

Lobbying for the Silver Screen

Posted by: Erin Allen

The following is a guest post by Brian Taves, senior cataloging specialist in the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. A new gift to the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division reminds us that movies are more than just the image on the screen and the sounds that accompany them. They …

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

Your Well-Wisher, H. C. Andersen

Posted by: Erin Allen

The following is a guest post from Taru Spiegel, reference specialist in the Library’s European Division. How would you like to receive a phone call out of the blue, asking if you are interested in a gift of priceless original letters by your favorite author? When you work at the Library of Congress, fairy-tale offers …

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

Reverberating Still

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Half a century ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave motion to a powerful, peaceful movement – and his words remain deeply moving today. Here, from the Library’s photographic collections, is a photo of Dr. King shortly before he traveled with members of his family to Oslo, Norway, where in December of 1964 he received …

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

The Registry — and Beyond

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

The closing days of the year are always exciting here at the Library of Congress, because the Librarian of Congress names the 25 films that are this year’s selections to the National Film Registry, which designates films that are to be preserved for posterity due to their cultural, aesthetic and historical value. But keep in …

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

All That Jazz … and Humor, Opera, Dance Music …

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Today the Library of Congress, in conjunction with Sony Music Entertainment, launched a website – “the National Jukebox” – that streams 10,000 sound recordings from the historic Victor Records collection.  It’s a fun and fascinating ramble for anyone who loves American music and wants to dig down into the roots of jazz, opera, a vast …

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

The Strings Shall Sing Again

Posted by: Erin Allen

The Library has been known to save a life … the life of an instrument, that is. While it’s always exciting when a new discovery is made within the institution’s vaults, it’s equally amazing when we can share it. In 1937, H. Blakiston Wilkins made a gift to the Library of six early stringed instruments: …

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

3-D Viewing for Civil War Photos

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 …