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Category: Curators

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World War I: The Library of Congress Memorial Tree

Posted by: Erin Allen

This is a guest post by Cheryl Fox, Library of Congress archives specialist in the Manuscript Division. The Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building is bordered by a number of impressive trees. One of them, a Japanese elm at the southwest corner of the building, was planted on Dec. 7, 1920, in memory of four Library of …

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

World War I: A New World Order – Woodrow Wilson’s First Draft of the League of Nations Covenant

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following was written by Sahr Conway-Lanz, historian in the Library’s Manuscript Division.) Like many individuals around the globe, Woodrow Wilson was shocked by the outbreak of a devastating world war among European empires in 1914. As President of the United States, however, he had a unique opportunity to shape the outcome of this catastrophic …

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

World War I: Norvel Preston Clotfelter

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by Rachel Telford, archivist with the Veterans History Project.) In 1917, Norvel Preston Clotfelter’s life was upended when he was drafted into the United States Army. He postponed his wedding, left his job as a school teacher in Mazie, Okla., and began his service at Camp Travis, Texas; he …

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

“Roots” – Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of an African-American Saga

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following post is written by Ahmed Johnson, African American genealogy specialist in the Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Division.) I’d like to begin with a story – a personal story. I remember being in a sociology class at Hampton University and discussing the government’s unfulfilled promise, in the aftermath of the Civil War, to …

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

World War I: Wartime Sheet Music

Posted by: Erin Allen

The following post was written by Cait Miller of the Music Division and originally appeared on the In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog. Piano transcriptions of large-scale works, marches, sentimental ballads, and other examples of parlor music are well documented in the Music Division’s sheet music holdings; and from the late 19th century through the early …

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

Love in the Ex-Slave Narratives

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by Sabrina Thomas, a research specialist with the Library of Congress’s Digital Reference Team.) Finding stories of love within the narratives of ex-slaves shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, for the millions of men, women and children who endured atrocities and injustices under the institution of slavery, the …

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

Beyoncé, Paul Bowles and More: Current GRAMMY Nominees with Library Connections

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by Stephen Winick, writer-editor in the American Folklife Center.)  This year the GRAMMY awards promise to be exciting for music fans everywhere, but especially fans of the Library of Congress. At least four of the nominees have connections to the Library’s American Folklife Center (AFC). They present archival recordings, …

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

Experts’ Corner: Presidential Podcasts

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following article is from the January/February 2017 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Library of Congress historians Julie Miller, Barbara Bair and Michelle Krowl contribute their knowledge of the presidents to a new podcast series. In 2016, The Washington Post presented a podcast series called …

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

Curator’s Picks: Surrogate First Ladies

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following article is featured in the January/February 2017 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Manuscript Division specialists Julie Miller, Barbara Bair and Michelle Krowl discuss some non-spousal first ladies. Martha Jefferson Randolph Because Thomas Jefferson was a widower when he became president, Dolley Madison, …