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Category: Curators

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World War I: A Wartime Clipping Service

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a post by Arlene Balkansky, reference specialist in the Serial and Government Publications Division, and Will Elsbury, military history specialist in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division.) The Library of Congress’ historical newspaper collections are extensive in their coverage of World War I. From the beginning of the war to America’s involvement to …

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

Rare Book of the Month: From the Snows of Vermont Comes the “Jungle Book”

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest blog post written by Elizabeth Gettins, Library of Congress digital library specialist.) When you think of the “Jungle Book,” what comes to mind first? For some, it is the classic 1967 Walt Disney movie; for others, the new 2016 Disney release. However, for many bibliophiles, there is no substitute for …

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

Library in the News: May 2016 Edition

Posted by: Erin Allen

The month of May saw the Library of Congress in a variety of headlines. In April, the Library announced that THOMAS.gov, the online legislative information system, will officially retire July 5, completing the multi-year transition to Congress.gov. David Gewirtz for ZDNet Government wrote, “You have to wonder what Thomas Jefferson would have made of the …

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

Happy 180th Birthday to Col. Nathan W. Daniels

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is written by Michelle Krowl, a historian in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division.) On May 10, 1867 Colonel Nathan W. Daniels celebrated his 31st birthday. He noted in his diary, “Learned to day that I had been recommended and nominated by Chief Justice Chase as Register under the Bankrupt Act for the …

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

Welcome to the Newest Blog, 4 Corners of the World

Posted by: Erin Allen

Today we welcome the newest member of the Library’s blogosphere: 4 Corners of the World. Dedicated to showcasing the international collections and studies at the Library of Congress, the blog will highlight important research resources and rare treasures from the Library’s four area studies divisions — African and Middle Eastern, Asian, European and Hispanic. The term “four corners” is used in many …

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

Paying the Doctor in 18th-Century Philadelphia

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following blog post is by Julie Miller, early American historian in the Manuscript Division.)  How did 18th-century Americans pay for their medical care? A leather-bound volume of patient payments kept by Philadelphia physician William Shippen Jr. between 1775 and 1793 helps answer this question. The volume is in the Shippen Family Papers in the Manuscript …

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

Curator’s Picks: All That Jazz

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is an article from the March/April 2016 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Music Division Curator Larry Appelbaum highlights items from the Library’s exhibition “Jazz Singers.” BILLIE HOLIDAY No matter how many times I’ve seen this iconic portrait of Ms. Holiday by …

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

Gathered Around the Seder Table: Images from the Passover Haggadah

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by Sharon Horowitz, reference librarian in the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division.) Exodus 23:15 tells us that Passover should be celebrated in the spring. The rabbis understood this to mean it was their job to maintain the holiday in the spring, which required some manipulation …

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

Library in the News: March 2016 Edition

Posted by: Erin Allen

Headlining Library of Congress news for March was the announcement of new selections to the National Recording Registry. Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post spoke with singer Gloria Gaynor, whose “I Will Survive” was one of the selections. “For Gaynor, the Library of Congress honor simply acknowledges what the world has already figured out,” he …