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Posted by: Matt Raymond
A forlorn-looking girl in a mourning dress holds a picture of her late father. An impossibly young soldier, probably prepubescent, stands at attention with his bayoneted musket. An African-American in Union uniform sits stoically with his wife and two daughters. A pair of uniformed comrades pose comically, each holding a cigar in the other’s mouth. …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Events, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site, Photos
Posted by: Matt Raymond
One of the things I love about working here is the reaction people often have to the collections: the broad smiles, the dropped jaws, the “I-can’t-believe-you-have-thats.” It’s times like those when I wish more Americans could have those same magical moments. Abby and Emily Rapoport apparently thought the same thing. The two approached the Library …
Posted in: Collections, Curators, Education, Exhibitions, History, News
Posted by: Matt Raymond
My colleague Erin Allen wrote the following for the Library’s in-house letter, The Gazette, and I thought it worth sharing with a wider audience: Among comic-book aficionados, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham (1895–1981) is considered as much of a villain as those he assailed in the crime and horror comics he criticized. However, Wertham was more than …
Posted in: Collections, History, Libraries, Manuscripts, Photos
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Did you happen to catch the “CBS Evening News” last night? They featured the latest audio recordings the Library has added to the National Recording Registry, which features everything from Jiminy Cricket and Little Richard to Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Tupac Shakur and a World War II battle. As Katie Couric might say, Anthony Mason …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, History, Music, News
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Tim Daly gingerly wound his way up a narrow spiral staircase to a low-ceilinged, vaulted alcove overlooking the ornate Ceremonial Office of the Librarian of Congress. Surveying the VIPs on the crowded floor below–members of Congress, Hollywood A-listers, Library leadership–he pulled out a digital camera to capture the celebratory moment. Then he paused. “I wonder …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Events, History, Music, Preservation
Posted by: Matt Raymond
(UPDATE: Here’s a December 2017 status report on our work with the Twitter archives.) (UPDATE: Here’s a January 2013 status report on our work with the Twitter archives.) Twitter’s gift (link is PDF) to the Library of Congress of its entire archive of public tweets, announced two weeks ago today, sure has stoked the public’s interest. …
Posted in: Collections, History, News, Preservation, Social Media, Technology
Posted by: Matt Raymond
The history of our nation — from the earliest settlers through the present day — is a story of ambition and resilience, a story of human ingenuity conquering the impossible. In its new epic series “America The Story of Us,” which premieres Sunday night (April 25) at 9 p.m. EDT, HISTORY will retell the extraordinary …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Events, History, Photos, Video
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Quite often I have to “sit on” very exciting news here until all the details are put into place, and whatever we’re going to announce is ready for prime-time. Such is the case with the new version of our Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC, pronounced “P-pock”), which has launched within the past few days. …
Posted in: Cataloging, Collections, Curators, History, LC Web site, News, Photos, Social Media, Technology
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Even for many of those who might yawn their way through the gridiron action on Sunday between New Orleans and Indianapolis, they will perk right up and stare intently at the screen during the station breaks. Super Bowl commercials have become something of an event of their own, alongside the actual game. The Inside Adams …
Posted in: Collections, Curators, Education, Events, History