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Posted by: Neely Tucker
Jennifer “JJ” Harbster, culinary specialist and head of the Library’s Science Section, offers up a selection of 18th and 19th century punch recipes to lend a vintage touch to your holiday celebrations.
Posted in: Christmas, Drink, Library Work and Employees
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Cheers to a list of favorite holiday drinks from long-ago mixology books in Library collections as curated by J.J. Harbster, head of the Science Reference Section. You can try the Baltimore Egg Nog from 1862, but we'll opt for the bourbon-based Frosted Cocktail of 1910.
Posted in: Christmas, Curators, Drink, LCM, Library Work and Employees, Science
Posted by: Neely Tucker
This is a guest post by Barbara Bair, a historian in the Manuscript Division. She most recently wrote about Ralph Ellison’s photography work. Two important collections of Native American heritage have been digitized and placed on the Library’s website, enabling readers and researchers to dig into histories that are not widely known. The first, …
Posted in: Gazette, Library Work and Employees, Manuscripts, Maps, Native Americans
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Burt Bacharach, one of the most popular songwriters and composers in American history, was awarded the Gershwin Prize in 2012. He wrote or cowrote dozens of pop standards -- "Walk on By," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "The Look of Love," "I Say a Little Prayer," "(They Long to Be) Close to You" -- mostly with lyricist Hal David. He also composed, arranged, conducted the band or orchestras for the recording sessions and recorded his own albums. His songs have been recorded by hundreds of artists around the world. His papers are now at the Library.
Posted in: Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, LCM, Library Work and Employees, Music, National Recording Registry, Performing Arts, Songwriters
Posted by: Neely Tucker
"A Soldier's Journey," a new bronze statue, was recently unveiled at the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.'s Pershing Park. An excerpt from "The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak," a poem by former Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish, adorns another wall at the park. Both mark a fitting tribute to the nation's fallen soldiers this Memorial Day.
Posted in: Gazette, Library Work and Employees, Photos, World War II, Writers
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Vivian Li, an exciting Seattle-based artist and web developer, will be the Library's 2025 Innovator in Residence. Li burst into popular social media popularity with a series about the Seattle Fremont Bridge in 2023, bringing local history to life for new readers. At the Library, Li will develop a series called “Anywhere Adventures” that will connect young researchers with Library holdings about their local communities.
Posted in: Asian American, Comics, Gazette, Library Work and Employees
Posted by: Neely Tucker
"Wuthering Heights," the classic 19th century British novel, so fascinated Candice Buchanan as a teen that it helped inspire her career as a genealogist and reference librarian. She recounts the story here and provides a new research guide for readers into genealogical fiction.
Posted in: Genealogy, Library Work and Employees, Womens History, Writers
Posted by: Neely Tucker
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón kicked off her "You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks" project at several National Parks around the country this summer, from Cape Cod to California. With installations in the parks, she's hoping to showcase "the ways reading and writing poetry can situate us in the natural world." Her tour continues in October at Florida's Everglades National Park and at Arizona's Saguaro National Park in December.
Posted in: Gazette, Hispanic American History, Hispanic and Latino, LCM, Library Work and Employees, Poetry, U.S. Poet Laureate, Writers
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Richard Morris Hunt was perhaps the most influential American architect of the late 19th century. He went to Paris to study, then returned to spread the Beaux-Arts gospel and give America architecture that matched its ambitions. He designed castles that defined the Gilded Age, such as Breakers and Marble House in Rhode Island, and the Biltmore in North Carolina. The Library preserves his papers and has just published "The Gilded Life of Richard Morris Hunt" in association with Giles Ltd.
Posted in: Architecture, LCM, Library Work and Employees, Prints and Photographs Division, Publishing Office, Researcher Stories