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Category: Maps

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

What Time Is It?

Posted by: Erin Allen

With the recent “fall back” of daylight saving time, we had to reset our clocks and maybe our brains to get used to the change. And, if you’re someone that conducts business in different time zones, that adjustment can take additional getting used to. I know I always have trouble remembering how far ahead or behind …

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

Technology at the Library: Display By Design

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is an article in the September/October 2016 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. The article was written by Fenella France, chief of the Library’s Preservation, Research and Testing Division.) Technological advancements have made it possible for the Library to put several rare maps on long-term display. Preserving and making the Library’s …

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

New Website on Martin Waldseemüller

Posted by: Erin Allen

The Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress and the Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy, today unveiled a multi-media interactive website that celebrates the life and times of 16th-century cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, who created the 1507 World Map, which is the first document to use the name “America,” represent the Pacific Ocean and …

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

Mapping the Imaginary

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is an article written by Hannah Stahl and featured in the September/October 2016 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. Stahl is a library technician in the Library’s Geography and Map Division. This article is adapted from a series of posts by the author on the Geography and Map Division’s blog.) Maps of …

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

New Online: Today in History, Hispanic Heritage & Folklife Collections

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post by William Kellum, manager in the Library’s Web Services Division.)  Website Updates Today in History is an online presentation of historic events illustrated by items from the Library’s digital collections. First established in 1997, the site was migrated this month from the American Memory site to a new home …

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

Making of the Modern Map

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a feature story in the September/October 2016 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. The story is written by Ralph Ehrenburg, chief of the Library’s Geography and Map Division. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Advances in technology continue to transform the ancient art and science of mapmaking. …

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

Here Comes Hayden: New Librarian Gets Busy Start in First Week

Posted by: Erin Allen

To say that Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden is all smiles, excitement and curiosity is an understatement. On her first official day in office last Thursday, her inquisitiveness and thirst for all things was almost palpable. Hayden began her day with a meeting on the National Book Festival. “This is so exciting,” she said, a …

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

How Did America Get Its Name?

Posted by: Erin Allen

Today, America celebrates its independence. Our founding fathers drafted and adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring America’s freedom from Great Britain and setting in motion universal human rights. While the colonies may have established it, “America” was given a name long before. America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who set forth the …