You’ve heard, no doubt, about the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt, which was destroyed in a fire back in antiquity. (There are still debates about who torched it and why. We’ll probably never know.) You may also have heard that the national library of Egypt – the Bibliotheca Alexandrina – was rebuilt in an architecturally …
During one of my first visits to the Library of Congress’s Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, one of the division chiefs there pointed out the 35 mm projector in the theater. He commented that the sound of 35 mm film being fed through a projector is an “endangered sound.” My furrowed brow and quizzical look …
On Thursday evening, a very nice gift was given, and received, in an ornate room at the U.S. Department of State. Afghan President Hamid Karzai was the recipient – on behalf of several libraries and research institutions in his nation – of a trove of digitized treasures from the Library of Congress and its associated …
Old newspapers have acquired an iffy reputation over the years. We bemoan the trees that had to die to bring them into existence for their one day of glory; we dub them “mullet-wrappers” or note, as they do in the British Isles, that “Yesterday’s news is tomorrow’s fish-and-chip paper.” But old newspapers can be addictive! …
The Library of Congress blogosphere in August was full of great posts from our many expert curators and staff. Here is just a sampling: In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog The Musical Worlds of Victor Hebert On Aug. 16, the Library opened a new exhibition on composer Victor Herbert. The Signal: Digital Preservation Digital Preservation …
I was reading an article the other day on the possibility of a prequel to “The Shining” (1980), Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Apparently, the project is in its early stages of development but would focus on what happened at the haunted Overlook Hotel before the Torrance family arrived. While I’m not …
If someone set a bowl of cheese curls in front of you and declared it “breakfast,” would you be able to discern it from cereal? Even if you’re the type who likes cold pizza at 7 a.m., odds are you would not be too quick to pour on the milk and dive in with a …
Here’s a roundup of what’s been going on in the Library of Congress blogosphere in June. In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog “How to Find Your Snooky Ookums: A Guide to the Irving Berlin Collection” Pat Padua presents a guide to the Irving Berlin Collection. The Signal: Digital Preservation “Every Format on the Face of …
In addition to the Library of Congress blog that you’re reading right now, the institution has brought several other blogs into the fold. And, let me tell you, they are writing about some great things. From time to time, I hope to give a shout out to these blogs and direct your attention to what …
