Top of page
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
One of the sad facts about the commercialization of the holiday season – for me, anyway — is that many Christmas carols I related to as a child have become so much sonic wallpaper. On a positive note, though, my inner ear has anointed some tunes as “ex officio” holiday music – the entire Beatles …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, History, Music, Preservation
Posted by: Erin Allen
April seemed to be a picture-perfect month for the Library of Congress in the headlines. Its release of a rare collection of images by Frances Benjamin Johnston, one of the first female professional photographers, made it into several high-profile media outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times and the Associated Press. “On one …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, News, Photos, Preservation, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Comics and cartoons are well-loved because they’re funny. Most of us think of them as a break in the monotony of a working day, a light moment, a chuckle over our morning coffee. But for some, mirth is money. Those people tend to take their comics more seriously. Take, for example, the reaction to “The …
Posted in: Books, Collections, Events, History, Newspapers, Photos, Preservation, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
The closing days of the year are always exciting here at the Library of Congress, because the Librarian of Congress names the 25 films that are this year’s selections to the National Film Registry, which designates films that are to be preserved for posterity due to their cultural, aesthetic and historical value. But keep in …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Film, History, LC Web site, Music, Preservation, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
This is a guest post by Donna Urschel of the Library’s Public Affairs Office. If you’ve ever wondered where you are, or where you might be going, know this: if you have access to a computer, the Library of Congress now has 30,000 maps online to guide you. In the basement level of the Library’s …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Congress, Curators, Education, History, Maps, Preservation, Technology, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Today the Library of Congress, in conjunction with Sony Music Entertainment, launched a website – “the National Jukebox” – that streams 10,000 sound recordings from the historic Victor Records collection. It’s a fun and fascinating ramble for anyone who loves American music and wants to dig down into the roots of jazz, opera, a vast …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Education, Events, History, LC Web site, Music, Poetry, Preservation, Technology, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
This guest post is by Photography Curator Carol Johnson of the Library of Congress. The sesquicentennial of the Civil War coincides with renewed interest in 3-D images for movies, cameras, and television. Although 3-D technology seems new, stereo photography first became popular around the time of the Civil War. In fact, many Civil War photographs …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Education, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site, Photos, Preservation
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
This year’s selections for the National Recording Registry were announced today — the ninth annual addition to a list now totaling 325 recordings deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant and worthy of preservation for all time. According to the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress – with input from the Library’s …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Music, Preservation, Uncategorized
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Butch Lazorchak of the Library’s National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program brings us this guest post on the Library’s involvement in one of the most important conferences for the creative and technology communities: The South By Southwest Conference, being held in Austin, Texas, March 11-20, 2011, has rapidly become one of the most influential …
Posted in: Events, Music, News, Preservation, Technology