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Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
If you follow popular music, you likely saw in June that Sir Paul McCartney—in Washington to receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song—not only sang at the White House but also, the night before that elegant gig, performed at a venue at the Library known as the Coolidge Auditorium. You might also …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Concerts, Events, History, Music, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Developers for the iPhone and iPad have been able to say “there’s an app for that” about a quarter-million times–the total number currently available in Apple’s App Store. But not until now has there been an official app for the Library of Congress. (So far it’s the first and only app–don’t be fooled by imitators!) …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Exhibitions, New Visitors Experience, Thomas Jefferson Building, Video
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Beloved comedian Bob Hope’s legacy has gotten new legs with the opening of the Library of Congress exhibition “Hope for America: Performers, Politics & Pop Culture.” An online preview is available here. “Hope for America” explores the special relationship between comedians and politicians and the way it changed in the century that encompassed Hope’s life and …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Capitol Hill, Collections, Exhibitions, Film, LC Web site, Thomas Jefferson Building
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Thursday, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington had an announcement sure to thrill hundreds of thousands of people who’ve loved the National Book Festival during its storied run, “a decade of words and wonder.” He announced that David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and managing director of the private equity firm The Carlyle Group, is donating $5 million …
Posted in: Books, Collections, Education, LC Web site, Libraries, National Book Festival, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
One of the complaints heard from non-fans of classical music is that so much of it reaches back centuries. As one wag, who preferred jazz, put it: “Mozart hasn’t written anything decent in 200 years!” And yet classical, as a genre, continues to unfold even in our lifetimes. Which means there may be among us the …
Posted in: Books, Concerts, Events, Music, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
On Tuesday, April 20 at noon, 16 actors will appear at the Library of Congress’ Whittall Pavilion to deliver more world-famous iambic pentameter than you can shake a spear at. It’s the annual Shakespeare’s Birthday reading, a chapter in the “Poetry at Noon” series presented by the Library’s Poetry and Literature Center. (It’s Shakespeare’s 446th.) …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Education, Events, Poetry, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Today Katherine Paterson, the author of “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Jacob Have I Loved,” “The Day of the Pelican” and more than 30 other children’s books, was named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. She summarized her platform for the reading-promotion post in four words: “Read for your life.” …
Posted in: Books, Education, Events, National Book Festival, News, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
When revolutionary-turned-president Thomas Jefferson still walked the streets of Washington, D.C., there were people who wanted to give him a good jab with their index finger and hand him a piece of their minds. These days, here on Capitol Hill, you can give Thomas Jefferson a jab … and dig a little deeper into his …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Collections, Education, Exhibitions, LC Web site, New Visitors Experience, Technology, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
From time to time, we ask ourselves: Where is the outrage? Well, for an amazing 72 years, it was on editorial pages, especially that of the Washington Post–in political commentary by the influential cartoonist Herblock (Herb Block), who made presidents and other public figures, from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush, ink-stained and wretched. The Library …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Collections, Exhibitions, History, New Visitors Experience, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC