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Posted by: Erin Allen
O setting sun! though the time has come, I still warble under you, if none else does, unmitigated adoration. ~ Walt Whitman, “Song at Sunset” This picture was taken from the sixth floor balcony of the James Madison Building recently, as the sun set over Washington, D.C., bathing the sky in a lovely peach hue. …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Photos, Pic of the Week, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
You may recall reading about some early audio recordings of Alexander Graham Bell being recently recovered. Thanks to Library of Congress technology, these recordings and others can now have a new life. The following is a story by Mark Hartsell, editor of the Library’s newsletter, The Gazette, on how the institution is working to accomplish …
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
Soon all of Washington, D.C. will be blossom-crazy thanks to the upcoming National Cherry Blossom Festival – a signature event for the capital region – set for March 20 through April 27. This year, all the stops are being pulled out as the celebration marks the 100th anniversary of the gift of trees from Tokyo …
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
What do leaping frogs and composer Gioachino Rossini have in common? Well, thanks to today’s Google doodle the two are brought together rather comically – not only does today mark the cosmic anomaly of leap day but it’s also the 220th birthday of Rossini … or his 53rd, depending upon which way you roll. After …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Music, Today in History, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
J. Edgar Hoover – former Library of Congress employee, longtime director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a highly respected but feared individual – has been the subject of admiration and controversy alike. Some 40 years since his death, he has returned to the spotlight thanks to Clint Eastwood’s biopic “J. Edgar,” the DVD …
Posted in: Events, History, Manuscripts, Uncategorized, Video, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
One would be hard-pressed not to appreciate the splendor of the Library of Congress Main Reading Room. Granted, I may have an employee bias, but it truly is a magnificent space. A local blogger once referred to it as the “Sugar Ray Robinson” of interior spaces, with grandeur that “can’t be beat.” Twice each year, …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Events, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
The following is a guest post from Taru Spiegel, reference specialist in the Library’s European Division. How would you like to receive a phone call out of the blue, asking if you are interested in a gift of priceless original letters by your favorite author? When you work at the Library of Congress, fairy-tale offers …
Posted in: Collections, Manuscripts, 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
Here at the Library of Congress, we take in more than 10,000 items a working day – books, films, music, photographs. Many are the basic stuff of everyday research; some are rare items, especially beautiful, unusual or unique; and some are major treasures of the world, to be held and preserved for the knowledge and …
Posted in: Uncategorized