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Posted by: Erin Allen
It is rather hard to believe that at one time some of the decorative murals that adorn every nook and cranny of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building weren’t even known to be there. In the decades after it opened in 1897, the building became increasingly overcrowded with growing staff and collections. By the …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a story written by Library of Congress archivist Cheryl Fox for the July-August 2013 edition of the Library of Congress Magazine. You can download the issue in its entirety here.) As the American people struggled to come to grips with the death of president John F. Kennedy, the nation’s Library provided reference, …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Capitol Hill, Events, Manuscripts, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
You know the old saying, “they don’t make them like they used to” – which is perhaps why I’ve always been a fan of classic movies. I’m more prone to get excited about one of them on the television than brand-new ones at the movie theater. The passing of a beloved actress, who I grew …
Posted in: Events, Film, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Jason Steinhauer, program specialist in the Library’s John W. Kluge Center.) Author Marie Arana is a writer-at-large for the Washington Post and former editor-in-chief of Book World, as well member of the Library of Congress Scholars Council. Her latest book, a biography of Simon Bolívar, was extensively researched …
Posted in: Books, Events, History, Kluge Center, Libraries, Researcher Stories, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
When looking at some clothing trends of today, with their bright colors and patterns, daring necklines, couture price tags and sometimes general wackiness, it’s hard to imagine how far fashion has actually come. According to Mary D. Doering, an heirloom-clothing collector, despite the trauma imposed by the Civil War, the mid-19th century witnessed the development …
Posted in: Civil War, History, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
The Library of Congress blogosphere published lots of great content in April. Following is just a highlight. In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog An “Appalachian Spring” Collaboration Students from the Baltimore School for the Arts talk about working with the Music Division collections. Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business The Great Sheet Cake Mystery Jennifer …
Posted in: Collections, Education, Law Library, LC Web site, Music, Photos, Poetry, Science, Social Media, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
Saturday is the 270th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth (April 13, 1743). And, the Library of Congress owes much to this esteemed third president. After the British invaded Washington in the War of 1812, they burned down the Capitol building, including the Library of Congress collection housed there. Jefferson, an avid book collector, sold his …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, History, Thomas Jefferson Building, Today in History, Uncategorized, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
With pop culture changing at such a rapid pace, it’s no wonder our language changes with the times as well. Here today, gone tomorrow as they say. I wonder where that phrase came from? Barry Popik has made it his passion to discover word and phrase etymology. A lawyer and writer, Popik is a contributor …
Posted in: Collections, Education, LC Web site, Newspapers, Researcher Stories, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is an article from the January-February 2013 issue of the Library’s magazine, LCM, featuring an excerpt from an interview with historian and author Robert Caro about Lyndon Baines Johnson.) LCM: You’ve spent more than 30 years researching and writing about Lyndon Johnson, with a final volume yet to be published. What aspects of …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Podcasts, Uncategorized