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Category: Washington DC

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Library in the News: November 2013 Edition

Posted by: Erin Allen

Making a splash in the news headlines was the public opening of The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive. The Library of Congress hosted MacFarlane, Druyan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and a host of other scientists and educators during a special event in Nov. 12. Full …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

The Sound of Drums

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

On Friday, November 22, 1963, the students in Mrs. Maxwell’s third-grade class at Sabin Elementary School in southwest Denver got a singular history lesson: the news came in that President John F. Kennedy had been murdered. Janet Maxwell, a popular young instructor who taught 25 kids reading, math, science and history by turns, was trying …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

A Celebration of Mexico: Honoring a “Living Legend”

Posted by: Erin Allen

Mexican anthropologist and historian Miguel León-Portilla is the newest recipient of the Library of Congress Living Legend Award for his work in studying the Náhuatl language and literature — the ancient, still-spoken tongue of the Aztecs. The award will be conferred upon León-Portill at the Library’s “Celebration of Mexico”on Dec. 12. The Living Legend Award honors those who have …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Recite the Gettysburg Address

Posted by: Erin Allen

On Nov. 19, 1862 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the cemetery at the Civil War battlefield. One of the most famous speeches in American history, the speech is recognized as a literary masterpiece. In three short paragraphs—some 270 words—Lincoln proclaimed the principles upon which the nation was founded, honored …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

A Rare Opportunity to Explore (and Take a Few Photographs)

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post from Michelle Springer in the Office of Strategic Initiatives.) On Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, you’re invited to a special public event. Twice each year, the Library of Congress opens its magnificent Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C., …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Honoring Achievements in Literacy

Posted by: Erin Allen

This year marks the debut of three awards administered by the Library of Congress and sponsored by philanthropist David M. Rubenstein to recognize and support achievements in the field of literacy, both in the United States and abroad. Recipients of the first annual awards, announced in September at the Library’s National Book Festival, are Reach Out …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

One Day, 15 Hours, 53 Minutes and Counting …

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

The Library of Congress National Book Festival is just hours away! It’s free … it’s open to the public on the National Mall … and it’s got fun and fascination for readers of all ages and tastes. No fewer than 112 stellar authors – historians, novelists, children’s and teens’ authors, poets, biographers, illustrators and graphic …