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Category: Recorded Sound

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Inside the Archival Box: The First Long-Playing Disc

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

Today is Record Store Day, a movement that began in 2007 in order to celebrate independent record stores and the unique culture of owners, employees, artists, and customers that help them thrive. In honor of the occasion, here’s another “Inside the Archival Box” post with a look at the production of the first LP! Columbia …

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Jazz Appreciation in Moving Image and Recorded Sound

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

April is Jazz Appreciation Month! The Smithsonian National Museum of American History began this month-long celebration in 2001 to encourage people to listen to, read about, and play jazz music. Unsurprisingly, jazz is well-represented in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division at the Library of Congress, from commercial recordings to film and more. …

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Batter Up! Baseball in the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Collections

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

Baseball season is upon us, even if many parts of the country are still in the throes of winter! With the Nationals’ home opener against the Mets this afternoon, here are some baseball-related items in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division to whet your appetite and gear up for Major League Baseball’s 2019 …

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Revisiting the National Recording Registry: Non-Music Recordings

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

The National Recording Registry  is well-known for its selections of music of all genres, but did you know about all of the historic radio and spoken word recordings that have also been inducted to the Registry? The Registry ensures that recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” get preserved for future generations, and many …

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“America’s First Lady of Radio”: Mary Margaret McBride

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

Throughout 2019, the Library of Congress is inviting visitors to Explore America’s Changemakers through a series of exhibitions, events, and programs. Changemakers are everywhere. Everyday citizens become trailblazers and history makers, shaping America and making life better. Come discover their stories with us, and be inspired to create new stories of your own. In honor of Women’s History Month …

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See and Hear: Presidents on Record

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

Happy Presidents’ Day from the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division! Moving image and recorded sound materials offer exciting possibilities for engaging with the lives and political careers of past presidents. To launch your exploration, we’ve pulled together some online resources from the Division that illuminate the lives of past presidential figures.   Moving …

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Copyright Breakdown: The Music Modernization Act

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

Reference librarians in the Recorded Sound and Moving Image Research Centers get hundreds of questions each year about materials in the public domain. For films, which follow the current 95-year restrictions along with many other types of publications, the answer is fairly straightforward: if it was published before January 1, 1924 (as of January 1, …

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Remembering the Holocaust: The David P. Boder Collection

Posted by: Amanda Jenkins

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day—to honor the millions of victims of the Holocaust and Nazism, to promote educational programs and events, and to prevent further genocide. The resolution, passed in 2005 by the United Nations General Assembly, condemns religious persecution and intolerance, rejects all forms of Holocaust denial, and encourages UN member states …