New LibGuide – Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division

The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division.

Summer vacation is often associated with postcards as we share our journeys and memories with friends and family via snail mail. However, postcards get their moment in the sun all year long here in the Prints & Photographs Division.

A carload of mammoth navel oranges from California. Postcard copyrighted by Edward H. Mitchell, 1909. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.19095 — *A carload of mammoth navel oranges from California*. Postcard copyrighted by Edward H. Mitchell, 1909. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.19095

"St. Andrews-by-the-Sea" - Rye Beach, N.H. Collotype published by Moore & Gibson Co., 190-. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.18923 — *“St. Andrews-by-the-Sea” – Rye Beach, N.H.* Collotype published by Moore & Gibson Co., 190-. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.18923

Greetings from Epworth Heights, Mich. The Heights. Postcard copyrighted by A. S. Lyndon, 1908. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.02450 — *Greetings from Epworth Heights, Mich. The Heights.* Postcard copyrighted by A. S. Lyndon, 1908. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.02450

Collections Ripe for Research: A Sample from the Prints & Photographs Division. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/riperes.html

This popular format is featured on our “Collections Ripe for Research” list (right) and is the focus of one of our newest LibGuides.

When creating LibGuides, we have a road map to guide us with various content sections, one being a search. I first looked through postcard-specific collections and the Prints & Photographs holdings at-large using different “postcard” and “post card” keyword searches as well as exploring subject headings used for this type of material. This search navigation course shaped the “Searching for Postcards” section. One search result is featured below:

Results for subject heading search Postcards--1900-1910 in Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. — Results for subject heading search Postcards–1900-1910 in Prints and Photographs Online Catalog.

From these searches, I discovered different collections in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Several are available online, others require a visit to the Prints & Photographs Reading Room, and some need advance notice to allow staff ample time to retrieve. By highlighting the methods of access to collections, it’s a bit easier to see what you can do from home as well as better prepare for an in-person visit.

Selected Collections, Processed Materials in Libguide: Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division. https://guides.loc.gov/postcards/collections — *Selected Collections, Processed Materials* in Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division. https://guides.loc.gov/postcards/collections

Selected Collections, Unprocessed Collections in Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division. https://guides.loc.gov/postcards/collections — *Selected Collections, Unprocessed Collections* in Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division. https://guides.loc.gov/postcards/collections

While our postcard collection is vast, there are plenty of other places to search both online and in-person. Seeing what other Library of Congress collections and other institutions offer rounded out this journey, igniting a desire to visit a few other places! You can explore more of the postcard LibGuide content by using the main menu feature on the left-hand side.

Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division LibGuide. https://guides.loc.gov/postcards — *Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division* LibGuide. https://guides.loc.gov/postcards

The postcard LibGuide serves as your compass, while you drive the research. Happy trails to you!

Learn More:

See the full Postcards: Greetings from the Prints & Photographs Division LibGuide on the Library of Congress website.
A Library of Congress blog post: New for Research! LibGuides, provides a LibGuides 101 for all of the guides produced by Library of Congress post.
Revisit a previous Picture This blog post about a LibGuide for finding Native American visual resources.
Dig in to topics ready for discovery by looking through the Collections Ripe for Research list on the Prints & Photographs Reading Room page.

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