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Archive: December 2021 (5 Posts)

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

A Special Treat for the Season: The Miniature Collection at the Library of Congress

Posted by: Beatriz Haspo

One of my passions is miniatures. I love how delicate they are, how engineered and practical they can be. I specially love miniature books. For almost two decades, I have had the privilege of working with the miniature books from the General Collections at the Library of Congress. In my capacity as Collections Officer, I have been able to propose and implement measures to improve security, preservation, and access of the miniature books for future generations. Learn more about the history of miniature books and see some example from the Library's impressive collection.

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

Meet Librarian-in-Residence, Sarah Hesler!

Posted by: Samantha Schireson

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work for the Library of Congress? Each year the Library selects a group of promising early-career library professionals to gain meaningful experience in diverse library service areas such as Archives and Special Collections, Collection Preservation, and Reference and Instruction to name a few! Last year …

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

Observing the Slightest Motion: Using Visual Tools to Preserve Sound

Posted by: Tana Villafana

This is a guest post written by Peter Alyea. Peter is a Preservation Science Specialist in the Research and Testing Division of the Library of Congress and has been working with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on imaging recorded sound collections for preservation and access since the inception of the IRENE project. Although making audio recordings …

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

Book Cloth Coverings: When Demand Exceeds Supply

Posted by: Aaron D. Chaletzky

This is a guest post by Clifton (Cliff) Fulwood, Head, Processing and Preparation Section in the Preservation Services Division. When library books are re-bound, a durable cover material called buckram is often used. Libraries have been using this material for well over 75 years, but due to a variety of changes in both libraries and commercial bindery supply lines this material is now in short supply.