2018 was a banner year for additions to the Library’s online resources. Here is a list of a few new resources you may want to explore or share with your students.
Congressional Research Service Reports
In 2018, Congress passed legislation requiring the the Congressional Research Service (CRS) make its reports available to the public. These reports, created by experts in CRS for use by members of Congress, provide detailed information on all sides of a topic. The CRS Reports website is searchable by topic. In addition, by clicking the search button one can see a list of all of the reports that are currently available online and limit by topic, date or author.
In addition, the CRS Reports page provides an Appropriations Status table and links to additional information on CRS.
Started in Fall 2018, this project invites visitors to the Library’s website to transcribe, review, and tag digitized images of manuscripts and typed materials from the Library’s collections. Presently materials from the collections of Clara Barton, Mary Church Terrell, Abraham Lincoln, Branch Rickey, and Rosa Parks are available for transcription. Wondering how to incorporate By the People into your classroom activities? Explore the suggested teaching activities provided by the Library’s education team.
Papers of Presidents and Other Noteworthy Americans
Explore the papers of presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and James Buchanan and his niece Harriet Lane Johnston ,who served as his official hostess during his presidency. These three collections join an expansive collection of presidential papers available on the Library’s website.
The Library has also made available the papers of a number of other notable people. Other new collections include the papers of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and founding polymath Benjamin Franklin, scouting reports of baseball legend Branch Rickey, and the papers of civil rights pioneer Mary Church Terrell. Sharing the words of these memorable citizens can help make history come alive. In addition the works of Branch Rickey and Mary Church Terrell are included in By the People. Help your students engage his history while also making these documents available to more people.
Occupational Folklore – Collections that Document All of Us
Interested in learning about the day-to-day lives of people in different communities or careers? Beginning in 2010, the Library’s American Folklife Center undertook a project to document the culture of contemporary American workers during an era of economic and social transition. The AFC Occupational Folklife Collections has more than six hundred hours of audio and audiovisual recordings documenting the lives of a variety of people. Learn more about the life of a circus performer or a person who works in a beauty salon. Explore the experience of an iron worker or someone who works in home health care. Students can compare how those interviewed answer questions about their experiences and how their jobs have changed over the years. 
The National Screening Room and Selections from the National Film Registry
Two of our favorite collections are the National Screening Room and Selections from the National Film Registry. These include amazing public domain films, including some that have been named to the National Film Registry. Students can view the House I Live In, a film featuring Frank Sinatra that was created to battle discrimination, Popeye the Sailor meets Sinbad the Sailor, the “Daisy” political advertisement, the Adventures of Junior Raindrop and the All-American News, the first newsreels created for the African American community that provided an African American perspective on the day’s news.
And if you need a bit of music for your classroom the LC Musical Concerts include recordings of concerts made in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium featuring performers including Dave Brubeck, Shirley Caesar, and the Julliard String Quartet.
Take a moment and explore some of these amazing collections. Let us know how you use them in your classroom activities.