Top of page

Archive: 2020 (60 Posts)

Dozens of squares, each with its own individual color or shade, lined up in rows and columns

How to Write a FDD in 149 Easy Steps: Learning to Evaluate Digital File Formats

Posted by: Carlyn Osborn

Today’s guest post is from Marcus Nappier, who is a Digital Collections Specialist in the Digital Content Management Section at the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress maintains over 470 format description documents (FDDs) on the Sustainability of Digital Formats website that provide information about file-formats, bit stream structures and encodings, and their usage in …

Dozens of squares, each with its own individual color or shade, lined up in rows and columns

Metaphors for Understanding Born Digital Collection Access: Part III

Posted by: Eileen J. Manchester

Kathleen O’Neill is currently serving as one of two Staff Innovators at the Library of Congress. Their 2020 project, Born Digital Access Now!, explores existing pathways for accessing born digital materials in the Manuscript Division. In this series of blog posts, Kathleen describes the complexities of gaining access to born digital materials through the lens of three different metaphors. Up first was "Media Format, or, Have Fun Storming the Castle!" The second blog post discussed "Legacy File Formats and Operating Systems or Lost in Translation." This is the third and final post in the series and Kathleen carefully explains the process of emulation and makes it feel less like "strange magic."

Dozens of squares, each with its own individual color or shade, lined up in rows and columns

Metaphors for Understanding Born Digital Collection Access: Part II

Posted by: Eileen J. Manchester

Kathleen O'Neill is currently serving as one of two Staff Innovators at the Library of Congress. Their 2020 project, Born Digital Access Now!, explores existing pathways for accessing born digital materials in the Manuscript Division. In this series of blog posts, Kathleen describes the complexities of gaining access to born digital materials even before they reach researchers. This is the second post in the series and focuses on legacy file formats through the metaphor of being "lost in translation."

Dozens of squares, each with its own individual color or shade, lined up in rows and columns

Web Archiving Virtually In Residence: An Interview with Meghan Lyon

Posted by: Trevor Owens

Meghan Lyon recently joined the Web Archiving Team in the Digital Content Management section as a Librarian in Residence. In support of developing the next generation of librarians and information professionals, the Librarians-in-Residence program (LIR) gives early-career librarians the opportunity to gain meaningful work experience at the Library of Congress. In light of the COVID-19 …

Dozens of squares, each with its own individual color or shade, lined up in rows and columns

Metaphors for Understanding Born Digital Collection Access: Part I

Posted by: Eileen J. Manchester

The following is a guest post by Senior Archivist Kathleen O'Neill. Kathleen and her colleague Chad Conrady are currently working on a project called Born Digital Access Now! as the 2020 Staff Innovators in LC Labs. Their first blog post introduces the project, which aims to provide greater access to born digital materials held in the Manuscript Division, in greater detail. Today's post is the first in a series of three blog posts in which Kathleen will discuss different challenges or barriers to born digital collection access through the lens of three different metaphors. Up first is: "Media Format, or, Have Fun Storming the Castle!"

Dozens of squares, each with its own individual color or shade, lined up in rows and columns

Interactive Maps, Oral Histories, LC for Robots, and More! 2020 Library of Congress Junior Fellows Explored the Library’s Collections, Data, and Access

Posted by: Leah Weinryb-Grohsgal

Each summer, the Library of Congress welcomes a cohort of Junior Fellows to its Summer Intern Program.  The 10-week paid fellowship allows undergraduate and graduate students to embark on special projects with in Library collections and services, while learning about work in a large cultural heritage organization.  This year, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, …