National Recording Registry 2025: Musicians Break Down Their Iconic Hits
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announces the annual selection of 25 inductees for the National Recording Registry for 2025. This year, the inductees cover a broad timeline: starting in 1913 with the beloved song "Aloha 'Oe" which was composed by a Hawaiian Queen, a collection of folk music from the mines of West Virginia by Nimrod Workman, a riotous album from the master of…
Contributor:
Miller, Steve - Hayden, Carla - Blige, Mary J. - Taupin, Bernie - Loughnane, Lee - Miranda, Lin-Manuel - Pankow, James - John, Elton - Chapman, Tracy
Date:2025-04-09
Film, Video
Happy Little Seahorses: Brahms' Unwritten "Melusine" Opera
Laurie McManus of Shenandoah Conservatory discussed an unfamiliar opera libretto that was given to Johannes Brahms for consideration. While Johannes Brahms excelled in many musical arenas, he never managed to compose an opera, despite a lingering interest and encouragement from his friends. The most persistent of those friends was Hermann Levi, a Jewish conductor whose later advocacy for Richard Wagner overshadowed his relationship with…
Contributor:
Sommerfeld, Paul - McManus, Laurie - Vita, Susan H.
Date:2025-03-26
Film, Video
Radical Harmonies: Woodstock Meets Women's Liberation
Academy Award nominee Dee Mosbacher discussed "Radical Harmonies," her 2002 documentary chronicles the history of queer music by women. The film is a compilation of festival and performance footage, interviews, and archival material from the 1960s to the 1990s. "Radical Harmonies" delves into a musical culture based on a commitment to feminism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The film movingly illustrates how the Women's Music…
Contributor:
Metcalf, Meg - Mosbacher, Dee - Sandstrom, Boden
Chanoyu, Japanese Tea Culture and Special Exhibit of Japanese Tea Ware
The Library of Congress will host keynote lecture by Yūyūsai Sen Sōsa on Chanoyu, Japanese Tea Culture. The lecture is in conjunction with the Library’s special exhibit of tea ware collection. Yūyūsai will be introduced by Dr. Ryuji Ueno, the President of Omotesenke Domonkai, Eastern Region, USA. Yūyūsai is the 15th generation Iemoto of Omotesenke, the main family of the Way of Tea practitioners,…
Contributor:
Ueno, Ryuji - Penwell, Cameron - Sōsa, Yūyūsai Sen
Date:2025-03-13
Film, Video
Documenting COVID-19
Every American was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But every American's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was different. On March 11th, exactly five years since COVID-19 was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this panel discussion will bring together four documentarians of the COVID-19 pandemic to explore what it means to undertake cultural documentation in various communities during a public health…
Contributor:
Peach, Douglas - Martin, Allie - Vergara, Camilo Jose - Musgrave, Nicole - Dellinger, Midge
Date:2025-03-11
Film, Video
Anthony Braxton Papers
Tri-Centric Foundation archives manager Carl Testa talks with Library of Congress archivist Stephanie Akau about highlights from the Anthony Braxton Papers and the evolution of Braxton's compositional systems. The Tri-Centric Foundation was founded in 1994 to support and promote Braxton's music. In 2024, the archive was donated to the Library of Congress Music Division.
Contributor:
Akau, Stephanie - Testa, Carl
Date:2025-03-07
Film, Video
Book Talk with Martha S. Jones
Join prizewinning scholar of Black history, Martha S. Jones, as she delves into her family's past for answers. Journeying across centuries, from rural Kentucky and small-town North Carolina to New York City and its suburbs, "The Trouble of Color" is a lyrical, deeply felt meditation on the most fundamental matters of identity, belonging, and family. Martha S. Jones grew up feeling her Black identity…
Contributor:
Butterfield, Kevin - Norris, Michele - Jones, Martha S.
Date:2025-03-06
Film, Video
Douglas Kearney with Ron Charles
Douglas Kearney speaks with Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles about his groundbreaking new collection of visual poems, "I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always." Douglas Kearney has published eight books ranging from poetry to essays. In 2023, "Optic Subwoof," a collection of his Bagley Wright lectures, won the Poetry Foundation's Pegasus Prize for Poetry Criticism and the CLMP Firecracker Award for Creative Nonfiction.…
Contributor:
Charles, Ron - Smith, Clay - Kearney, Douglas
Date:2025-02-27
Film, Video
Conservation with Jupiter String Quartet
Winners of the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Jupiter String Quartet has been celebrated as "an ensemble of eloquent intensity ... one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene" (The New Yorker). For a special concert at the Library of Congress, the Jupiter Quartet worked with the Library's exceptional Stradivari instruments, preparing a program that…
Contributor:
Morales, Claudia - McDonough, Daniel - Freivogel, Liz - Lee, Nelson - Freivogel, Meg
Contributor:
Dow, Robert M. - Bulut, Aslihan - Reeves, Carlton - Jackson, Ketanji Brown
Date:2025-02-13
Film, Video
Conversation with José James
Claudia Morales sits down for a conversation with singer, songwriter, bandleader, and producer José James ahead of his final live performance of the 1978 album tour at the Coolidge Auditorium.
Contributor:
Morales, Claudia - James, José
Date:2025-02-08
Film, Video
Story Time for Grownups with National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
Award-winning author-illustrators Cece Bell and Raúl the Third, and 2008-2009 National Ambassador for Young People Literature Jon Scieszka, believe that picture books are important and give us an opportunity to be playful and mischievous, no matter our age. Learn about the surprising mechanics and artistry of picture books, enjoy stimulating read-alouds and indulge in storytime-themed beverages. We provide the blankets and hot chocolate, you…
Contributor:
Scieszka, Jon - The Third, Raúl - Bell, Cece - Barnett, Mac - Creightney, Anya
Date:2025-02-06
Film, Video
National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Inauguration: Mac Barnett
Award-winning author Mac Barnett will be inaugurated as the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, the ninth writer to hold this position. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will lead a conversation with Barnett during the ceremony. The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, with generous support from The…
Contributor:
Hayden, Carla - Barnett, Mac - Birkhead, Shaina - Klassen, Jon - Creightney, Anya
Date:2025-02-06
Film, Video
Holger Falk and Steffen Schleiermacher: Conversation with the Artists
Singer Holger Falk and pianist Steffen Schleiermacher speak with David Plylar of the Music Division about their recital at the Library of Congress. Topics include Hanns Eisler, Franz Schubert and the relationships in their music. The programming of new music and lesser-known music were also components of the discussion.
Contributor:
Falk, Holger - Schleiermacher, Steffen - Pylar, David
Date:2025-02-05
Film, Video
Christoph Wolff Lecture: "Bach Meets Handel"
Professor Christoph Wolff gave a Louis C. Elson Memorial Lecture entitled "Bach Meets Handel." He explored the biographical and musical intersections of the two composers, who never met in person but knew of each other's work. Wolff's lecture preceded a performance of works by J.S. Bach and Handel by harpsichordist Francesco Corti.
Contributor:
Brown-Cáceres, Nicholas - Wolff, Christoph
Date:2025-02-01
Film, Video
A Conversation with Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields has been in the public eye since she was a child, really. As an actor and model, she was everywhere. Now, at 59, she's a "woman of a certain age." Judging from her new memoir, "Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old," she feels more comfortable than ever. Shields talks with Nora O'Donnell of CBS about aging with power and grace.
Transpacific Encounters: Miguel Covarrubias, Zhang Guangyu
Swann Fellow Felicity Yin, Ph.D. candidate in art history at the University of California at San Diego, examines the 1930s cultural exchange between Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias and Shanghai artist Zhang Guangyu, focusing on Covarrubias' visit to Shanghai during his second trip to Bali. Using materials from the Library of Congress, the research reveals how their dialogues contributed to an indigenous turn in both…
Contributor:
Yin, Felicity
Date:2025-01-16
Film, Video
Apply for the 2025 Literacy Awards
Apply for the 2025 Literacy Awards today for a chance to receive up to $150,000. As many as 24 organizations will be selected and invited to join a network of more than 200 outstanding literacy organizations from across the country and around the world. The 2025 application period is open from January 7 to February 18, 2025. For more information, please visit www.loc.gov/literacy.
Date:2025-01-07
Film, Video
Conversation with the Pacifica Quartet
Members of the Pacifica Quartet speak with Carol Lynn Ward Bamford and David Plylar about their program. Topics include the music of George Walker, Charles Ives, Samuel Barber, George Crumb, and Antonín Dvorák, as well as the experience of playing with the Library's Stradivari instruments.
Contributor:
Hartman, Austin - Pylar, David - Ward Bamford, Carol Lynn - Holloway, Mark - Vamos, Brandon
Date:2024-12-18
Film, Video
2024 National Film Registry Announcement
The Librarian of Congress announces the annual selection of 25 inductees for the National Film Registry for 2024. The oldest film is a 1895 silent short titled "Annabelle Serpentine Dance" which many prints were distributed with hand-tinted color, and the newest is the 2010 social media biopic "The Social Network." In between are memorable Hollywood classics films such as "The Miracle Worker," sci-fi favorite…
17th Annual Mongolian Studies Conference Keynote
This year's keynote was be given by Simon Wickhamsmith of Rutgers University delivered the keynote to the 17th annual Mongolian Studies Conference on the subject, The Poetry and "Perfect Qualities" of Danzanravjaa, the "Wild Saint" of the Gobi, The 19th-century Mongolian monk-poet Danzanravjaa (1803-1856) is today regarded as one of Mongolia's most important cultural figures. His monastery, at Hamriin Hiid in the eastern Gobi…
Contributor:
Zoom, Jessalyn - Wickhamsmith, Simon - Meinheit, Susan
Date:2024-12-14
Film, Video
Conversation with Julius Rodriguez
Claudia Morales sits down with multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Julius Rodriguez to discuss his musical journey and reflect on the music collection items he explored. Later that day, Rodriguez performed selections from his recent album "Ever Green" at the Coolidge Auditorium.
Contributor:
Morales, Claudia - Rodriguez, Julius
Date:2024-12-13
Film, Video
Meg Medina: Closing Celebration for the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
Meg Medina closed her tenure as the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by celebrating her video program, "Cuéntame! Let's Talk Books." Medina, the first Latina in the role, served a two-year term and inspired children across the nation to talk about their favorite books, connected families to established childrens' authors via her video series and invited families to special visits at the…
Contributor:
Hayden, Carla - Casineros Dance Company - Creightney, Anya - Davis, Reginaed - Birkhead, Shaina - Muie, James - Greenfield, Max - Medina, Meg
Date:2024-12-12
Film, Video
The Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary: Modern Technology for Ancient Wisdom
Geshe Monlam talks about his Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary, which he recently donated to the Library. At its core, the Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary Project represents a concerted effort to preserve and propagate the rich tapestry of Tibetan language and culture. By compiling a comprehensive repository of Tibetan vocabulary spanning 223 volumes, this ambitious project encapsulates the depth and diversity of Tibetan linguistic heritage…
Contributor:
McGovern, Rep. James P. - Monlam, Geshe
Film, VideoNational Recording Registry 2025: Musicians Break Down Their Iconic Hits Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announces the annual selection of 25 inductees for the National Recording Registry for 2025. This year, the inductees cover a broad timeline: starting in 1913 with the beloved song "Aloha 'Oe" which was composed by a Hawaiian Queen, a collection of folk music from the mines of West Virginia by Nimrod Workman, a riotous album from the master of…
Film, VideoHappy Little Seahorses: Brahms' Unwritten "Melusine" Opera Laurie McManus of Shenandoah Conservatory discussed an unfamiliar opera libretto that was given to Johannes Brahms for consideration. While Johannes Brahms excelled in many musical arenas, he never managed to compose an opera, despite a lingering interest and encouragement from his friends. The most persistent of those friends was Hermann Levi, a Jewish conductor whose later advocacy for Richard Wagner overshadowed his relationship with…
Film, VideoRadical Harmonies: Woodstock Meets Women's Liberation Academy Award nominee Dee Mosbacher discussed "Radical Harmonies," her 2002 documentary chronicles the history of queer music by women. The film is a compilation of festival and performance footage, interviews, and archival material from the 1960s to the 1990s. "Radical Harmonies" delves into a musical culture based on a commitment to feminism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The film movingly illustrates how the Women's Music…
Film, VideoWomen Collectors and Authors: The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells Rebecca Rego Barry discussed her most recent book researched at the Library of Congress, "The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author."
Film, VideoChanoyu, Japanese Tea Culture and Special Exhibit of Japanese Tea Ware The Library of Congress will host keynote lecture by Yūyūsai Sen Sōsa on Chanoyu, Japanese Tea Culture. The lecture is in conjunction with the Library’s special exhibit of tea ware collection. Yūyūsai will be introduced by Dr. Ryuji Ueno, the President of Omotesenke Domonkai, Eastern Region, USA. Yūyūsai is the 15th generation Iemoto of Omotesenke, the main family of the Way of Tea practitioners,…
Film, VideoDocumenting COVID-19 Every American was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But every American's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was different. On March 11th, exactly five years since COVID-19 was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this panel discussion will bring together four documentarians of the COVID-19 pandemic to explore what it means to undertake cultural documentation in various communities during a public health…
Film, VideoAnthony Braxton Papers Tri-Centric Foundation archives manager Carl Testa talks with Library of Congress archivist Stephanie Akau about highlights from the Anthony Braxton Papers and the evolution of Braxton's compositional systems. The Tri-Centric Foundation was founded in 1994 to support and promote Braxton's music. In 2024, the archive was donated to the Library of Congress Music Division.
Film, VideoBook Talk with Martha S. Jones Join prizewinning scholar of Black history, Martha S. Jones, as she delves into her family's past for answers. Journeying across centuries, from rural Kentucky and small-town North Carolina to New York City and its suburbs, "The Trouble of Color" is a lyrical, deeply felt meditation on the most fundamental matters of identity, belonging, and family. Martha S. Jones grew up feeling her Black identity…
Film, VideoDouglas Kearney with Ron Charles Douglas Kearney speaks with Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles about his groundbreaking new collection of visual poems, "I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always." Douglas Kearney has published eight books ranging from poetry to essays. In 2023, "Optic Subwoof," a collection of his Bagley Wright lectures, won the Poetry Foundation's Pegasus Prize for Poetry Criticism and the CLMP Firecracker Award for Creative Nonfiction.…
Film, VideoConservation with Jupiter String Quartet Winners of the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Jupiter String Quartet has been celebrated as "an ensemble of eloquent intensity ... one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene" (The New Yorker). For a special concert at the Library of Congress, the Jupiter Quartet worked with the Library's exceptional Stradivari instruments, preparing a program that…
Film, Video2025 Supreme Court Fellows Program Lecture with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson The Law Library of Congress and the Supreme Court Fellows Program presents a conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. This event was live-streamed on YouTube.
Film, VideoConversation with José James Claudia Morales sits down for a conversation with singer, songwriter, bandleader, and producer José James ahead of his final live performance of the 1978 album tour at the Coolidge Auditorium.
Film, VideoStory Time for Grownups with National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Award-winning author-illustrators Cece Bell and Raúl the Third, and 2008-2009 National Ambassador for Young People Literature Jon Scieszka, believe that picture books are important and give us an opportunity to be playful and mischievous, no matter our age. Learn about the surprising mechanics and artistry of picture books, enjoy stimulating read-alouds and indulge in storytime-themed beverages. We provide the blankets and hot chocolate, you…
Film, VideoNational Ambassador for Young People's Literature Inauguration: Mac Barnett Award-winning author Mac Barnett will be inaugurated as the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, the ninth writer to hold this position. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will lead a conversation with Barnett during the ceremony. The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, with generous support from The…
Film, VideoHolger Falk and Steffen Schleiermacher: Conversation with the Artists Singer Holger Falk and pianist Steffen Schleiermacher speak with David Plylar of the Music Division about their recital at the Library of Congress. Topics include Hanns Eisler, Franz Schubert and the relationships in their music. The programming of new music and lesser-known music were also components of the discussion.
Film, VideoChristoph Wolff Lecture: "Bach Meets Handel" Professor Christoph Wolff gave a Louis C. Elson Memorial Lecture entitled "Bach Meets Handel." He explored the biographical and musical intersections of the two composers, who never met in person but knew of each other's work. Wolff's lecture preceded a performance of works by J.S. Bach and Handel by harpsichordist Francesco Corti.
Film, VideoA Conversation with Brooke Shields Brooke Shields has been in the public eye since she was a child, really. As an actor and model, she was everywhere. Now, at 59, she's a "woman of a certain age." Judging from her new memoir, "Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old," she feels more comfortable than ever. Shields talks with Nora O'Donnell of CBS about aging with power and grace.
Film, VideoTranspacific Encounters: Miguel Covarrubias, Zhang Guangyu Swann Fellow Felicity Yin, Ph.D. candidate in art history at the University of California at San Diego, examines the 1930s cultural exchange between Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias and Shanghai artist Zhang Guangyu, focusing on Covarrubias' visit to Shanghai during his second trip to Bali. Using materials from the Library of Congress, the research reveals how their dialogues contributed to an indigenous turn in both…
Film, VideoApply for the 2025 Literacy Awards Apply for the 2025 Literacy Awards today for a chance to receive up to $150,000. As many as 24 organizations will be selected and invited to join a network of more than 200 outstanding literacy organizations from across the country and around the world. The 2025 application period is open from January 7 to February 18, 2025. For more information, please visit www.loc.gov/literacy.
Film, VideoConversation with the Pacifica Quartet Members of the Pacifica Quartet speak with Carol Lynn Ward Bamford and David Plylar about their program. Topics include the music of George Walker, Charles Ives, Samuel Barber, George Crumb, and Antonín Dvorák, as well as the experience of playing with the Library's Stradivari instruments.
Film, Video2024 National Film Registry Announcement The Librarian of Congress announces the annual selection of 25 inductees for the National Film Registry for 2024. The oldest film is a 1895 silent short titled "Annabelle Serpentine Dance" which many prints were distributed with hand-tinted color, and the newest is the 2010 social media biopic "The Social Network." In between are memorable Hollywood classics films such as "The Miracle Worker," sci-fi favorite…
Film, Video17th Annual Mongolian Studies Conference Keynote This year's keynote was be given by Simon Wickhamsmith of Rutgers University delivered the keynote to the 17th annual Mongolian Studies Conference on the subject, The Poetry and "Perfect Qualities" of Danzanravjaa, the "Wild Saint" of the Gobi, The 19th-century Mongolian monk-poet Danzanravjaa (1803-1856) is today regarded as one of Mongolia's most important cultural figures. His monastery, at Hamriin Hiid in the eastern Gobi…
Film, VideoConversation with Julius Rodriguez Claudia Morales sits down with multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Julius Rodriguez to discuss his musical journey and reflect on the music collection items he explored. Later that day, Rodriguez performed selections from his recent album "Ever Green" at the Coolidge Auditorium.
Film, VideoMeg Medina: Closing Celebration for the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Meg Medina closed her tenure as the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by celebrating her video program, "Cuéntame! Let's Talk Books." Medina, the first Latina in the role, served a two-year term and inspired children across the nation to talk about their favorite books, connected families to established childrens' authors via her video series and invited families to special visits at the…
Film, VideoThe Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary: Modern Technology for Ancient Wisdom Geshe Monlam talks about his Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary, which he recently donated to the Library. At its core, the Monlam Grand Tibetan Dictionary Project represents a concerted effort to preserve and propagate the rich tapestry of Tibetan language and culture. By compiling a comprehensive repository of Tibetan vocabulary spanning 223 volumes, this ambitious project encapsulates the depth and diversity of Tibetan linguistic heritage…