News from the Library of Congress

December 2009

November 2009

  • November 29, 2009  (09-243)
    Abandoned Children in 19th-Century New York City Subject of Book Discussion In “Abandoned: Foundlings in Nineteenth-Century New York City” (New York University Press, 2008), Julie Miller offers a fascinating, frustrating and often heartbreaking history of a once-devastating, now-forgotten social problem that wracked one of America's biggest metropolises.
    • Date: 2009-11-30
  • November 22, 2009  (09-240)
    The Geneva Conventions at 60 Is Subject of Dec. 3 Program At the Library of Congress To mark the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Law Library of Congress, the American Red Cross and the Friends of the Law Library of Congress will present a 90-minute program titled “The Geneva Conventions at 60: Taking Stock” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Room…
    • Date: 2009-11-23
  • November 22, 2009  (09-241)
    Historians David Christian and John R. McNeill to Present “The Anthropocene: Are We There Yet?” on Dec. 10 Historians David Christian and John R. McNeill, in a lecture at the Library of Congress, will discuss how rapidly increasing human impact on the biosphere is changing the way scholars and experts view human history. Christian and McNeill will present “The Anthropocene: Are We There Yet?” at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, in the Whittall Pavilion on the ground level of the Thomas…
    • Date: 2009-11-23
  • November 22, 2009  (09-242)
    December Film Series Announced at the Library’s Packard Campus Theater The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va., celebrates the holidays and film preservation in its December film series, starting Dec. 3. The Packard Campus Theater will be closed on Christmas weekend.
    • Date: 2009-11-23
  • November 19, 2009  (09-A09)
    Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule All Library of Congress buildings will be CLOSED to the general public on Thursday, Nov. 26 in observance of the federal Thanksgiving holiday.
    • Date: 2009-11-20
  • November 18, 2009  (09-237)
    The American Folklife Center Announces the Alan Lomax Fellowship in Folklife Studies at the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress invites qualified scholars to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship for advanced research based on the Alan Lomax Collection.
    • Date: 2009-11-19
  • November 18, 2009  (09-239)
    Seventeen Writers Featured in “Poet and the Poem” Radio Series for 2010 Seventeen noted writers will be featured in the 2010 season of “The Poet and the Poem from the Library of Congress.” The radio series is available to all public radio stations via the Public Radio Satellite System’s ContentDepot, starting Jan. 13, 2010.
    • Date: 2009-11-19
  • November 15, 2009  (09-230)
    Music Legend Paul McCartney Named Recipient of Third Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today named music legend Paul McCartney as the recipient of the third Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. An all-star tribute concert is planned for spring 2010.
    • Date: 2009-11-16
  • November 15, 2009  (09-238)
    Ambassador of Singapore to Discuss International Commerce and Cross-Border Economic Development The theme of international commerce and cross-border economic development will be addressed at the inaugural program of the Asian Ambassadors Lecture Series, which will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the Mumford Room of the Library of Congress, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.
    • Date: 2009-11-16
  • November 11, 2009  (09-236)
    American Folklife Center Announces Fellowship to Honor Archie Green A fellowship has been created at the American Folklife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress to honor the memory of Archie Green (1917-2009), the pioneering folklorist who championed the establishment of the center. The Archie Green Fellowship will support new documentation and research into the culture and traditions of American workers and will create digital archival materials that will be preserved in the…
    • Date: 2009-11-12
  • November 8, 2009  (09-A08)
    Veterans Day Holiday Hours of Operation The Great Hall, exhibitions and the Library Shop within the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will be will be open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009.
    • Date: 2009-11-09
  • November 8, 2009  (09-233)
    Veterans History Project Spotlights the Service of Native American Veterans The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center spotlights his story and other interviews of Native Americans in "Willing to Serve: American Indians," a website feature that comprises nine first-person accounts of those who volunteered to serve during conflicts from World War II to Iraq. These one-of-a-kind stories can be found at www.loc.gov/vets/.
    • Date: 2009-11-09
  • November 8, 2009  (09-234)
    House Designates National Veterans History Project Week The U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 866 on November 3, 2009, to designate National Veterans History Project Week “to encourage public participation in a nationwide project that collects and preserves the stories of the men and women who served our Nation in times of war and conflict.”
    • Date: 2009-11-09
  • November 5, 2009  (09-235)
    New Exhibition “Louis Braille: His Legacy and Influence” Celebrates Bicentennial of Braille’s Birth The Library of Congress commemorates the 200th anniversary of Braille’s birth with “Louis Braille: His Legacy and Influence,” an exhibition in the foyer of the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, runs today through Jan. 30, 2010. The exhibition can be viewed online…
    • Date: 2009-11-06
  • November 4, 2009  (09-232)
    “Molto Animato! Music and Animation” Opens at the Library on Nov. 12 A new Library exhibition, “Molto Animato! Music and Animation,” opens on Thursday, Nov. 12, and will be on view through March 28, 2010.
    • Date: 2009-11-05
  • November 3, 2009  (09-227)
    Israeli Classical Music Is Subject of Nov. 19 Lecture Ronit Seter, a scholar in the field of Israel art music, will pose the question “Is Israeli Classical Music Jewish?” at a discussion to be held at noon on Thursday, Nov. 19 in the African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room (Room 220), located on the second floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building at 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.
    • Date: 2009-11-04
  • November 3, 2009  (09-228)
    Michael Handy Appointed Deputy Associate Librarian for Library Services Michael Handy, special assistant to the associate librarian for Library Services, has been appointed deputy associate librarian for Library Services. He will be responsible for new initiatives in Library Services, ensuring that projects and programs are carried out effectively and integrated into the existing organizational structure.
    • Date: 2009-11-04
  • November 3, 2009  (09-229)
    Symposium Highlights New Works of Portuguese and Brazilian Literature, Culture A symposium, “The Portuguese Renaissance and the Brazilian Baroque: A Colloquium on Three New Books” will be held on Friday, November 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Members’ Room, first floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building located at 10 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public.
    • Date: 2009-11-04
  • November 3, 2009  (09-231)
    Library of Congress Launches Cataloger’s Desktop 3.0, Major Modernization of Subscription Service The Library of Congress this week launched Cataloger’s Desktop 3.0, a major modernization of its popular web-based subscription service of important cataloging and metadata resources.
    • Date: 2009-11-04
  • November 1, 2009  (09-222)
    Veterans History Project Launches Field Kit Companion Video The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center offers a new video to help volunteer interviewers navigate the VHP Field Kit—a “how-to” guide on recording the first-person oral histories of American wartime veterans. Visit www.loc.gov/vets/ to download the video. RealPlayer is required.
    • Date: 2009-11-02
  • November 1, 2009  (09-223)
    Journalist Steven Roberts to Discuss His Book on Immigrant Families in America New York Times best-selling author Steven V. Roberts follows the stories of 13 families in his poignant, eye-opening look at immigration in “From Every End of This Earth: 13 Families and the New Lives They Made in America” (HarperCollins, 2009). Roberts will discuss and sign his work at the Library of Congress on Monday, Nov. 16 at noon in the Mumford Room, sixth floor…
    • Date: 2009-11-02
  • November 1, 2009  (09-225)
    Swann Foundation Accepting Fellowship Applications The Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon, administered by the Library of Congress, is accepting applications for its graduate fellowship for the 2010-2011 academic year. Applications are due by close of business on Friday, Feb. 15, 2010, and notification will occur in the spring.
    • Date: 2009-11-02
  • November 1, 2009  (09-226)
    Two Prize-Winning Poets to Read at Library of Congress on Nov. 12 A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist (2003) and a MacArthur fellow (2000) will read their poems at the Library of Congress on Nov. 12. Tony Hoagland, from Houston, Texas, and Lucia Perillo, from Olympia, Wash., will read at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.…
    • Date: 2009-11-02

October 2009

  • October 29, 2009  (09-219)
    Library of Congress Releases Reports on Bibliographic Record Production The Library of Congress is releasing today the results of its analysis of the creation and distribution of bibliographic data in U.S. and Canadian libraries.
    • Date: 2009-10-30
  • October 29, 2009  (09-224)
    November Film Series Announced at the Library’s Packard Campus Theater Cowboys, comedies and miracles headline the November film series at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va., starting Nov. 5. The Packard Campus Theater will be closed on Thanksgiving weekend.
    • Date: 2009-10-30
  • October 28, 2009  (09-221)
    Young Readers Center Opens at Library of Congress On Oct. 23, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington welcomed a group of young people, parents and others to the new Young Readers Center. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and her three children and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) and his son helped open the new center.
    • Date: 2009-10-29
  • October 28, 2009  (09-216)
    Life of Stripper Gypsy Rose Lee Is Subject of Book Talk Noralee Frankel will discuss her biography of Gypsy Rose Lee on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at noon in Dining Room A, sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. The program is sponsored by the Center for the Book as part of its Books & Beyond author series. The co-sponsor is the Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Division, whose reference specialist worked…
    • Date: 2009-10-29
  • October 27, 2009  (09-218)
    The Library of Congress Ft. Meade Storage Facility Wins National Construction Management Award The team that managed construction of Modules 3 and 4 and four Cold Storage Rooms at the Library of Congress Ft. Meade High-Density Storage Facility were honored with a national award yesterday in Orlando, Fla., from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA).
    • Date: 2009-10-28
  • October 26, 2009  (09-220)
    Library of Congress to Host Fall Preview of Books and Gifts on Nov. 3 Get a jump on holiday shopping at the fall Sale-a-Thon, hosted by the Publishing Office of the Library of Congress from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
    • Date: 2009-10-27
  • October 26, 2009  (09-215)
    Scientist Thorsten Markus to Discuss “On Thin Ice: The Changing Ice Cover on Polar Oceans,” Nov. 17 NASA scientist Thorsten Markus has closely observed the changes in the polar sea-ice cover, sometimes doing field work directly on the ice or from a NASA airplane and other times via satellite remote sensing. He will be sharing his expertise on polar ice in a lecture at the Library of Congress on Nov. 17. Markus, head of the Cryospheric Sciences Branch at NASA Goddard…
    • Date: 2009-10-27
  • October 25, 2009  (09-214)
    Native American Rights Fund Official To Deliver Native American Heritage Month Keynote Address on Nov. 18 Dawn Sturdevant Baum, a staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), will deliver the keynote address for the Library’s 2009 celebration of Native American Heritage Month. This year’s national theme is 'Pride in Our Heritage. Honor to Our Ancestors.'
    • Date: 2009-10-26
  • October 22, 2009  (09-217)
    Map That Gave America Its Name Is Subject of Book Discussion When Toby Lester heard about the map, he set out on a journey to tell the story of how the map was created and eventually came to the Library of Congress. The result is his book “The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name.” Lester will…
    • Date: 2009-10-23
  • October 22, 2009  (09-213)
    Library of Congress NDIIPP One of “Great Government IT Projects” Government Computer News (GCN) has named the Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) as one of the top federal information technology projects of 2009. The award was presented during the annual GCN Annual Awards Gala on October 22.
    • Date: 2009-10-23
  • October 19, 2009  (09-209)
    Library of Congress Recognizes Asian Pacific American Heroes The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center and the Library of Congress Asian Division Friends Society will co-host a special commemorative program titled “Unsung Heroes: Asian Pacific American Heroism during World War II” on Monday, Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, Room 119, 10 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the…
    • Date: 2009-10-20
  • October 18, 2009  (09-211)
    Israeli Filmmaker to Screen and Discuss “The Woman From Sarajevo” At the Library of Congress on Nov. 9 With a theme of “one good turn deserves another,” a film titled “The Woman From Sarajevo” will be shown at the Library of Congress at 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9 in the Pickford Theater, located on the third floor of the Library’s James Madison Building at 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. Israeli filmmaker Ella Alterman will discuss her film following the screening.
    • Date: 2009-10-19
  • October 18, 2009  (09-212)
    Library of Congress Celebrates 400th Anniversary of “Royal Commentaries” by El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Nov. 19 The Library of Congress and the Embassy of Peru will celebrate its 400th anniversary with a presentation by scholars at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the Library’s James Madison Building, 100 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington D.C. The event is free and open to the public; tickets and reservations are not needed.
    • Date: 2009-10-19
  • October 14, 2009  (09-210)
    Checklist for Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Now Online The Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress announces the new Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Online Checklist, which can be accessed directly at www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/sanborn/. This collection of maps, produced for business purposes, has proven to be a boon to historians.
    • Date: 2009-10-15
  • October 13, 2009  (09-206)
    Arnold Schoenberg Subject of Lecture on Oct. 28 Walter Frisch will discuss "Arnold Schoenberg's Creative Journey, 1897-1912" at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 28 in the Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St., S.E. Washington, D.C.
    • Date: 2009-10-14
  • October 12, 2009  (09-208)
    Library of Congress and Ad Council Launch New PSAs to Promote the Joy of Reading and New Website read.gov The Library of Congress and the Advertising Council joined today to launch a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to encourage children and adults to become engaged in reading and all other forms of literacy.
    • Date: 2009-10-13
  • October 7, 2009  (09-195)
    Library Study Shows Arcane State Laws Threaten Preservation of America’s Aural Heritage The Library of Congress announced today the release of the fifth in a series of landmark studies commissioned by the U. S. Congress and published by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) that highlight the challenges facing archives, libraries and other cultural institutions specializing in the preservation and public access to historic recorded sound materials. The report examines copyright laws in 10…
    • Date: 2009-10-08
  • October 7, 2009  (09-204)
    Children’s Book Historian Leonard Marcus And Children’s Book Writer Jon Scieszka in Program at Library of Congress Considered one of America's leading authorities on children’s books, historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus will discuss his new book, “Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy,” during a program at the Library of Congress on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at noon in the Mumford Room, sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E.
    • Date: 2009-10-08
  • October 7, 2009  (09-207)
    Jews of Brazil Subject of Oct. 20 Lecture at the Library of Congress Daniel R. Pinto of the Embassy of Brazil will deliver an illustrated lecture on “The Jews of Brazil” at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the African and Middle Eastern Division (AMED) Reading Room, Room 220 of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. Sponsored jointly by AMED and the Hispanic Division, the event is free and open to the…
    • Date: 2009-10-08
  • October 6, 2009  (09-199)
    Music and the Brain Series Returns to the Library of Congress Music across cultures, the relationship of music to spirituality, music’s affect on our health and well-being, and music as a new tool in fighting the deterioration of the aging brain and promoting mental fitness—these are all themes explored in the Library’s popular Music and the Brain series. Programming continues this season with an expanded roster of thought-provoking events, including 12 lectures, a special panel…
    • Date: 2009-10-07