News from the Library of Congress

December 2018

November 2018

  • November 29, 2018  (18-141)
    Library Acquires Archive of Jazz Great Billy Strayhorn The Library of Congress announced today that it has acquired the original manuscripts documenting the work of composer, arranger and pianist Billy Strayhorn. An important star in the jazz firmament, Strayhorn was the source of much of the sound of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He worked with Ellington for nearly 30 years, writing or collaborating on more than 200 tunes and arrangements for the...
    • Date: 2018-11-29
  • November 29, 2018  (18-A08)
    Jefferson Building Closed December 19 On Wednesday, December 19, 2018, the Great Hall, all exhibitions and the Library Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will be closed for a special event.Additionally, the West Main doors, West basement (carriage) doors and the Capitol Visitors Center tunnel will close to the general public. Researchers with Library-issued credentials may access the Jefferson Building reading rooms as they...
    • Date: 2018-11-29
  • November 28, 2018  (18-140)
    University of Puerto Rico to Establish First Puerto Rico Center for the Book as 53rd Affiliate of Library of Congress The University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Information Sciences and the Library Sciences and Informatics Library will establish the first Puerto Rico Center for the Book in 2019 as the 53rd affiliate center of the Library of Congress, the two institutions announced today. The Library’s Center for the Book is a network of U.S. sites promoting an interest in reading and literacy.The newest...
    • Date: 2018-11-28
  • November 28, 2018  (18-140S)
    La Universidad de Puerto Rico abrirá el primer Centro para el Libro en la Isla afiliado a la Biblioteca del Congreso de EE.UU. La Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Información y la Biblioteca de Ciencias Bibliotecarias e Informática de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR), en colaboración con la Biblioteca del Congreso de Estados Unidos, establecerán el primer Centro para el Libro en la Isla a principios del año 2019. Este constituirá el centro número 53 afiliado a la Biblioteca del Congreso y se...
    • Date: 2018-11-28
  • November 21, 2018  (18-142)
    Statement from Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on the Passing of 13th Librarian of Congress James H. Billington “Our hearts are heavy as we learn of the passing of Dr. James Billington, the 13th Librarian of Congress,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “Dr. Billington has left an indelible legacy on the institution he led passionately for 28 years. With his vigor for philanthropy and tireless efforts to expand the reach and impact of the Library, he achieved so much to advance...
    • Date: 2018-11-21
  • November 16, 2018  (18-139)
    Library of Congress Writing Contest for Young Readers Across the Country Announced Letters About Literature, the Library of Congress reading-and-writing contest now in its 26th year, is accepting applications beginning Nov. 1 for the 2018-19 cycle. For the first time, letters will be submitted electronically. For more information about the contest, including instructions for entering and deadlines for each state, visit read.gov/letters.Letters About Literature asks students in grades 4-12 to read a book, poem, speech or...
    • Date: 2018-11-16
  • November 13, 2018  (18-135)
    Veterans History Project Launches New Online Exhibit on Vietnam War Photography The Library of Congress Veterans History Project (VHP) today launched “Personal Snapshots: Picturing the Vietnam War,” an online “Experiencing War” website feature highlighting 12 collections that document veterans’ wartime experiences. In addition to oral histories and written correspondence, the collections include candid, amateur photographs.Taken either for posterity or as keepsakes for loved ones on the home front, the images range from serene to silly...
    • Date: 2018-11-13
  • November 13, 2018  (18-138)
    155th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address at the Library of Congress On Nov. 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Library of Congress will recognize the 155th anniversary of this historic speech with a one-day celebration, including work stations for a hands-on experience transcribing Lincoln documents using the Library’s new crowdsourcing tool.Visitors will have the opportunity to view the earliest known draft of the Gettysburg Address and participate in a...
    • Date: 2018-11-13
  • November 13, 2018  (18-A07)
    Jefferson Building Early Closure November 15 Due to a special event on Thursday, November 15, the Great Hall, all exhibitions and the Library Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will close at 3 p.m. Additionally, the West Main doors, West Basement (Carriage) doors and the Capitol Visitors Center tunnel will close to the general public. Also, the Library's Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson...
    • Date: 2018-11-13
  • November 7, 2018  (18-137)
    Winter Is Coming: Library Events Nov. 2018–Jan. 2019 This holiday season, the Library of Congress will bring you a host of events on a variety of topics. Concerts, lectures, film screenings, symposiums and special events all fill the newly-designed public events calendar. Headlining the fall/winter line-up are two events to spread awareness of digital tools that can be used analyze and simplify the information and data available here at the Library.On Nov....
    • Date: 2018-11-07
  • November 1, 2018  (18-127)
    Poet Jorie Graham to Receive 2018 Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry The Library of Congress will award the 2018 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry to Jorie Graham for her 2017 book “Fast.”Graham, who is the Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University, will receive the award and read selections from her work at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6, in the Library’s James Madison Memorial Building, Mumford Room, 101 Independence Ave....
    • Date: 2018-11-01

October 2018

  • October 24, 2018  (18-134)
    Crowdsourcing Tool Enables Discovery of Unique Treasures at the Library of Congress The Library of Congress today launched crowd.loc.gov, a crowdsourcing program that will connect the Library with virtual volunteers to transcribe text in digitized images from the Library’s historic collections.This project enables anyone with access to a computer to experience first-hand accounts in history while contributing to the Library’s ability to make these treasures more searchable and readable.Volunteers can work on selections from the papers...
    • Date: 2018-10-24
  • October 22, 2018  (18-130)
    New Book Showcases Early Baseball Cards in Story of National Pastime A new book, “Game Faces: Early Baseball Cards from the Library of Congress,” offers baseball fans and historians a visual delight that showcases early baseball cards from the 19th and early 20th centuries alongside photos from the early days of the nation’s beloved pastime. Author Peter Devereaux takes readers behind the scenes of the Library of Congress’ Benjamin K. Edwards Collection to see the...
    • Date: 2018-10-22
  • October 17, 2018  (18-132)
    Papers of President Theodore Roosevelt Now Online The largest collection of the papers of President Theodore Roosevelt, documenting his extraordinary career in the White House and as vice president, governor of New York, and as a naturalist, writer and reformer, has been digitized and is now available online from the Library of Congress.The digitization of the massive collection comes just before the 160th anniversary of Roosevelt’s birthday. The nation’s 26th president...
    • Date: 2018-10-17
  • October 15, 2018  (18-128)
    Library of Congress Appoints New Chief of the Hispanic Division The Library of Congress appointed Suzanne Schadl, academic expert in Latin American studies, as chief of the Hispanic Division. Schadl has more than 16 years of teaching and library experience.Schadl was curator of the Latin American collections at the University of New Mexico (2008-2018), where she managed Latin American, Iberian and U.S. Latino acquisitions, related library instruction and community outreach.Prior to this work, Schadl...
    • Date: 2018-10-15
  • October 12, 2018  (18-133)
    200th Anniversary of Frankenstein for Halloween at the Library It has been 200 years since English novelist Mary Shelley captured our imagination with the gothic classic "Frankenstein." To commemorate this bicentennial the Library of Congress will host “Frankenreads,” a Bloomsday-style public read-athon of the novel in its entirety on Oct. 31 in the Library’s Main Reading Room. The reading will begin at 9 a.m. and is open to the public. Tickets are not...
    • Date: 2018-10-12
  • October 11, 2018  (18-131)
    Library's Koussevitzky Foundation Announces 2018 Commission Winners The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress has awarded commissions for new musical works to five composers. The commissions are granted jointly by the foundation and the performing organizations that will present the world premiere performances of the newly composed works. Award winners and the groups co-sponsoring their commissions are Stefano Gervasoni and the Divertimento Ensemble of Milan, Huck Hodge and...
    • Date: 2018-10-11
  • October 4, 2018  (18-119)
    Library of Congress Announces Winner of 2018 Holland Prize Coinciding with World Architecture Day on Oct. 1, the Library of Congress and the National Park Service (NPS) announced today the 2018 recipients of Leicester B. Holland Prize, honoring outstanding historic building, structure or landscape drawing. A survey drawing of Daniel Chester French’s studio, by the team of Tenzin Nyandak and Grace Meloy, and led by Ashley Wilson of the National Trust for Historic...
    • Date: 2018-10-04
  • October 2, 2018  (18-126)
    U.S. Poet Laureate Brings Poetry to Podcast and Radio Audiences with 'The Slowdown' U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith will soon bring the power of poetry to listeners across the globe as host of a weekday podcast and radio feature titled “The Slowdown.”The five-minute program encourages listeners to make a daily space for poetry in an increasingly busy and chaotic world. “Poetry isn’t an escape or even a luxury,” Smith said. “I’d argue it’s a necessity, a...
    • Date: 2018-10-02
  • October 1, 2018  (18-123)
    New Digitally-Enabled and User-Centered Plan Enriches the Library of Congress Experience Following more than a year of exploration, research and input from staff and experts, the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced a new strategic plan, “Enriching the Library Experience.”In executing this strategic plan over the next five years, the agency will make a decisive shift to be more user-centered, digitally-enabled and data-driven. The new strategy is now available to the public online at...
    • Date: 2018-10-01

September 2018

  • September 26, 2018  (18-125)
    National Screening Room of Free Motion Pictures Now Online The Library of Congress announced today that it has digitized hundreds of hours of motion pictures that will be freely available on the newly launched National Screening Room website. Most of the content in the National Screening Room is in the public domain. Movies that the Library believes to be in the public domain are fully downloadable. Permissions were granted for the inclusion of...
    • Date: 2018-09-26
  • September 24, 2018  (18-124)
    International Superstars Emilio and Gloria Estefan Named Recipients of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced that husband-and-wife team Emilio and Gloria Estefan are the next recipients of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The honorees represent two historic firsts for the prize – the first time it has been awarded to a married couple or to musicians-songwriters of Hispanic descent.The Estefans symbolize the rich cultural diversity of the American...
    • Date: 2018-09-24
  • September 24, 2018  (18-124S)
    Superestrellas internacionales Emilio y Gloria Estefan galardonados con el Premio Gershwin La Bibliotecaria del Congreso, Carla Hayden, anunció hoy que la pareja de artistas, Emilio y Gloria Estefan, será la próxima en recibir el Premio Gershwin a la canción popular de la Biblioteca del Congreso.La cadena de televisión pública, PBS (sigla en inglés), transmitirá por sus estaciones la serie de conciertos del Premio Gershwin, ganadora de un premio Emmy.El dúo Estefan simboliza la diversidad cultural...
    • Date: 2018-09-24
  • September 21, 2018  (18-121)
    Library Announces New Visiting Scholars at Kluge Center The John W. Kluge Center in the Library of Congress has welcomed a new cohort of scholars, who will be in residence during the fall and winter. They will be involved in research, conversations with lawmakers and their staff, as well as in programs for the public.The scholars are Henry Jenkins, Kathleen Kaveny, Ivan Krastev, Marvin Overby and Adam Rothman. Henry Jenkins is the...
    • Date: 2018-09-21
  • September 19, 2018  (18-115)
    Kluge Center Presents Astrobiology Symposium and Book Talk in September Kluge Center Presents Astrobiology Symposium and Book Talk in SeptemberThe John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress in September will host a renowned social psychologist and the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Astrobiology Chair for events in September. Both events will be held in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. The events are free and open...
    • Date: 2018-09-19
  • September 18, 2018  (18-109)
    Teachers at the Library of Congress Take Innovation Back to School In celebration of the new school year, the Library of Congress welcomed two teachers from Connecticut and Idaho to work closely with the Library’s primary sources collections in Washington, D.C.The following teachers will help make primary sources at the Library more accessible for students and teachers everywhere.Carolyn Bennett, a music teacher at Wheeler Middle/High School in North Stonington, Connecticut, has been selected to serve...
    • Date: 2018-09-18
  • September 17, 2018  (18-117)
    Library to Hold Annual Fall Open Houses Twice each year, the Library of Congress opens its magnificent Main Reading Room to share information about how the public can access the Library’s resources year-round. The Main Reading Room will be open to the public on the federal Columbus Day holiday, Monday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Main Reading Room is located on the first floor of the Library’s...
    • Date: 2018-09-17
  • September 17, 2018  (18-118)
    Library Celebrates the Centennial of Architect Paul M. Rudolph Considered one of America’s most innovative modernist architects, Paul Marvin Rudolph donated his archive to the Library of Congress and, in October, the nation’s library will celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth with a symposium and display of select items from his collection. The day-long forum will take place on Friday, Oct. 26, beginning at 8:30 a.m., in the Mumford Room on the...
    • Date: 2018-09-17
  • September 13, 2018  (18-122)
    Fall Baseball Programs Feature Latinos in the Game, New Books, Sportswriters Public programs this fall accompanying the exhibition “Baseball Americana” at the Library of Congress will feature Latinos in baseball, new books on the game’s history leading up to the World Series and a panel of baseball writers covering the game today. The exhibition “Baseball Americana” explores baseball’s past and present and how the game has forged a sense of community for players and fans....
    • Date: 2018-09-13
  • September 13, 2018  (18-114)
    Veterans History Project Highlights Cold War Collections The Veterans History Project (VHP) in the Library of Congress today launched a website feature, titled “Cold War Dispatches: Service Stories from 1947-1991,” as part of its “Experiencing War” online series. The feature highlights the stories of veterans who served in non-combatant roles within the military between 1947 and 1991, commonly referred to as the Cold War era.The feature focuses on 12 digitized collections...
    • Date: 2018-09-13
  • September 12, 2018  (18-116)
    Hispanic Heritage Month Events at the Library of Congress To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs between September 15 and October 15, various divisions throughout the Library of Congress will host a collections display, a series of lectures, concerts, book talks and other programs and initiatives.Kicking off the month-long celebration will be a reading by Ecuadorian Poet Raúl Vallejoon Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m. in the Hispanic Reading Room (LJ-220) on the...
    • Date: 2018-09-12
  • September 11, 2018  (18-120)
    Veterans History Project Recognizes Gold Star Family Day with Legacy Panel The Library of Congress Veterans History Project (VHP) will commemorate National Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day with a panel of renowned experts who will discuss how families and organizations honor and preserve the legacy of the United States military members who died as a result of their service in war.The “Gold Star Legacy” panel will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 1...
    • Date: 2018-09-11
  • September 7, 2018  (18-112)
    Library of Congress Launches New Set of Educational Apps for Back to School The Library of Congress, in collaboration with educational organizations, today announced the launch of two new web- and mobile-based applications related to Congress and civics for use in K-12 classrooms.These new applications transport students through primary sources to some of the most dramatic turning points in U.S. history and immerse them in the related debates.Students can investigate complex questions through both applications, as well...
    • Date: 2018-09-07
  • September 6, 2018  (18-113)
    "Star Wars Under the Stars" at the Library of Congress The Library of Congress will screen the original trilogy episodes of the blockbuster series, and host related events in late September. All of the following events will take place at the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E. Washington, DC and are free and open to the public.Tickets are available for this free event, but not required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served...
    • Date: 2018-09-06
  • September 5, 2018  (18-101)
    Digital Outreach Program Moves to Pratt, NYU Following a nationwide call, the Library of Congress today announced that Pratt Institute, in collaboration with the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, will oversee the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Program.“We’re excited to pass the baton on this pioneering educational program to these great institutions that are so well positioned to carry it forward,” said Kimberly...
    • Date: 2018-09-05
  • September 1, 2018  (18-111)
    18th Annual National Book Festival Draws Tens of Thousands of Book Lovers Book lovers of all ages came together by the tens of thousands to celebrate reading and meet their favorite authors Saturday at the 18th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Thousands more watched the festival’s Main Stage streamed live on the Library’s Facebook page.Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden interviewed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor,...
    • Date: 2018-09-01

August 2018

  • August 31, 2018  (18-104)
    Library Announces Winners of 2018 Literacy Awards Three organizations working to expand literacy and promote reading in the United States and worldwide were awarded the 2018 Library of Congress Literacy Awards at the National Book Festival gala, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced tonight.Hayden and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein awarded the top prizes to: Reading Is Fundamental of Washington, D.C.; East Side Community School of New York City; and Instituto Pedagógico...
    • Date: 2018-08-31
  • August 30, 2018  (18-110)
    National Book Festival Summer Writing Contest Winners Announced The Library of Congress today announced the winners of its “A Book That Shaped Me”: Summer Writing Contest, a program that asks rising fifth- and sixth-graders to reflect on a book that has made a personal impact in their lives.More than 300 young readers submitted essays to participating public libraries in the Mid-Atlantic region in this seventh year of the contest. Launched in 2012...
    • Date: 2018-08-30
  • August 29, 2018  (18-108)
    Library Announces Schedule Changes for 2018 National Book Festival The Library of Congress National Book Festival schedule has been updated with several changes for the Main Stage lineup of authors at the festival on Saturday, Sept. 1, the Library announced today.Author Amy Tan will now appear on the Main Stage at 12:50 p.m., and she will hold a book signing from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will now...
    • Date: 2018-08-29
  • August 28, 2018  (18-107)
    Indigenous Inca, Taíno, Maya & Nahua Legacies Featured in Gallery Talks This fall, the Library of Congress will present a series of four gallery talks in the exhibit “Exploring the Early Americas.” The talks will focus on the everyday lives of the indigenous people of the ancient Americas and the newly developing connection between archaeology and neuroscience.Starting in September, lectures will be held monthly through December on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. in the...
    • Date: 2018-08-28
  • August 23, 2018  (18-106)
    2018 National Book Festival Offers Adventures for Families, Readers of All Ages A diverse lineup of authors – including 40 who write for children and teens – as well as readings, trivia, costumed characters and interactive exhibits will provide a wide variety of family-friendly activities at the 2018 Library of Congress National Book Festival. The 18th festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.) at the...
    • Date: 2018-08-23
  • August 20, 2018  (18-098)
    Library Appoints Literature and Science Scholar Bruce Clarke as the Baruch S. Blumberg Chair in Astrobiology The Library of Congress today announced the appointment of Bruce Clarke as the sixth Baruch S. Blumberg chair in astrobiology. Clarke will be in residence at the Kluge Center for a period of ten months beginning in December, 2018.The Astrobiology chair at the Kluge Center is a collaboration between the NASA Astrobiology Program and the Library of Congress. It is named for Baruch “Barry”...
    • Date: 2018-08-20
  • August 16, 2018  (18-103)
    Library to Host 2018 National Student Poets Appointment Ceremony Five outstanding youth poets chosen from among thousands of award-winning student writers will be appointed National Student Poets in a ceremony Aug. 30 at the Library of Congress. The young poets, who represent five different regions of the country, will read original works as part of a ceremony that will be led by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and Institute of Museum and Library...
    • Date: 2018-08-16