Press Releases

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    August 28, 2024  (24-073)
    Library of Congress Launches Sixth Season of "America Works" Podcast The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress today launched its sixth season of “America Works,” an original podcast series that honors the grit, resilience, humor and dedication of the 168-million-strong American workforce. The new season, released just in time for Labor Day, focuses on workers involved in food production, from agriculture workers to a fisherman and a German sausage maker, among others.The…
    • Date: 2024-08-29
  • May 29, 2024  (24-047)
    Library To Host Treasures Family Day in June with a Special Performance by Natalie Merchant The Library of Congress will host a Family Day on June 15 with focused programming around the new Treasures Gallery exhibition. Natalie Merchant will begin the day leading a folk-song sing-along in the historic Coolidge Auditorium with a selection of traditional folk music drawn from the Library’s vast archive at the American Folklife Center. Activities will be held on Saturday, June 15, on the…
    • Date: 2024-05-30
  • April 25, 2024  (24-033)
    New Book 'California Gold' Highlights New Deal Folk Music Project A new book from the Library of Congress offers a compelling cultural snapshot of a diverse California during the late 1930s at the height of the New Deal. “California Gold: Sidney Robertson and the WPA California Folk Music Project” draws on the career of folk music collector Sidney Robertson, who proposed and directed a New Deal initiative designed to survey musical traditions from a…
    • Date: 2024-04-26
  • March 31, 2024  (24-026)
    Library Seeks Applicants for the 2024 Archives, History and Heritage Advanced Internship Program The Library of Congress is seeking applicants for its next Archives, History and Heritage Advanced Internship Program, which will run from Sept. 9 to Nov. 15. This 10-week, paid internship is open to currently enrolled undergraduate juniors and seniors, master’s and Ph.D. candidates from all majors or those who have graduated or will graduate between Dec. 1, 2023 and Aug. 31, 2024. The program…
    • Date: 2024-04-01
  • January 31, 2024  (24-010)
    Library of Congress to Host Panel on Longevity Science The Library of Congress will host a panel with leading experts in the fields spanning the sciences and the arts to explore the latest developments in longevity science and how cognitive wellness affects quality of life. Co-sponsored by the American Folklife Center and the Health Sciences Division, in conjunction with the Longevity Science Foundation, the panel will discuss the ethics involved in longevity science,…
    • Date: 2024-02-01
  • January 21, 2024  (24-002)
    Library of Congress Launches New Website for Americans to Share COVID-19 Stories The Library of Congress announced today that it has launched the COVID-19 Archive Activation website, in collaboration with StoryCorps, to encourage all Americans to share their COVID-19 stories, or interview others about their pandemic experiences. Stories submitted through the Archive Activation website will be deposited into the collections of the American Folklife Center and made accessible at archive.StoryCorps.org.By creating a tool to collect and…
    • Date: 2024-01-22
  • November 1, 2023  (23-095)
    Library of Congress Hosts Premiere of "Language Is Life," an Episode from the PBS series Native America The Library of Congress will premiere one of four new episodes of the acclaimed PBS series “Native America” on Nov. 9, focused on Native people’s efforts to preserve their languages and ways of life. The film, which features Library collections, will be followed by a panel discussion on Indigenous language preservation, as part of the Library’s celebration of Native American Heritage Month.Narrated by former…
    • Date: 2023-11-02
  • June 29, 2023  (23-061)
    Library of Congress Offers Third Round of Grant Funding to Support Contemporary Cultural Field Research within Diverse Communities The Library of Congress is offering the third round of grants available to individuals and organizations working to document cultures and traditions of Black, Indigenous and communities of color traditionally underrepresented in the United States. The Community Collections Grants from the Library’s American Folklife Center offer a wide range of opportunities for many to document experiences from their own perspectives, while enriching the Library’s…
    • Date: 2023-06-30
  • May 25, 2023  (23-052)
    Library of Congress Launches COVID-19 American History Project The Library of Congress has announced the congressionally-funded COVID-19 American History Project, a multiyear effort to collect, preserve and make available to the public the oral histories of frontline healthcare workers, survivors of loved ones who died, and others impacted by the pandemic. The project will also encourage the public to share their COVID-19 experiences with StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and…
    • Date: 2023-05-26
  • March 8, 2023  (23-019)
    Library of Congress Releases Fourth Season of "America Works" Podcast The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has released its fourth season of “America Works,” an innovative podcast series celebrating the diversity, grit and creativity of American workers in the face of economic uncertainty. The new season, launched today, features stories from a cement plant worker, a grocery store cashier, a professional wrestler, a midwife, a herdswoman, and a neonatologist, among others.The…
    • Date: 2023-03-09
  • November 17, 2022  (22-104)
    Library of Congress Appoints Natalie Merchant, Martha González and Ricardo L. Punzalan to American Folklife Center's Board of Trustees The Library of Congress today announced the appointment of prominent musicians and scholars to the American Folklife Center’s board of trustees, who will provide crucial advice and policy direction for the center over a six-year term. Platinum-selling recording artist Natalie Merchant, musician and Macarthur Fellow Martha González and community archiving scholar Ricardo L. Punzalan have been appointed to the American Folklife Center Board of…
    • Date: 2022-11-18
  • May 19, 2022  (22-043)
    Nicole Saylor Appointed Director of American Folklife Center Nicole “Nicki” Saylor has been appointed the fourth director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, effective May 22, 2022. Saylor succeeds Elizabeth Peterson, who retired from federal service in March.Before her new role at the American Folklife Center (AFC), Saylor served as chief of the Library’s Digital Innovation Lab, where she oversaw a team of innovation specialists who explore new…
    • Date: 2022-05-20
  • April 4, 2022  (22-029)
    Library to Celebrate Joy Harjo's Three Terms as U.S. Poet Laureate The Library of Congress will celebrate Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. poet laureate, as her three terms in the position come to a conclusion with two public programs at the end of April.“For a remarkable three terms as U.S. poet laureate, Joy Harjo has tirelessly promoted Native poets and poetry,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “To her, poems are ‘carriers of…
    • Date: 2022-04-05
  • March 27, 2022  (22-021)
    Library of Congress Awards More than $500,000 to Support Contemporary Cultural Field Research within Diverse Communities The Library of Congress American Folklife Center is pleased to announce the inaugural recipient cohort of the Community Collections Grant program. This series of grants, part of the Of the People: Widening the Path initiative, is awarded to individuals and organizations working to document cultures and traditions of Black, Indigenous and communities of color historically underrepresented in the United States and in the Library’s…
    • Date: 2022-03-28
  • January 19, 2022  (22-003)
    Library of Congress Rolls Out Third Season of 'America Works' Podcast The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is kicking off 2022 with the much-awaited third season of “America Works,” a podcast series celebrating the diversity, resilience and creativity of American workers in the face of economic uncertainty. The new season, launched today, features riveting stories from a teacher and workers at a circus, a meat plant, a vineyard, and a now-closed Boeing…
    • Date: 2022-01-20
  • January 12, 2022  (22-002)
    Lionel Richie to Receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced that pop music icon Lionel Richie will be the next recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Richie will be honored with an all-star tribute concert in Washington, D.C., that will be broadcast nationally on PBS stations May 17 at 9 p.m. ET.A songwriting superstar of the first order, Richie is known for…
    • Date: 2022-01-13
  • January 9, 2022  (22-001)
    Library of Congress Acquires Kitchen Sisters' Audio Archive For more than 40 years, radio and podcast producers, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, best known as The Kitchen Sisters on public radio, have chronicled the lives, rituals, triumphs and tribulations of people from all walks of life, weaving together a rich tapestry of America’s cultural heritage. Now the Library of Congress is acquiring their full body of work, including more than 7,000 hours…
    • Date: 2022-01-10
  • September 8, 2021  (21-050)
    Nine Culture and Technology Experts Join Library of Congress Connecting Communities Digital Initiative Advisory Board Nine experts in technology, cultural memory, libraries and archives have signed on to serve as the advisory board for the Connecting Communities Digital Initiative, a key component of the new initiative Of the People: Widening the Path at the Library of Congress. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this initiative aims to connect the Library more deeply with Black, Indigenous and other communities…
    • Date: 2021-09-09
  • July 22, 2021  (21-039)
    Library of Congress Offers Grants to Support Contemporary Cultural Field Research within Diverse Communities The Library of Congress is offering a new series of grants to individuals and organizations working to document cultures and traditions of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color traditionally underrepresented in the United States. The Community Collections grants from the Library’s American Folklife Center will enable many to document their cultural life and experiences from their own perspectives, while enriching the Library’s holdings with…
    • Date: 2021-07-23
  • June 7, 2021  (21-028)
    Library of Congress Acquires Audio Diaries from Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 The Library of Congress has acquired audio diaries featuring more than 200 frontline healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19, a collection that provides first-hand testimonies from hospitals and communities across the country as the public health crisis unfolded. The audio library was donated by The Nocturnists, a San Francisco-based independent medical storytelling community and podcast.The majority of the recordings were originally collected for…
    • Date: 2021-06-08
  • April 14, 2021  (21-017)
    New Season of 'America Works' Podcast Celebrates Resiliency of American Workforce The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is bringing more workers’ voices from around the country to listeners with the second season of “America Works,” a podcast series celebrating the diversity, resilience and creativity of the American workforce during a time of economic challenge and transition.Each 10-minute episode of “America Works” introduces listeners to an individual worker whose first-person narrative adds to…
    • Date: 2021-04-15
  • August 26, 2020  (20-056)
    American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress Launches Podcast 'America Works' The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is bringing the voices of workers throughout the country to listeners with "America Works," a new podcast series that celebrates the diversity and tenacity of the American workforce during a time of economic crisis and transition.Each 10-minute episode of "America Works" introduces listeners to an individual worker whose first-person narrative adds to the wealth of…
    • Date: 2020-08-27
  • June 23, 2020  (20-045)
    Library of Congress Announces 2020 Homegrown Concert Series: Homegrown at Home The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress will present traditional music and dance from a variety of folk cultures thriving in the United States and around the world in a new online concert series each Wednesday through September.This year’s Homegrown summer concert series, “Homegrown at Home,” is being presented in a new online format, consistent with social distancing and safety practices in…
    • Date: 2020-06-24
  • November 19, 2019  (19-114)
    The AIDS Memorial Quilt Moving to San Francisco Under the Stewardship of the National AIDS Memorial; Library of Congress to Preserve Quilt's Vast Archival Collections The NAMES Project Foundation (NPF) today announced that the National AIDS Memorial will become the new caretaker of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and NAMES Project programs. As part of the transition, the NAMES Project and the National AIDS Memorial have agreed to jointly gift care and stewardship of The Quilt’s archival collections to the prestigious American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, making…
    • Date: 2019-11-20
  • June 13, 2019  (19-065)
    Librarian of Congress Appoints Michelle Light Director of Special Collections Michelle Light, formerly director of Special Collections and Archives at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has been named director of the Library of Congress’ Special Collections Directorate. She began work in her new position on May 28. Light’s professional career in libraries spans 26 years and includes positions of progressive responsibility: head of Special Collections Technical Services at the University of Washington; head…
    • Date: 2019-06-14
  • April 25, 2019  (19-043)
    Summer Is Coming: "Travel Around the World" Exploring Culture And Science through Library Events This summer, 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 public events calendar. Events will take place in the Thomas Jefferson Building (10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540) or the James Madison Memorial Building (101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540). Please note that…
    • Date: 2019-04-26
  • March 13, 2019  (19- 031S)
    Library of Congress Announces 2019 Homegrown Concert Series The American Folklife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress will bring traditional music and dance drawn from communities across and beyond the United States to the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium stage for mid-day cultural concerts throughout the summer.The “Homegrown: The Music of America” concert series is presented by AFC in cooperation with the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Folklore…
    • Date: 2019-03-14
  • January 27, 2019  (19-007)
    Theatrical Readings and Panel Discussions Among Highlights of African-American History Month The Library of Congress will host several events throughout February that celebrate African Americans and their contributions to the fabric of American culture and history. All of the following events are free and open to the public.“Conversation on the Omar Ibn Said Collection at the Library of Congress”Tuesday, February 5; 10 a.m.LJ-119, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St., S.E., Washington, In celebration of the…
    • Date: 2019-01-28
  • January 21, 2019  (19-006)
    Spring Is Coming: Symposiums and Celebrations Highlight the Library's Event Calendar This spring, 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 public events calendar. Events will take place in the Thomas Jefferson Building (10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540) or the James Madison Memorial Building (101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540). Please note that…
    • Date: 2019-01-22
  • May 6, 2018  (18-064)
    Library of Congress Announces 2018 Homegrown Concert Series The American Folklife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress will bring traditional music, dance and drama drawn from communities across the United States to the historic Coolidge Auditorium stage throughout the summer.The “Homegrown: The Music of America” concert series is presented by AFC in cooperation with the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Folklore Society of Greater Washington. The…
    • Date: 2018-05-07
  • March 7, 2018  (18-017)
    Library of Congress Offers Free Spring Activities Spring season brings warm temperatures, fresh flowers and free Library of Congress programming celebrating women in history, poetry, literature, art and science while introducing patrons to international culture and history with lectures, symposiums, book talks and a pop-up display.The Library recently announced the official events that will be held in conjunction with the National Cherry Blossom Festival , as well as a host of…
    • Date: 2018-03-08
  • December 7, 2017  (17-176)
    Spend the Chilly Months Inside the Library of Congress This winter season, the Library will host a multitude of free programming that highlight musical genius, showcase film, open the doors of the Main Reading Room and introduces patrons to a world of knowledge and recent findings with lectures, symposiums and book talks. Winter is the perfect time for music enthusiasts to reserve their tickets for the spring “Concerts from the Library of Congress”…
    • Date: 2017-12-08
  • October 3, 2017  (17-143)
    Library of Congress Opens Up the Chambers of Mystery for Halloween Exhibition The Library of Congress is presenting a host of tricks and treats with an autumn pop-up exhibition that embodies seasonal traditions of fantasy and folklore. Making a variety of rarely seen collection items more accessible to the general public, "LOC Halloween: Chambers of Mystery" will show-and-tell the intriguing tales of Halloween and Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, through a variety of…
    • Date: 2017-10-04
  • September 10, 2017  (17-118)
    Autumn Events at the Library of Congress The Library of Congress will host an array of programming this fall season that celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, welcomes a new poet laureate and introduces new ways to experience the nation’s library through author talks, tours and online offerings. After opening with a spectacular 2017 National Book Festival, the Library is following up with a commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, beginning Sept. 15 with…
    • Date: 2017-09-11
  • July 5, 2017  (17-100)
    Library Begins Release of Occupational Folklife Interviews The Library of Congress today announced it has put online the first installment of a major oral history project documenting the diverse culture of contemporary workers around the United States. The Occupational Folklife Project (OFP), a multi-year initiative of the American Folklife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress, launches today online with a collection of interviews from the Port of Houston.The “Working the…
    • Date: 2017-07-06
  • June 25, 2017  (17-090)
    Singer Billy Bragg To Discuss the British Skiffle Music Craze The roots of skiffle as a musical genre and its influence on popular music will be discussed in a book talk by singer and guitarist Billy Bragg at 7 p.m., Friday, July 21, at the Library of Congress in the Mumford Room, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is co-sponsored by…
    • Date: 2017-06-26
  • June 12, 2017  (17-087)
    Webcomics and Web Cultures Archives Now on loc.gov The Library of Congress today announced two new born-digital collections are now available on loc.gov – the Webcomics Web Archive and the Web Cultures Web Archive.The Webcomics Web Archive (loc.gov/collections/webcomics-web-archive/about-this-collection/) focuses on comics created specifically for the web and supplements the Library’s extensive holdings in comic books, graphic novels and original comic art.“Webcomics are an increasingly popular format utilized by contemporary creators in the…
    • Date: 2017-06-13
  • April 23, 2017  (17-056)
    Forthcoming Events at the Library of Congress May-July 2017 Note: Events subject to change; all telephone numbers are 202 area code; additional venue information provided below listingsMay 1 – June 30DISPLAYOngoing display of JFK materials that includes special biographical information about JFK and books written by the former president. Also featured are books about Kennedy in foreign languages. Available for view Monday - Saturday, 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. in the Great Hall South…
    • Date: 2017-04-24
  • November 15, 2016  (16-204)
    Smokey Robinson Honored as the King of Song at Star-Studded Gershwin Prize Tribute The two-day celebration of Smokey Robinson’s 50-year career—and his selection as the 2016 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song—began in the nation’s capital with a touching trip down the keyboard of George Gershwin’s piano and ended with a rollicking concert.
    • Date: 2016-11-16
  • August 8, 2016  (16-132)
    "Jazz Singers" Exhibition Travels to Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles The Library of Congress exhibition “Jazz Singers” will travel to Los Angeles, opening at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in the Library of Congress Ira Gershwin Gallery on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016.
    • Date: 2016-08-09
  • May 30, 2016  (16-094)
    Library of Congress Appoints Junior Fellows to 2016 Summer Intern Program A panel of Library curators and specialists has selected 38 undergraduate and graduate students from among nearly 800 applicants to participate in the Library’s 2016 Junior Fellows Summer Intern Program.
    • Date: 2016-05-31
  • December 21, 2015  (15-219)
    Public Events at the Library of Congress Events January - April 2016
    • Date: 2015-12-22
  • December 17, 2015  (15-221)
    Library of Congress to Receive 9/11-Responder Oral History Collection The Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center will become the home of a significant collection of oral histories provided by responders to the devastating Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the New York World Trade Center, U.S. Rep. Steve Israel announced today.
    • Date: 2015-12-18
  • October 28, 2015  (15-196)
    American Folk Musician David Bromberg Donates His Papers to the Library of Congress American folk-music legend David Bromberg, a guitar and fiddle virtuoso who has become a renowned expert in rare violins, has donated papers pertaining to his musical career to the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center.
    • Date: 2015-10-29
  • October 14, 2015  (15-187)
    Lomax Family Manuscripts Now Online The American Folklife Center today launched the online publication of the Lomax Family manuscripts, with access to 25,000 pages created primarily by folklorist Alan Lomax during the 1940s and 1950s.
    • Date: 2015-10-15
  • August 24, 2015  (15-147)
    Library of Congress to Host Symposium on Native American Civil Rights To launch the annual International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries and Museums, the American Folklife Center and the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums present a symposium, “Civil Rights, Identity and Sovereignty."
    • Date: 2015-08-25
  • January 14, 2015  (15-008)
    The American Folklife Center Celebrates the Alan Lomax Centennial To mark the centennial birthday of the influential folklorist Alan Lomax (1915-2002), the Library’s American Folklife Center (AFC) is presenting a year-long series of public programs, special events and other activities to celebrate Alan Lomax and the Lomax family.
    • Date: 2015-01-15
  • October 1, 2014  (14-175)
    Library of Congress Seeks Halloween Photos For American Folklife Center Collection The American Folklife Center invites Americans participating in holidays at the end of October and early November to photograph activities to contribute to a new collection documenting contemporary folklife.
    • Date: 2014-10-02
  • August 12, 2014  (14-142)
    New Teacher Resource Announced on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the subjects of a powerful new teaching resource from the Library of Congress and HISTORY, part of the Idea Book For Educators series.
    • Date: 2014-08-13
  • August 7, 2014  (14-084)
    "The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom" Exhibition Highlights Legal and Legislative Challenges and Victories The Library of Congress exhibition “The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom” will highlight the legal and legislative struggles and victories leading to its passage, shedding light on the individuals who participated in the campaign for equality.
    • Date: 2014-08-08