Press Releases

  • March 10, 2024  (24-027)
    Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Papers Open for Research at the Library of Congress A major portion of the papers of Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, consisting of approximately 600 containers, opens for research use March 11, in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. The collection documents the trajectory of O’Connor’s life in politics and law at the state level in Arizona and later nationally, as the Supreme Court’s first woman justice. Appointed to…
    • Date: 2024-03-11
  • May 1, 2023  (23-044)
    Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Papers Open for Research at the Library of Congress A major portion of the papers of Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens is opening for research use on May 2 in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. The collection documents the evolving position of one of the longest-serving justices on the Supreme Court and the transformation of the court itself.Stevens (1920-2019) was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1975 by…
    • Date: 2023-05-02
  • June 13, 2022  (22-052)
    Exhibit and Panel of Historians Mark 50 Years Since Watergate A new exhibit commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Watergate scandal, exploring the role of the press, Congress, the courts and President Richard Nixon’s administration. The exhibit draws from 24 Library of Congress Manuscript Division collections, several of which were recently acquired or opened, in law, journalism and government.On view through Sept. 3 in the Great Hall of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, the…
    • Date: 2022-06-14
  • December 16, 2020  (20-085)
    Library of Congress Completes Digitization of 23 Early Presidential Collections The Library of Congress has completed a more than two decade-long initiative to digitize the papers of nearly two dozen early presidents. The Library holds the papers of 23 presidents from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge, all of which have been digitized and are now available online.The Library plans to highlight each presidential collection on social media in the weeks leading up to the…
    • Date: 2020-12-17
  • October 7, 2020  (20-066)
    Library of Congress and National Park Service Receive Historic Collection on Women's Rights from National Woman's Party Today, the National Woman’s Party (NWP) announced the gift of its historic collection spanning women’s suffrage and the movement for women’s equality to the Library of Congress and National Park Service. This gift comes as the country celebrates 100 years of women's constitutional right to vote and ensures public access to a trove of records about the history of the women’s rights movement in…
    • Date: 2020-10-08
  • April 26, 2020  (20-033)
    Papers of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur and William McKinley Now Online The papers of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Chester Alan Arthur and William McKinley have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress. These papers can be accessed both at the loc.gov website and on the new LOC Collections mobile app.The three presidencies represented in these collections all began or ended with the trauma of a presidential assassination.…
    • Date: 2020-04-27
  • February 3, 2020  (20-008)
    Crowdsourcing Project Launches Campaign to Transcribe Rosa Parks' Papers and Reveal the Woman Behind the Legend By the People, the Library of Congress’ crowdsourced transcription project powered by volunteers across the country is launching a campaign to transcribe Rosa Parks’ personal papers to make them more searchable and accessible online, including many items featured in the exhibition, “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words,” starting today, the 107th anniversary of her birth.Through By the People, anyone can explore, transcribe and tag…
    • Date: 2020-02-04
  • November 4, 2019  (19-107)
    "Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words," a New Exhibition, Offers Intimate View of Seminal Figure's Life Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon made famous for her refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1955, is often mischaracterized as a quiet seamstress, with little attention paid to her full life story. A new Library of Congress exhibition, “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words,” will reveal the real Rosa Parks…
    • Date: 2019-11-05
  • November 3, 2019  (19-106)
    Newly Digitized Collections Now Online Include History of Women's Suffrage, Civil War, Landscape Architecture and Monetary Policy Researchers and students have gained access to seven newly digitized collections of manuscript materials from the Library of Congress, including records of one of the most important women’s suffrage organizations, the papers of President Abraham Lincoln’s personal secretary and collections on the history of federal monetary policy. The availability of these collections added more than 465,000 images to the Library’s already vast online resources.One…
    • Date: 2019-11-04
  • July 23, 2019  (19-075)
    Papers of President James Garfield Now Online The papers of President James A. Garfield, who was assassinated in the first year of his short presidency, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress.The Garfield collection includes approximately 80,000 items, mostly dating from 1850 to 1881. The collection is online at: loc.gov/collections/james-a-garfield-papers/about-this-collection.Garfield’s papers include correspondence, diaries, speeches, records of his Civil War military…
    • Date: 2019-07-24
  • 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
  • May 14, 2019  (19-053)
    News Dispatches from The Associated Press from 1915 to 1930 Now Online Historical news reports and breaking news bulletins published by the Washington bureau of The Associated Press from 1915 to 1930, documenting a full chronology of world and national events, have been digitized and are now available online from the Library of Congress.The collection includes news dispatches from key moments in history, from the sinking of the Lusitania ocean liner in 1915, drawing the U.S.…
    • Date: 2019-05-15
  • May 1, 2019  (19-049)
    New Exhibition 'Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote' to Feature Original Manuscripts, Images of Suffrage Movement Handwritten letters, speeches, photographs and scrapbooks, created by American suffragists who persisted for more than 70 years to win voting rights for women, will be featured in a new exhibition at the Library of Congress. “Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote,” opening June 4, will tell the story of the largest reform movement in American history with documents and artifacts from…
    • Date: 2019-05-02
  • April 15, 2019  (19-041)
    Celebrating 200 Years of Walt Whitman with Series of Exhibits, Events and Digital Crowdsourcing to Showcase Collections The Library of Congress will celebrate the 200th anniversary of American poet and changemaker Walt Whitman’s birthday in spring 2019 with a series of exhibits, public programs and a digital crowdsourcing campaign to showcase the Library’s unparalleled collections of Whitman’s writings and artifacts.The Library’s Whitman Bicentennial series will be part of the citywide Walt Whitman 200 Festival and other commemorations in the Mid-Atlantic where…
    • Date: 2019-04-16
  • March 20, 2019  (19-032)
    Library Acquires Trove of Letters from Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz The Library of Congress has acquired a trove of letters from American artist Georgia O’Keeffe and her husband, the photographer and art promoter Alfred Stieglitz, shedding new light on art history as the correspondence is being made available to the public for the first time.The collection is a set of mostly handwritten letters dating from 1929 to 1947, totaling 157 items. O’Keeffe and Stieglitz…
    • Date: 2019-03-21
  • March 17, 2019  (19-030)
    Archival Materials of Suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt Now Online The papers of suffragist and political strategist Carrie Chapman Catt, including her time as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress.The collection includes about 9,500 items dating primarily from 1890 to 1920 as Catt helped lead the fight for a federal suffrage amendment. The Catt Papers…
    • Date: 2019-03-18
  • 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
  • October 16, 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
  • July 25, 2018  (18-095)
    Famed Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmsted's Papers Now Online Writings and personal records of the founder of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted, known for his work on New York’s Central Park, the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and many other landscapes, have been digitized and are now available online from the Library of Congress. The archive was digitized to serve as a resource in advance of…
    • Date: 2018-07-26
  • May 14, 2018  (18-071)
    Papers of President Woodrow Wilson Now Online The papers of President Woodrow Wilson, from his time in the White House and as a scholar and governor of New Jersey, have been digitized and are now available online from the Library of Congress 100 years after his presidency. Documents from Wilson also are featured in the Library’s exhibition “Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I.”Librarian of Congress Carla…
    • Date: 2018-05-15
  • April 29, 2018  (18-058)
    Letters to Lyrics: Library Displays Alexander Hamilton's Papers Linked to Hit Musical Letters and documents from the papers of Alexander Hamilton will be displayed at the Library of Congress this summer, offering a glimpse at the original source material for key themes and lyrics in the hit musical “Hamilton” as the show visits the Kennedy Center.Ten items were selected for the display, “Letters to Lyrics: Alexander Hamilton at the Library of Congress,” which opens May 19.…
    • Date: 2018-04-30
  • April 16, 2018  (18-044)
    Papers of Benjamin Franklin Now Online The papers of American scientist, statesman and diplomat Benjamin Franklin have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress. The Library announced the digitization today in remembrance of the anniversary of Franklin’s death on April 17, 1790.The Franklin papers consist of approximately 8,000 items mostly dating from the 1770s and 1780s. These include the petition that…
    • Date: 2018-04-17
  • April 2, 2018  (18-036)
    Baseball Scouting Reports of Branch Rickey Now Online Baseball scouting reports of one of the most famous baseball executives and scouts in history, Branch Rickey, who was also responsible for helping Jackie Robinson successfully break Major League Baseball’s color line, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress. The archive was digitized in time for Major League Baseball’s new season and for the…
    • Date: 2018-04-03
  • March 26, 2018  (18-035)
    Archival Materials of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton Now Online Archival materials from one of the most successful political partnerships in history, the collaboration of suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the movement for women’s rights, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress.The collections include about 1,500 items dating primarily from 1840 to 1906 as Anthony and Stanton led the campaign…
    • Date: 2018-03-27
  • 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
  • February 20, 2018  (18-019)
    Papers of President James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Now Online The papers of President James Buchanan, who presided in the four years leading up to the Civil War, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress, along with the papers of his niece, Harriet Lane Johnston, who served as first lady in the White House. Buchanan was the nation’s only president who never married.The Buchanan…
    • Date: 2018-02-21
  • January 2, 2018  (17-187)
    Library Acquires Archive of Humorist, Political Commentator Art Buchwald The Library of Congress has acquired the archive of Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist, commentator and playwright Art Buchwald, best known for his long career as a political satirist, poking fun at the famous and powerful for The Washington Post and in a column syndicated in 500 newspapers worldwide. Buchwald was often considered “the Wit of Washington.”The archive of approximately 100,000 items includes his columns, plays,…
    • Date: 2018-01-03
  • 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
  • November 12, 2017  (17-169)
    Library to Host Symposium on Early Research of Papers of King George III Scholars who were recently among the first to examine the papers of King George III, the English monarch in power when the American colonies declared independence, in the Georgian Papers at England’s Windsor Castle will reveal their early findings in a symposium Friday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m., at the Library of Congress.The event is free, but tickets are required. To secure tickets, visit…
    • Date: 2017-11-13
  • November 7, 2017  (17-168)
    Papers of Abraham Lincoln Now Online in Full Color Abraham Lincoln’s papers from his time as a lawyer, congressman and the 16th president are now online in full color in a new presentation after a multi-year digitization effort at the Library of Congress.The Library holds a collection of more than 40,000 Lincoln documents dating from 1774 through Lincoln’s presidency and beyond, including materials from his campaigns, Lincoln’s first and second inaugural addresses and…
    • Date: 2017-11-08
  • October 9, 2017  (17-148)
    Papers of Ulysses S. Grant Now Online The Library of Congress has put the papers of Ulysses S. Grant online for the first time in their original format at https://www.loc.gov/collections/ulysses-s-grant-papers/about-this-collection/.The Library holds a treasure trove of documents from the Civil War commander and 18th president of the United States, including personal correspondence, “headquarters records” created during the Civil War and the original handwritten manuscript of Grant’s memoir— regarded as one of…
    • Date: 2017-10-10
  • September 5, 2017  (17-122)
    Main Reading Room Open House and Other Activities 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. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Main Reading Room is located on the first floor of the Library’s…
    • Date: 2017-09-06
  • August 27, 2017  (17-119)
    Alexander Hamilton Papers Now Online The Library of Congress has put the papers of Alexander Hamilton online for the first time in their original format.The Library holds the world’s largest collection of Hamilton papers—approximately 12,000 items concentrated from 1777 until Hamilton’s death in 1804, including letters, legal papers and drafts of speeches and writings, among other items. Now, for the first time, these original documents—many in Hamilton’s own hand—will…
    • Date: 2017-08-28
  • July 26, 2017  (17-104)
    Library of Congress Junior Fellows Display Collection Treasures The Library of Congress Junior Fellows Summer Interns yesterday presented more than150 rare and unique items from 15 Library divisions. “Display Day” was open to the public for the first time since the program’s inauguration in 1991.The display provides the opportunity for fellows to discuss the historic significance of the collection items they have researched and processed during their 10-week internships. Examples included:An early…
    • Date: 2017-07-27
  • June 27, 2017  (17-092)
    Library of Congress, Royal Archives Plan Major Joint Exhibition The Library of Congress and The Royal Archives today announced plans for a landmark joint exhibition in 2021 that will explore the overlapping yet distinct worlds of two globally significant figures of the late 18th century: the two Georges – King George III (1738-1820) of England and George Washington (1732-1799).The joint project will draw on the considerable collections held by the Library of Congress…
    • Date: 2017-06-28
  • May 1, 2017  (17-060)
    Library to Present Symposium on Civil Liberties During World War I Distinguished legal scholars will examine the challenges to civil liberties during World War I, in a symposium at the Library of Congress on June 8.“Resistance and Rights: Civil Liberties during World War I” will take place from 2:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8, in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. …
    • Date: 2017-05-02
  • 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
  • April 3, 2017  (17-044)
    "Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I" Opens Today The Library of Congress today opens a major exhibition to commemorate the centennial of World War I.  “Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I” tells the stories of Americans in the war, through correspondence, music, film, recorded sound, diaries, posters, photographs, scrapbooks, medals, maps and materials from the Veterans History Project.The exhibition is located in the Southwest Gallery on the…
    • Date: 2017-04-04
  • March 30, 2017  (17-040)
    Library Offers Events and Initiatives to Commemorate World War I The Library of Congress continues its array of programming to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I.  The events and initiatives include exhibitions, lectures, symposia, blogs, publications, digitized collections, War Gardens, veterans’ stories, educational tools, film programs and research guides.The Library is uniquely prepared to tell the story of U.S. participation in World War I, because it holds the…
    • Date: 2017-03-31
  • January 31, 2017  (17-005)
    Sigmund Freud Collection Now Online The Sigmund Freud Collection at the Library of Congress has been digitized and is now online at loc.gov/collections/sigmund-freud-papers/about-this-collection/.The online collection, with more than 20,000 items, contains the personal papers of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis whose ideas of the unconscious and theories on sex, repression, transference and religion profoundly influenced 20th-century Western thought. His theories still generate controversy.The digitization of…
    • Date: 2017-02-01
  • January 24, 2017  (17-010)
    Library to Offer Array of Events and Initiatives to Mark the U.S. Entry into World War I To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, the Library of Congress is offering an array of exhibitions, lectures, symposia, blogs, publications, digitized collections, Victory Gardens, veterans’ stories, educational tools, film programs and research guides.The Library is uniquely prepared to tell the story of U.S. participation in World War I, because it holds the largest multi-format collection of materials…
    • Date: 2017-01-25
  • October 23, 2016  (16-188)
    Library of Congress, Britain's Royal Library, King's College to Collaborate on Papers of King George III The Library of Congress, the Royal Collection Trust and King’s College London today signed a memorandum of understanding in which they agree to share resources to aid in the digitization of the papers of King George III.
    • Date: 2016-10-24
  • September 11, 2016  (16-160)
    Diaries of John J. Pershing and George S. Patton Now Online The Library of Congress has recently placed online the diaries, notebooks and address books of John J. Pershing, commander-in-chief of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, and the diaries of George S. Patton, a tank commander in World War I and a U.S. Army general in World War II.
    • Date: 2016-09-12
  • 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
  • October 28, 2015  (15-201)
    Roosevelt's Decision to Run for Third Term Is Subject of Book Discussion In “Roosevelt’s Second Act: The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War," author Richard Moe focuses on FDR’s decision to run a third time, a decision that was far from inevitable.
    • Date: 2015-10-29
  • September 15, 2015  (15-166)
    Papers of Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Donated to the Library The Library of Congress has received the first installment of the papers of the Honorable Madeleine Korbel Albright, the first woman to serve as Secretary of State (1997–2001) and a 2012 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
    • Date: 2015-09-16
  • June 29, 2015  (15-115)
    "First Lady of the Black Press" Is Subject of Book Discussion Many people do not recognize the name Ethel Payne among the most important people in the civil rights movement. In his new biography, James McGrath Morris aims to change that.
    • Date: 2015-06-30
  • June 11, 2015  (15-108)
    New Biography Reconsiders Marquis de Lafayette's Legacy According to a new biography of Lafayette, his legacy is often forgotten beyond the classroom. In “The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered,” author Laura Auricchio provides a comprehensive study of Lafayette’s roles in both the American and French revolutions.
    • Date: 2015-06-12
  • May 11, 2015  (15-086)
    Family of Rosa Parks to Discuss Her Legacy A new memoir, “Our Auntie Rosa: The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her Life and Lessons” (Tarcher/Penguin, 2015), provides a look at Parks as a model of excellence in daily life.
    • Date: 2015-05-12
  • May 10, 2015  (15-085)
    Biography of Andrew Jackson Is Subject of Book Program A new biography casts him in a different light, as an elite Southern gentleman.
    • Date: 2015-05-11