The Open Access Books Collection is a growing online collection of contemporary open access e-books. By collecting the e-books in addition to the print books, the Library commits to preserving the digital content and providing lasting access to it. Books in several languages are available as are a number of children's book titles, linked to below. Abel and His Sister's Doll Akadeli's Lucky Day Aku the Sun Maker Animals Run Away Ann-Nem-Oh-Nee Finds Adventure Annoying … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: LGBTQ+ Resources
June 9, 2021 by Leave a Comment
LGBTQ Activism and Contributions primary source set with teacher's guide Photographs Gay men creating a display labeled "Free: Gay Liberation, Minnesota" 1970 Male couples 1970 Gay rights demonstration at the Democratic National Convention 1976 AIDS quilt, Washington, D.C. 1987 Gary Pride Parade image set 2012 An LGBT Pride flag 2018 Posters Gay is angry, gay revolution networker 1971 I never loved a man the way that I love you! 1973 Gays & work symposium … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Landscape Photographs
April 26, 2021 by Leave a Comment
The Picture This blog from the Library of Congress shines a spotlight on landscape photographs. Micah Messenheimer, Curator of Photography, and a photographer himself, writes: When many people think of landscape photographs they think of wide-open spaces, empty of people. Yet, landscape photographs, by their nature, tell stories deeply tied to human interactions with the land. This is implied even in the origins of the word “landscape,” which at its root means the shape or condition of the … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: National Jukebox
April 18, 2021 by Leave a Comment
The National Jukebox provides streaming access to just over 16,000 recordings made between 1901 and 1925, mostly by the Victor Talking Machine Company and Columbia Records. You can browse and sort recordings by genre, artist, subject, language, or year, including a day-by-day guide of published recordings. There are selected playlists for you to sample or you can create your own playlist. In addition to the recordings, this collection includes articles and essays and more than 80 artist … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Joy Harjo
April 5, 2021 by Leave a Comment
On June 19, 2019, Joy Harjo was appointed the 23rd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. On making the appointment, Dr. Hayden said: Joy Harjo has championed the art of poetry—‘soul talk’ as she calls it—for over four decades. To her, poems are ‘carriers of dreams, knowledge and wisdom,’ and through them she tells an American story of tradition and loss, reckoning and myth-making. Her work powerfully connects us to the earth and the spiritual world with … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Amplifier Posters
December 13, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Don't miss this arresting set of posters from Amplifier, a nonprofit design lab that builds art and media experiments to amplify important contemporary movements. Then check out this idea for using the collection to inspire students as they carry out their own creative poster project from TPS Teachers Network mentor and curriculum specialist Cheryl Davis. Amplifier also offers education resources for teachers and parents. … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Women’s Suffrage in Sheet Music
March 26, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Music has long had a powerful connection to social and political movements. The Women's Suffrage in Sheet Music collection spans the years 1838-1923 and includes over 200 pieces of sheet music written by notable composers and everyday citizens and representing the views of both suffragists and anti-suffragists. Collection items Essays Music in the Women's Suffrage Movement Highlighted Sheet Music Selections Learning integration resources Singing for Women's … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: All American News
February 7, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Spanning from 1942-45, All-American news were the first newsreels produced for a black audience and were originally intended to encourage black Americans to participate in, and support the war effort, as well as to reflect an African-American perspective on world and national events. 1942 All-American news [1942-08]: includes segments about a Baltimore merchant marine who survived when his ship was sunk and the Navy's Great Lakes Band. 1944 All American news III [1944-03]: includes … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Tracy K. Smith
April 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Tracy K. Smith was appointed the Library’s 22nd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry on June 14, 2017 and began serving on September 13, 2017. Her mission the Library's chief poet is to bring poetry to rural areas. "I wanted to go into the more rural communities that don’t have programming on a consistent basis, where people’s lives are equally affected by the kinds of questions and memories that poems can draw upon. If writers and scholars are only talking to each other, we’re missing out on a … [Read more...]
Collection Spotlight: Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature
April 4, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress contains recordings of poets and prose writers participating in literary events at the Library’s Capitol Hill campus as well as sessions at the Library’s Recording Laboratory. As of April, 2019, there are nearly 300 artists represented the digital collection. There is a biography for each artist and each of those links to one or more recordings featuring readings and commentary on their work. Happy poetry … [Read more...]
Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. president sworn into office in January. Check out our 