Library of Congress Archives | American Libraries Magazine

How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic

By Lara Ewen | June 1, 2020

It’s an unprecedented situation. Conservators, who are experienced in diagnosing and repairing collection damage, say that historical information on sanitizing library materials is lacking. Besides a bit of anecdotal evidence in a 2019 Smithsonian Magazine article, there’s very little historical data available, says Evan Knight, preservation specialist at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners: “There’s … Continue reading How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic →

From left: Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Cranston (R.I.) Public Library Director Ed Garcia, and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden at Cranston Public Library. Photo: Ed Garcia

Stories That Stand the Test of Time

By Ed Garcia | November 11, 2019

Housed in the library’s American Folklife Center, the VHP collects and preserves interviews and remembrances of US military veterans from World War I through the present. VHP also includes memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, diaries, maps, and other historical documents that capture the diverse experiences of veterans from every state. Hayden’s goal for … Continue reading Stories That Stand the Test of Time →

Sade Wilkins El (right), an intern with Public Library Association's Inclusive Internship Initiative (III), networks at the III wrap-up event in Washington, D.C.

2019 Inclusive Internship Initiative Concludes in D.C.

By Mary Hirsh | September 24, 2019

The program formally began September 21 at the Library of Congress (LC). ALA President-Elect Julius C. Jefferson Jr., section head of the Congressional Research Service at LC, welcomed the group and shared that his own career path started with a library internship. He thanked mentors and interns alike for their commitment to increasing inclusivity within … Continue reading 2019 Inclusive Internship Initiative Concludes in D.C. →

Victoria Van Hyning guides local students in transcribing letters from Library of Congress collections during the Letters to Lincoln crowdsourcing kickoff event on November 19, 2018. Photo: Shawn Miller

A New Digital Strategy for America’s Library

By Greg Landgraf | March 1, 2019

“What you’re doing in helping us transcribe these letters is bringing to life the letters and the thoughts of people from decades and centuries ago,” Hayden said at the event. Letters to Lincoln is just one of the many projects launched or under development as part of LC’s new five-year digital strategy announced October 1. … Continue reading A New Digital Strategy for America’s Library →

Lame-Duck Library Advocacy

By Kathi Kromer | December 6, 2018

Passage of the MLSA would reauthorize the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), reinforcing the agency—and America’s libraries—as a priority for the federal government. The proposed MLSA mirrors the previous authorization, which expired in 2016. The new legislation authorizes IMLS through 2025 and contains improvements to enable more libraries on tribal lands to participate … Continue reading Lame-Duck Library Advocacy →

Keep Copyright Office in Library of Congress

By Alan S. Inouye | October 1, 2018

On September 26, the US Senate held a hearing on the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act (S. 1010), which passed the House of Representatives in March 2018. One of the two witnesses at this hearing was our copyright counsel Jonathan Band, who also serves as counsel to the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA). This … Continue reading Keep Copyright Office in Library of Congress →

Subcommittee Calls for Library Funding Increases

By Kevin Maher | September 14, 2018

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): $2 million increase Title IV-Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act: $70 million increase National Library of Medicine: $13 million increase Career and technical education state grants: $70 million increase Adult education state grants: $25 million increase Head Start: $200 million increase Level funding was provided for … Continue reading Subcommittee Calls for Library Funding Increases →

The Power of Primary Sources

By Tom Bober | September 4, 2018

My 1st-grade students recently prepared for a trip to the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis by analyzing photographs and films of streetcars to better understand the part they played in our city. Inspired to share their learning, students wrote about streetcars and built their own with simple tools like paper, scissors, tape, and … Continue reading The Power of Primary Sources →

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero in conversation at the American Library Association (ALA) 2018 Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans

The Librarian and the Archivist

By George M. Eberhart | June 24, 2018

The two immediately began playing a friendly game of one-upmanship. Hayden kidded Ferriero about the Library of Congress (LC) being older (established in 1800) than the National Archives (1934). Then Ferriero mock-complained that in 1935, then–Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam refused to relinquish LC’s copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to the … Continue reading The Librarian and the Archivist →

During the tour of the Library of Congress Culpeper facility, guests learn about nitrate film decomposition from Nitrate Film Vault Manager George Willeman (center). Photo: Steve Zalusky

Crowdsourcing Cinema

By Steve Zalusky | June 22, 2017

Nearly 200 people had gathered for a labor of love and a test of their research skills and knowledge of film history June 15–17 at the Library of Congress’s (LC) Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Virginia. The 45-acre campus is where LC acquires, preserves, and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive … Continue reading Crowdsourcing Cinema →

Keep Copyright in the Library

By Sara R. Benson | May 1, 2017

The Copyright Office’s future has sparked debate and controversy, specifically regarding the best location for the office. As librarians, we must seize this opportunity to advocate in favor of keeping the office within the Library of Congress (LC) and not, as some lawmakers would have it, as an independent agency under their purview. The framers of … Continue reading Keep Copyright in the Library →

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden delivers the closing address at the Association of College and Research Libraries conference in Baltimore on March 25, 2017.

ACRL Closes with Carla Hayden

By Amy Carlton | March 27, 2017

Social justice and information literacy The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has declared that information literacy is a human right. If it’s a human right, what does this look like in practice? That question fueled the Social Justice and Information project discussed in “What’s Social Justice Got to Do with Information Literacy?” a … Continue reading ACRL Closes with Carla Hayden →

Latest Library Links

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On August 4, ALA President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. paid a virtual visit to the Jemez Pueblo (N. Mex.) Community Library to discuss the dire need for broadband access among tribal communities and the central role libraries can play in connecting diverse populations with high-speed internet access. This event, “The Imperative of Broadband for Tribal Libraries,” was one of the stops on Jefferson’s 12-stop virtual tour, Holding Space.
ALA Communications and Marketing Office, July 31
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services released the latest data from its 2018 Public Libraries Survey on July 31. The Public Libraries Survey collects information on key indicators of public library use, financial health, staffing, and resources. Explore the FY 2018 data and documentation or query the Library Search and Compare Tool. Each year since 1988, the survey has provided a national census of America’s public libraries. The data are collected from approximately 9,000 public library systems composed of more than 17,000 individual main libraries, branches, and bookmobiles in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories.
Institute of Museum and Library Services, July 31
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Much has been happening behind the scenes to prepare for Core’s upcoming launch on September 1st, and the Core Transition Committee provided an update. Core staff members have been working with ALA staff to build new systems and structures so that we can start the day on September 1 as a (relatively!) organized Core community. So far work has been done on changes in the member database, budget lines, new sections, and membership dues. During August, staff will be working on the new website, Connect site, committee rosters, online learning setup, new communication channels, and other infrastructure pieces.
ALCTS. Aug. 3
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University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries has been digitizing the largest collection of historic Mexican cookbooks in the US. The pandemic has brought that project to a halt, but the library is now releasing recipes from the collection in free ebooks. Postres: Guardando Lo Mejor Para el Principio, or Desserts: Saving the Best for First, brings recipes in English and Spanish from generations of Mexican cooks to foodies at home looking to whip up some historic sweets.
Gastro Obscura, July 29
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Thor Benson writes: “Back in February, the World Health Organization called the flood of misinformation about the coronavirus flowing through the Internet a “massive infodemic.” Since then, the situation has not improved. While social media platforms have promised to detect and label posts that contain misleading information related to COVID-19, they haven’t stopped the surge. But who is responsible for all those misleading posts?”
IEEE Spectrum, July 29
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A new Pew Research Center analysis of surveys conducted between October 2019 and June 2020 finds that those who rely most on social media for political news are less likely to follow major news stories, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election, and tend to be less knowledgeable about these topics. Demographically, US adults who rely most on social media for news tend to be younger, are less likely to be white, and have lower levels of education than those who mainly use several other platforms.
Pew Research Center, July 30
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Maggie MacPherson writes: “Public library buildings are safe shelters and economic drivers that quietly operate within every community. They live in the bricks-and-mortar space as well as the virtual, assisting patrons with such life basics as finding employment, starting their own businesses and teaching their kids to read. During the pandemic, libraries had to close their buildings to the general book-reading public, but facilities were used in different ways, for example, as food bank distribution centers and emergency computer labs for low-income groups. In recent weeks, they have slowly started to reopen, with a renewed understanding of the unique and essential role libraries play within the physical community.”
Toronto Globe and Mail, July 28

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