“Ancient Lore with Modern Applications”: How Digitization is Transforming Cultural Heritage at Germany's Berlin State Library

What technologies, practices, and ethical concerns are reshaping the way libraries and archives preserve, promote, and curate our cultural heritage? 

Please join Dr. John Woitkowitz, head of the “Stabi Lab” at the Berlin State Library (Germany’s equivalent to the Library of Congress), for a talk about the future of libraries and digital humanities.

“Ancient Lore with Modern Applications” - April 22

Tuesday, Apr. 22 @ 6:30 PM

Franklin Public Library: The Meeting Room (Ground Floor) 118 Main Street, Franklin, MA

Sponsors: Dean College & Franklin Historical Commission

RSVP requested by April 21 -> https://forms.office.com/r/XqtPa4wda9

Download the flyer as a reminder or to share -> 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lMcQnlq23PQUMcbIwzJh43XsgEbQHc_4/view?usp=drive_link

2025 National Recording Registry Entries Announced by the Library of Congress

National Recording Registry Inducts Sounds of Elton John, Chicago, Broadway's 'Hamilton,' Mary J. Blige, Amy Winehouse, Minecraft and Microsoft Elton John's monumental album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," Chicago's debut "Chicago Transit Authority," the original cast recording of Broadway's "Hamilton," Mary J. Blige's "My Life," Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," Microsoft's reboot chime, and the soundtrack to the Minecraft video game phenomenon have been selected as some of the defining sounds of history and culture that will join the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage. Click here for more information -> https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/national-recording-registry-inducts-sounds-of-elton-john--chicago--broadway-s--hamilton---mary-j.-bl/s/986b2312-27dd-4b66-bd41-3113e0cb2e57   You are subscribed to Latest News from the Library of Congress.

2025 National Recording Registry Entries Announced by the Library of Congress

For the poets and friends of poetry among us

via US Poet Laureate Ada Limon: 

"A week from today (June 1), I’ll be unveiling my poem that will be sent to the second moon of Jupiter, engraved on the spacecraft called the Europa Clipper. Come join us at the Library of Congress! Tickets are still available! The link is in the bio. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little anxious!"

Link to the event info (includes live stream to YouTube) ->   https://www.loc.gov/item/event-408467/live-at-the-library-nasa-and-us-poet-laureate-ada-limon-unveil-her-poem-for-europa/2023-06-01/

Direct link to YouTube Live Stream -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8UC3eQIQMw

Shared from ->  https://www.instagram.com/p/CsrhWravB13/

For the poets and friends of poetry among us

Advances on the reading front: Library of Congress adds teachers; DESE changes screening rule

"The Library of Congress kicked off the 2022-2023 school year by welcoming two teachers to its Capitol Hill campus. Jacqueline Katz and Caneshia Mills will work closely with staff in the Library’s Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement to make primary sources from the Library’s collections more accessible for teachers, students and families throughout the United States.

Jacqueline Katz, a high school science teacher from Princeton, New Jersey, will serve as the Library’s Albert Einstein Fellow.

Caneisha Mills, a middle school history teacher from Washington, D.C., has been named the Teacher-in-Residence at the Library. "

For more information on this program -> https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/library-welcomes-teachers-to-advance-accessibility-of-primary-sources-for-educators/s/3fd62620-9ae1-40d6-bd55-4d540d1a7cb5

Teachers to Advance Accessibility of Primary Sources for Educators

The State House News Service writes:

"Massachusetts schools for the first time will face a requirement to screen young students for dyslexia and other potential learning disabilities at least twice per year under a policy state education officials approved Tuesday. 

Taking aim at what Education Secretary James Peyser dubbed a "wait-to-fail strategy," the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted unanimously in favor of regulations setting statewide standards for districts to monitor student literacy progress.

Many Bay State schools are already performing some kind of dyslexia or learning disability screening, but officials said the existing framework is dotted with gaps. Now, schools will be subject to the same requirement to assess every kindergartener, first grader, second grader and third grader at least twice annually using state-approved tools to gauge their "reading ability and progress in literacy skills."

Continue reading about the regulation change 

https://franklinobserver.town.news/g/franklin-town-ma/n/122999/state-votes-mandate-k-3-literacy-screenings

Tracy Novick, Worcester School Cmte member and field director for Mass Association of School Committees (MASC), covers the full Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) board meeting held Tuesday morning (during which the above rule change was approved). Her notes and a link to the proposal can be found online

Section of meeting on rule change

http://who-cester.blogspot.com/2022/09/september-board-of-ed-amendment-to.html

DESE backup is here; regulation changes here

Note: this is an unfunded mandate. DESE provides some grant opportunities to obtain the screening tool and professional development for the tool but NOT for the actual implementation of the tool during the twice a school year period to be required. Why is that important? For this group K-3, and in particular for the K level, who manages the other 18-20+ students while the assessment on 1 is conducted? This becomes less of an issue for the students in 1, 2, 3 grades as they are more independent learners (or should be by that time).

"The Department is supporting schools with a variety of funding opportunities. The Department has offered a competitive grant twice in the last 18 months to support the purchase of early literacy screening assessments and the associated professional development, awarding over $471,955 total to 27 school districts. A similar grant will be offered again in the current school year to support schools that do not yet have an appropriate screening measure in place or are in need of training. The Early Grades Literacy Grant and Growing Literacy Equity Across Massachusetts Grants also provide funding to school districts to purchase an approved screening assessment and the associated professional development if needed. Student Opportunity Act (SOA) guidance identified early literacy screening as a key evidence-based practice, and the Department encourages school districts to use SOA funding to support this cost."

From the "backup" doc shared by Tracy  https://www.doe.mass.edu/bese/docs/fy2023/2022-09/item3.docx

Looking for a podcast to listen to? Have you heard of the Kitchen Sisters?

Looking for a podcast to listen to? This might be one to fit: 

"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 of audio, photos, handwritten journals, podcasts and storybooks.

Known for their pioneering approach to storytelling, Nelson and Silva’s award-winning public radio programs amplify the voices of people rarely covered in the news media and have helped raise awareness about myriad social causes. Their work is featured on NPR, PRX, the BBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as at international festivals, and in live and multimedia performances.

“The Kitchen Sisters have enlightened audiences for decades, unearthing unique stories about people and cultural traditions across the globe. You learn about the impact of internment on Japanese American cooking, stories about the mythic Route 66, and the ways minority and immigrant communities shape the American soundscape. The Library of Congress is thrilled to receive this outstanding body of work,” said Elizabeth Peterson, director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress."

Shared from the Library of Congress page:  https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-22-001/

Looking for a podcast to listen to? Have you heard of the Kitchen Sisters?

Looking for films to view during the holidays? 'Return of the Jedi' One of 25 Added to National Film Registry

'Return of the Jedi' Among 25 Eclectic Films Joining National Film Registry Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today the annual selection of 25 influential motion pictures to be inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Selected for their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation's film heritage, the newest selections include epic trilogies, major roles for Jennifer Lopez and Cicely Tyson, extraordinary animated features, comedy and music, and films that took on racially-motivated violence against people of color decades ago. The 2021 selections represent one of the most diverse classes of films to enter the registry, with movies dating back nearly 120 years and representing the work of Hollywood studios, independent filmmakers, documentarians, women directors, filmmakers of color, students and the silent era of film. The selections bring the number of films in the registry to 825, representing a portion of the 1.7 million films in the Library's collections. "Films help reflect our cultural history and creativity — and show us new ways of looking at ourselves — though movies haven't always been deemed worthy of preservation. The National Film Registry will preserve our cinematic heritage, and we are proud to add 25 more films this year," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. "The Library of Congress will work with our partners in the film community to ensure these films are preserved for generations to come." Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will host a television special Friday, Dec. 17, starting at 8 p.m. ET to screen a selection of motion pictures named to the registry this year. Hayden will join TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart, who is chair of the National Film Preservation Board, to discuss the films. Also, select titles from 30 years of the National Film Registry are freely available online in the Library's National Screening Room. Follow the conversation about the 2021 National Film Registry on Twitter and Instagram at @librarycongress and #NatFilmRegistry. Films Selected for the 2021 National Film Registry (chronological order) Ringling Brothers Parade Film (1902) Jubilo (1919) The Flying Ace (1926) Hellbound Train (1930) Flowers and Trees (1932) Strangers on a Train (1951) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Evergreen (1965) Requiem-29 (1970) The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) Pink Flamingos (1972) Sounder (1972) The Long Goodbye (1973) Cooley High (1975) Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979) Chicana (1979) The Wobblies (1979) Star Wars Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Stop Making Sense (1984) Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1987) The Watermelon Woman (1996) Selena (1997) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) WALL•E (2008) Click here for more information on this year's entries to the National Film Registry.

Library of Congress: Copyright Public Modernization Committee Announced

Library Announces Copyright Public Modernization Committee The Library of Congress announced today the membership of the new Copyright Public Modernization Committee (CPMC), which is being convened to enhance communication and provide a public forum for the technology-related aspects of the U.S. Copyright Office's modernization initiative.  The first CPMC meeting will be hosted by the Library on July 22, 2021. Click here for more information -> https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-034/library-of-congress-announces-copyright-public-modernization-committee/2021-06-22/

Library of Congress: 2021 National Book Festival - September 2021

Create your National Book Festival Experience over 10 Days in Multiple Formats The 2021 Library of Congress National Book Festival will invite audiences to create their own festival experiences from programs in a range of formats and an expanded schedule over 10 days from Sept. 17 through Sept. 26. The spectacular lineup includes authors, poets and illustrators from America and around the world. Subscribe to the festival blog here for updates on plans for the festival. Click here for more information  https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-027/create-your-national-book-festival-experience-over-10-days-in-multiple-formats/2021-06-07/

Library of Congress: Teaching with Primary Sources Grant Opportunity

Library Announces Grant Opportunity to Enhance Teaching with Primary Sources The Library of Congress today announced fiscal year 2022 Teaching with Primary Sources grant opportunities. Applications are sought from organizations that aim to incorporate Library of Congress resources into educational programs and materials for learners representing diverse professions and communities. The application deadline is May 28, 2021.  Click here for more information:  https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-019/library-announces-grant-opportunity-to-enhance-teaching-with-primary-sources/

2020 Selections to the National Recording Registry Announced

National Recording Registry Adds 'Rhythm Nation' Among 25 New Selections 2020 Selections to the National Recording Registry Announced Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage. Janet Jackson's clarion call for action and healing in "Rhythm Nation 1814" now joins other groundbreaking sounds of history and culture among the latest titles inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, including Louis Armstrong's "When the Saints Go Marching In," Labelle's "Lady Marmalade," Nas' "Illmatic," Kool & the Gang's "Celebration," and Kermit the Frog's "The Rainbow Connection." Watch the announcement video featuring several of the artists and songwriters. Click here for more information  =>  https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-015/?loclr=ealn Watch the announcement video featuring several of the artists and songwriters. https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9731/?loclr=ealn

Library of Congress Announces Spring Concert Programming

Library Announces Spring Concert Programming for 2020-2021 Season

The Library of Congress will continue its critically acclaimed season of Concerts from the Library of Congress with an offering of virtual concerts, interviews and conversations with artists and composers, lectures, curator talks and educational programs. The spring series kicks off on March 12 with a performance from the young musicians of the New World Symphony, followed by performances from Scottish pianist Steven Osborne on March 19 and the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam on March 26.

All events will be made available at 8 p.m. ET on the scheduled premiere date 

• on loc.gov/concerts 
• the Library's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/loc) 
• and the Performing Arts at the Library of Congress Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/libraryofcongressperformingarts/videos/)

All events of the season are free, and tickets are not required.

For more information

https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-008/library-announces-spring-concert-programming-for-2020-2021-season/2021-02-19/

Shared from the Library of Congress page https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-008/library-announces-spring-concert-programming-for-2020-2021-season/2021-02-19/

Library of Congress: Completes Digitization of 23 Early Presidential Collections

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 (https://www.loc.gov/collections/). Click here for more information (https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-20-085/?loclr=ealn).

Attention film buffs: TCM to Screen 2020 National Film Registry Selections - Dec 15

TCM to Host Screening Special Featuring National Film Registry Selections Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today the annual selection of 25 of America's most influential motion pictures to be inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will host a television special Tuesday, Dec. 15, starting at 8 p.m. ET to screen a selection of motion pictures named to the registry this year. Hayden will join TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart to discuss the films. Select titles from 30 years of the National Film Registry are freely available online in the National Screening Room  (https://www.loc.gov/collections/national-screening-room/).  Click here for more information (https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-20-082/?loclr=ealn).

2020 National Book Festival Highlights: Mo Willems

 

"Mo Willems, he of the wildly popular books for young people like the Pigeon series and Elephant & Piggie Biggie series, thinks the kids are all right.

“I think the kids are fine. I really do,” he said to Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in an exclusive video interview. I think it’s us, the old people, that need some help, that need to stop and look and listen to these ambassadors, these ambassadors of exploration, of creativity, of asking questions.”

The three-time Caldecott Medal winner spoke about his creative process and the “idea garden” of random doodles that inspires his stories and art. He launched his recent books, “An Elephant & Piggie Biggie! Volume 3” (Hyperion) and “Unlimited Squirrels: I Want to Sleep Under the Stars” (Hyperion), at the 2020 National Book Festival."

Continue reading the article online

https://blogs.loc.gov/national-book-festival/2020/11/2020-national-book-festival-highlights-mo-willems/

 

2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival: Celebrating American Ingenuity

The 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday this year! And, for the first time in its history, the event will be completely virtual. Join us next weekend for an interactive, online celebration of American Ingenuity featuring more than 120 authors, poets and illustrators. The festivities will culminate with a PBS television special “The Library of Congress National Book Festival: Celebrating American Ingenuity,” hosted by Hoda Kotb on Sunday, Sept. 27, 6-8 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings).

Register Today! 

2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival

Create your FREE account now at loc.gov/bookfest to access on-demand videos, live author chats and discussions during the Festival weekend, Sept. 25 – 27. You’ll have options to personalize your own festival journey with timely topics, and to explore book buying possibilities through the festival’s official bookseller, Politics & Prose.

Check Out the Author Lineup

Collage image of authors participating in the 2020 National Book Festival

More than 120 renowned authors, poets and illustrators are taking part in our virtual festival! Connect with your favorite writers across all genres at our virtual “stages” including, Children, Teens, Family, Food & Field, Fiction, Genre Fiction, History & Biography sponsored by Wells Fargo, Poetry & Prose sponsored by National Endowment for the Arts, Science and Understanding Our World.

View the full author lineup: loc.gov/events/2020-national-book-festival/authors/ 

Celebrate the Library's 220th Birthday with the Library Of Congress Collections App

To celebrate the 220th anniversary of its founding, the Library of Congress today announced the release of the LOC Collections app, the premiere mobile app that puts the national library's digital collections in the hands of users everywhere.

Library Of Congress Collections App

In addition to providing an easy, accessible way to search and explore the Library's growing digital collections, LOC Collections allows users to curate personal galleries of items in the Library's collections for their own reference and for sharing with others. Items currently featured on the app include audio recordings, books, videos, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, notated music, periodicals, photos, prints, and drawings.

"The Library of Congress collection can now fit in your pocket," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. "The Library started 220 years ago with 740 books and three maps. Today, that collection has grown to make us the largest library in the world and a storehouse of our national history. It's been our goal to throw open our treasure chest and help every American connect to the Library of Congress. The LOC Collections app is a uniquely personal, easy new way to explore the nation's library."

Users can currently find the app for iPhone and iPad at the Library's website or the iTunes store. An Android version of the app is slated for release later in 2020.

Read the full news article online
https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-20-032/?loclr=ealn

National Recording Registry Class Produces Ultimate 'Stay at Home' Playlist

"The gentle sounds of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”; Russ Hodges’ thrilling play-by-play of the National League tiebreaker between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951; the Village People’s international dance anthem, “Y.M.C.A.”; “Cheap Trick at Budokan”; and the original 1964 Broadway cast recording of “Fiddler on the Roof” are among the newest recordings inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named these and 20 other recordings as aural treasures worthy of preservation because of their cultural, historical and aesthetic importance to the nation’s recorded sound heritage.

“The National Recording Registry is the evolving playlist of the American soundscape. It reflects moments in history captured through the voices and sounds of the time,” said Hayden. “We received over 800 nominations this year for culturally, historically or aesthetically significant recordings to add to the registry. As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture.”

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked with annually selecting 25 titles that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old. More information on the National Recording Registry can be found at loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/about-this-program/.

Continue reading about this  https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-20-023/?loclr=ealn

Listen link can be found here
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/listen-to-registry-titles/
 

National Recording Registry Class Produces Ultimate 'Stay at Home' Playlist

Library of Congress: Celebrating 200 Years of Walt Whitman

Celebrating 200 Years of Walt Whitman 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. Click here for more information https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-041/celebrating-200-years-of-walt-whitman-with-series-of-exhibits-events-and-digital-crowdsourcing-to-showcase-collections/2019-04-16/. Walt Whitman in his younger years, as shown in this 1854 engraving by Samuel Hollyer used in the 1855 first edition of "Leaves of Grass." Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Library of Congress: Additions to National Recording Registry

New National Recording Registry Class Is "Superfly" The classic radio western "Gunsmoke"; Ritchie Valens' groundbreaking 1958 sensation "La Bamba"; Sam & Dave's 1967 hit single "Soul Man"; the revolutionary 1968 Broadway musical "Hair"; and Neil Diamond's 1969 "Sweet Caroline," which became a popular sports anthem, are the newest recordings inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.  Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named these and 20 other recordings as aural treasures worthy of preservation because of their cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation's recorded sound heritage. Click here for more information  https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-018/?loclr=ealn .

50 Years of Sesame Street

American Archive of Public Broadcasting to Preserve 50 Years of Sesame Street Sesame Street is coming to the Library via the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Nearly 4,500 digitized episodes of the groundbreaking children's TV series have been donated to the archives & will be available on-site. Click here for more information https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-019/?loclr=ealn 50 Years of Sesame Street