Library of Congress

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ABBA, Biggie, Blondie All Have Something New in Common

More than 2 dozen performers are added to Library of Congress' National Recording Registry

(Newser) - Songs and others recordings that are at least a decade old are eligible to ascend to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, "based on their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage," per a release . This year, the registry welcomes 25 new...

Super Mario Bros. Theme Is Officially a 'Defining' US Sound

It enters the National Recording Registry, along with 24 other 'sound artifacts'

(Newser) - Mario, Madonna, and Mariah have entered the national audio canon. Madonna’s star-making 1984 album Like a Virgin, Mariah Carey’s 1994 holiday perennial "All I Want For Christmas Is You," and the original 1985 theme from Super Mario Bros. are now in the US National Recording Registry...

'I Just Twerked and Played James Madison's Flute From the 1800s'

Lizzo borrowed priceless instrument from Library of Congress for DC concert

(Newser) - Singer Lizzo is also a classically trained flautist—and she is one of the few people ever to play a crystal flute French craftsman Claude Laurent sent President James Madison as a gift for his second inauguration in 1813. Lizzo played the flute, borrowed from the Library of Congress, at...

'Poet Who Connects' Gets Nod From Library of Congress

Ada Limon, 46, is nation's 24th poet laureate

(Newser) - The country's next poet laureate, Ada Limon, has long thought of her work as a public art form. "I grew up with poetry being in the community," says Limon, a native of Sonoma, Calif. "It wasn't supposed to just be something read on [the] page;...

Alicia Keys, Wu-Tang Clan Albums Claim a Major Honor

25 songs, albums, and even a podcast are added into National Recording Registry

(Newser) - Critically acclaimed debut albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin's Latin pop megahit "Livin' La Vida Loca," and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" are among the recordings being inducted this year into the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced on Wednesday the 25...

Cruz Slams Library of Congress' New Term for 'Illegal Aliens'

Texas senator blasts LOC for 'politically motivated' swap of term for 'noncitizens'

(Newser) - Ted Cruz has no problem with the term "illegal alien," and he's miffed that the Library of Congress is moving away from it. Per the Hill , the GOP senator from Texas, along with Republican Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, penned a nearly five-page-long letter Wednesday to the...

Man Claiming to Have Bomb Near Capitol Surrenders

Floyd Ray Roseberry is taken into custody after standoff

(Newser) - A man who claimed to have bomb in a pickup truck near the US Capitol has surrendered to law enforcement, ending an hourslong standoff on Thursday, per the AP . The man, identified by law enforcement officials as Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, of North Carolina, crawled out of the vehicle and...

25 More Recordings Deemed a Key Part of Our Soundscape

Music by Louis Armstrong, Janet Jackson, Nas will be inducted to National Recording Registry

(Newser) - Janet Jackson's socially conscious album Rhythm Nation 1814, Louis Armstrong's jazzy When the Saints Go Marching In, and Nas' debut release Illmatic are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Patti LaBelle's song "Lady Marmalade" and...

These Recordings Deemed Important to Our Soundscape

Dr. Dre album, Whitney Houston song make the cut

(Newser) - Dr. Dre's classic debut rap album The Chronic, Selena's sophomore release Ven Conmigo, and the worldwide disco hit "YMCA" by the Village People are among 25 recordings being inducted into the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Tina Turner's "Private Dancer,...

Library of Congress to Stop Collecting Every Public Tweet

As of Dec. 31, 2017

(Newser) - Your brilliant tweets will no longer be archived for posterity, at least not by the Library of Congress. On Tuesday it announced a change to its policy of collecting every publicly posted tweet. It reached an agreement to do so with Twitter in 2010 , and per a white paper , that...

America's New Poet Laureate Has Big Plans

Tracy K. Smith wants to bring people together through poetry

(Newser) - Tracy K. Smith, the country's new poet laureate, would like to start a conversation. "A poem asks you to let go many of your assumptions, move away from your own certainties and to listen," says Smith, 45, a Pulitzer Prize winner whose appointment to a one-year term...

25 Movies Added to National Film Registry

'Thelma & Louise' and 'Lion King' are among them

(Newser) - The Library of Congress has added 25 more titles to the National Film Registry, with familiar ones such as the Lion King, the Princess Bride, and Thelma & Louise making the cut. The additions now bring the total number of films in the registry to 700, reports Time . To qualify,...

The 14th Librarian of Congress Is a Woman

Carla Hayden is also the first African-American in the post

(Newser) - The nation's new librarian of Congress makes history on two fronts: Carla Hayden is not only the first woman to hold the post, she's the first African-American to do so, reports Time . The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Hayden for the job, making her the 14th person to run...

Think This Photo Is Real? Look Again

Ulysses S. Grant was never on that horse

(Newser) - Think photographs before the advent of Photoshop were fairly accurate? Then consider the photo "General Grant at City Point" from the enormous Library of Congress photo archives, NPR reports. This sepia-toned shot depicts Union leader and future US president Ulysses S. Grant astride his mount before a camp of...

Pope Francis Giving Pricey Bible to Library of Congress

He's expected to present the gift to John Boehner tomorrow

(Newser) - Pope Francis is addressing Congress tomorrow, and he plans to bring a pretty nice gift along with him. The pontiff will reportedly present lawmakers and the Library of Congress with a Bible believed to have cost $8 million to make, MSN reports. As the Hill reported last month, the Apostles...

Library of Congress' New Audio Saves: Radiohead, Baez

'Stand By Me,' Righteous Brothers tunes also selected for preservation

(Newser) - One of the most broadcast songs of the 20th century, Ben E. King's "Stand by Me," has been selected for preservation at the Library of Congress, along with recordings from Joan Baez, The Righteous Brothers, Steve Martin, and the darker sounds of the band Radiohead. Twenty-five sound...

President's Century-Old Affair Letters to Be Released

But they're not to Warren Harding's best-known mistress

(Newser) - A thousand pages of love letters from the man some historians say was America's most scandalous president to a mistress will see the light of day next month for the first time in around a century. The Library of Congress says the letters from Warren G. Harding to Claire...

25 More Films Picked for Posterity

'Roger & Me,' 'Mary Poppins' make the cut for Library of Congress

(Newser) - What could Mary Poppins, Pulp Fiction, and Roger & Me possibly have in common? They were among 25 films selected by the National Film Registry to be preserved for their cultural, historical, or cinematic significance. Here are the movies honored today by the Library of Congress, in alphabetical order:
  • Bless
...

Library of Congress Adds 25 More Recordings

Simon & Garfunkel, Chubby Checker, Janis Joplin, and Pink Floyd among inductees

(Newser) - Pink Floyd is about to be enshrined in the Library of Congress. So are Simon & Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, Chubby Checker, and 21 other artists, the institution said today, as it announced the latest expansion of its audio collection. The selected recordings span from 1918 to 1980, the AP reports....

National Film Registry Adds 25 Movies

'Christmas Story,' 'League of Their Own,' 'Matrix' make the cut

(Newser) - The Library of Congress has added 25 films to its National Film Registry, with some familiar titles in the mix, reports the LA Times :
  • A Christmas Story (1983): Yep, the perennial favorite about the quest for a Red Ryder BB gun.
  • The Matrix (1999): The one that started the sci-fi
...

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