• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

INSIDE PLUS A Force for Panic! The War of the Worlds Preservation The 1936 Olympics Public Broadcasting Online America Reads LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 2016 sAVING THE SOUNDS OF RADIO LOC.GOV JULY/AUGUST 2016 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE In This Issue Library of Congress Magazine FEATURES Vol. 5 No. 4: July/August 2016 Mission of the Library of Congress The Library’s central mission is to provide Panic Sweeps the Nation! Congress, and then the federal government, and 8 In our Page from the Past feature, we recall how the 1938 “War of the the American people with a rich, diverse, and Worlds” broadcast demonstrated the power of radio in the hands of a enduring source of knowledge that can be relied young dramatic genius. upon to inform, inspire, and engage them, and support their intellectual and creative endeavors. A Force for Radio Preservation 10 With the Library’s leadership, a radio preservation task force is Library of Congress Magazine is issued bimonthly by the Office of Communications working to identify important American broadcasts and execute a plan of the Library of Congress and distributed free to record and make them accessible. of charge to publicly supported libraries and research institutions, donors, academic libraries, learned societies and allied organizations in Saving the Sounds of Radio 3 14 The Library of Congress holds the nation’s largest public collection of Olympian Jesse Owens the United States. Research institutions and educational organizations in other countries may recorded sound and has worked for decades to acquire, preserve and arrange to receive Library of Congress Magazine make available important radio broadcasts. on an exchange basis by applying in writing to the Library’s Director for Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20540-4100. LCM is also available on the web at loc.gov/lcm/. DEPARTMENTS All other correspondence should be addressed to the Office of Communications, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., 8 02 The Library in History 21 For You at the Library Washington DC 20540-1610. Orson Welles 03 22 [email protected] Trending My Job at the Library loc.gov/lcm 04 23 ISSN 2169-0855 (print) Technology at the Library Favorite Places ISSN 2169-0863 (online) 05 Books that Shaped Us 24 Around the Library David S. Mao 06 How Do I? 25 News Briefs Acting Librarian of Congress 07 Curator’s Picks 26 Shop the Library Gayle Osterberg Executive Editor 19 Expert’s Corner 27 Support the Library Audrey Fischer 20 Online Offerings 28 Last Word Editor John H. Sayers 24 Managing Editor Brian McKnight Ashley Jones ON THE COVER: A woman listens to a radio broadcast with headphones, ca. 1920-1930. Designer Underwood & Underwood, N.Y. Shawn Miller Photo Editor Contributing Writers Sam Brylawski CONNECT ON The Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center is located on Bryan Cornell Gene DeAnna Twitter: Pinterest: its Packard Campus in Culpeper, Virginia. Shawn Miller @librarycongress pinterest.com/LibraryCongress/ Alan Gevinson Youtube: youtube.com/libraryofcongress Instagram: @librarycongress Mark Hartsell Facebook: facebook.com/libraryofcongress Library of Congress blogs: blogs.loc.gov Diane Rehm Flickr: flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/ LCM online: loc.gov/lcm Josh Shepperd Christopher H. Sterling JULY/AUGUST 2016 | LOC.GOV/LCM 1 the library IN HISTORY #trending AT THE LIBRARY OLYMPIC GAMES BROADCASTS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES BRING THE EVENT TO LIFE FOR MILLIONS OF VIEWERS AND LEAVE A RECORD BEHIND FOR POSTERITY. When the 2016 Summer Olympics open in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 5, there will be no lack of media coverage. In fact, the use of video streaming, smartphones and tablets will allow viewers to access Olympic coverage in a wider PRESERVING THE NATION’S FILM variety of ways than ever before. AND SOUND HERITAGE That wasn’t always the case. CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED PROGRAMS ENSURE THE PRESERVATION OF THE NATION’S Held during the Great Depression, the 1932 Franz Würbel’s SOUND AND FILM HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (the X color poster promoted the 1936 Olympics Olympiad) was a relatively austere event. Many in Berlin, Germany. From left: Thomas In 2000, Congress passed the National “As such, vulnerable motion pictures and sound nations could not afford to send their athletes Prints and Photographs Edison, ca. 1870- Recording Preservation Act, establishing recordings of historic and cultural significance to compete. And the Los Angeles Olympic Division. 1880 | Brady- Committee chose not to devote scarce resources Handy Photograph the National Recording Preservation Board should be protected from disintegration and the National Recording Registry. Each and decay.” to global broadcasting. Jesse Owens begins Collection, Prints and his record-breaking 200 Photographs Division. year since 2002, the National Recording Said Leahy, “By reauthorizing these important Four short years later, Germany made broadcast meter race at the 1936 Preservation Board and members of the Olympics in Berlin. Mountain Chief of public have nominated recordings to the programs, this legislation will allow the history by being the first to televise a sports Prints and Photographs the Piegan Blackfeet National Recording Registry. The most Library of Congress and the foundations to event—the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin. Division. Indians listens recent selections bring the total number continue their important work in preserving The quality was poor and live transmissions could to a recording America’s fading treasures, as well as providing only be seen in special viewing booths in Berlin with ethnologist of recordings on the registry to 450. Frances Densmore, grants that will help libraries, museums and and Potsdam. 1916. Prints and Similarly, Congress passed the National Film archives preserve these works and make Photographs Division Preservation Act of 1988 to ensure the survival, them available for study and research.” But the Nazi regime took the opportunity to conservation and public availability of America’s showcase its considerable radio broadcasting Berlin. The so-called “Gone With the Wind” film heritage. The legislation established the The film and sound boards advise the Librarian capabilities at the 1936 Olympics and focus the film poster “boys in the boat” are the National Film Preservation Board and the of Congress about national preservation policy world’s attention on Germany. Ironically, in doing subject of a 2013 book by National Film Registry, which now lists 675 and help the Library develop and disseminate so, they helped bring international attention Singer Kate Smith to African-American track star Jesse Owens Daniel James Brown, which performs on CBS historically significant titles to be preserved. The preservation and production standards for is in film development. Radio in the 1930s. titles on the sound and film registries are a small at-risk works. The National Film Preservation who won four gold medals in track and field New York World- Foundation and the National Recording (100 meters, 200 meters, long jump and the 4 percentage of those in the Library’s collection. The NBC Collection also Telegram and the Foundation are private-sector charitable affiliates x 100-meter relay). In its NBC Collection, the includes a radio recording Sun Newspaper Current authorization for those programs of the boards that raise funds and distribute Library holds a number of radio broadcasts from Photograph of the rowing team’s expires in September 2016. The them to archives throughout the United States. the Berlin Olympics, including an interview with Collection, Prints and Olympic win. It aired on Library of Congress is working with Owens and his coach aboard the Queen Mary on Photographs Division Aug. 14, 1936, as part Congress to reauthorize the programs Titles on the National Recording Registry range their return home. of the NBC Olympics Aretha Franklin, through fiscal year 2026. from Native American field recordings to Public 1971 | Photo by Jim Enemy’s “Fear of a Black Planet.” Films on the Eighty years later, Jesse Owens is still Roundup programming. Marshall on a poster Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick registry range from “Gone with the Wind” to remembered, not only as an Olympic hero but for NBC broadcast nightly from by David Singer Leahy (D-Vt.) on April 28, 2016, introduced “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” Thomas destroying Adolf Hitler’s myth of racial purity. Germany, giving listeners a summary of the the legislation that would reauthorize Edison’s early experiments with sound and film His story is told in the 2016 feature film “Race.” day’s events. Since the event was at night, NBC the Library’s sound recording and film technology are among the titles on both lists. broadcast full coverage of the race. preservation programs for the next decade. The University of Washington’s eight-oar crew The depth and breadth of the nominations was another underdog in the 1936 Olympics, —Audrey Fischer “It is important to foster an environment that received highlight the richness of the nation’s who brought home Olympic gold. Sons of encourages the preservation of our nation’s film and audio legacy and underscore the loggers, shipyard workers and farmers, the MORE INFORMATION cultural resources, and films and music are a big importance of assuring the long-term team defeated elite rivals from U.S. and British NBC Collection part of the American experience,” Grassley preservation of that legacy for future universities and ultimately beat the German loc.gov/rr/record/recnbc.html said in introducing the measure in the Senate. generations. crew rowing for Hitler in the Olympic games in 2 LCM | LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 2016 | LOC.GOV/LCM 3 technology AT THE LIBRARY books THAT SHAPED US PARALLEL DIGITAL AMERICA READS A NEW LIBRARY OF CONGRESS EXHIBITION CONTINUES THE TRANSFER CONVERSATION ABOUT INFLUENTIAL BOOKS WRITTEN IN AMERICA.

Load more

  17

Copy Link