Weekly Gazette, September 4, 2020 Issue

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Volume 31, No. 34 LIBRARY September 4, 2020 GAZETTEOF CONGRESS A weekly publication for staff INSIDE Expanding Access A new report looks at how the science of training computers to “learn” from data can make collections more discoverable. PAGE 3

NLS Announces Awards The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled is honoring two libraries for their achievements in pro- viding braille and talking-book services. PAGE 4 John Hessler using Nextstrain data Nextstrain John Hessler using

This map shows different genetic strains of the virus that causes COVID-19 that were present around the world from Dec. 2019 to July 2020. The colors represent mutations.

Q&A: Jarrod MacNeil Mapping the Pandemic — and The Library’s director of signature programs discusses his career and More — Using Data ways in which the all-virtual 2020 National Book Festival compares to By visualizing data, cartographers are helping us past festivals. better understand all kinds of things. PAGE 5 BY WENDI A. MALONEY “What a map does is take a complex situation, abstracts it from the A picture is worth a thousand reality on the ground and presents words — or so the saying goes. a simple image to help people try But in the case of the COVID-19 and understand what’s happen- coronavirus pandemic, images are ing,” John Hessler of the Geogra- undeniably helping us grasp things phy and Map Division (G&M) said. about the virus that words can’t capture. Since March, Hessler has been identifying cartographic content Already, the Library has collected related to the pandemic to add to New Workplace Policies striking photographs and original the Library’s vast map collections. artwork that convey the anxiety He anticipates large acquisitions. Following listening tours conducted many people feel as they go about by the Human Capital Directorate last their daily lives. Maps, too, are The cartography he’s looking for, month, the Library has introduced documenting the moment visually however, is not the kind people of measures to give staff greater flexibility a certain age envision when they in carrying out their duties. while also serving as an important tool to track and comprehend how hear the word “map.” PAGE 6 the virus has spread worldwide. GIS, CONTINUED ON 7 NOTICES

DONATED TIME LIBRARY The following employees have satisfied eligibility requirements to receive leave GAZETTEOF CONGRESS donations from other staff members. Contact Lisa Davis at (202) 707-0033. loc.gov/staff/gazette

Shayerah Akhtar Laurie Harris APRIL SLAYTON Craig Andrews Sharron Jones Executive Editor Sharif Adenan Terri Harris-Wandix MARK HARTSELL Lynette Brown Donna Williams Publications Editor Eric Clark WENDI A. MALONEY Writer-Editor

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Deanna McCray-James, calendar Kia Campbell, Moving On VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: FEDERAL LIBRARIES CHAIR Lisa Davis, donated leave Keep federal libraries’ voices at the table in the American Library Associa- PROOFREADER tion. ALA’s Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Interest Group is seeking a George Thuronyi volunteer to serve as federal libraries co-chair for a tentative term of two DESIGN AND PRODUCTION years. This position involves coordinating programming, fostering connections Ashley Jones across federal libraries and steering the group toward a sustainable future. MISSION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Committee leadership positions are also available. If you are interested, The Library’s central mission is to engage, contact Heather Kiger at [email protected] by Sept. 18. inspire and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.

ABOUT THE GAZETTE COVID-19 UPDATE An official publication of the Library of Congress, The Gazette encourages Library managers and The Library’s Health Services Division (HSD) continues to monitor Library staff staff to submit articles and photographs of members with symptoms, clinical diagnoses or positive test results for COVID- general interest. Submissions will be edited to 19. On Aug. 28, HSD announced that four employees reported symptoms convey the most necessary information. associated with COVID-19 last week, and two primary contacts in the Library Back issues of The Gazette in print are available were identified and are being monitored for symptoms. Some employees in the Communications Office, LM 143. Electronic archived issues and a color PDF file of the current reporting symptoms are not diagnosed to have COVID-19, but, out of caution, issue are available online at loc.gov/staff/gazette. the Library is monitoring all reports of symptoms. GAZETTE WELCOMES LETTERS FROM STAFF HSD is communicating with all staff members who become ill. In cases in Staff members are invited to use the Gazette for which ill individuals were present in Library buildings, HSD is also notifying their lively and thoughtful debate relevant to Library issues. Letters must be signed by the author, close work contacts and cleaning and disinfecting the areas affected. The whose place of work and telephone extension same process is followed when contractors in Library buildings become ill. should be included so we can verify authorship. If a letter calls for management response, an More information on the Library’s pandemic response: https://go.usa.gov/ explanation of a policy or actions or clarification xdtV5 (intranet) or https://go.usa.gov/xdtVQ (public-facing staff web page) of fact, we will ask for management response.— Ed.

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2 SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 NEWS Advances in Machine Learning Promise to Widen Access to Holdings A new report explores eye movement to differentiate the possibilities. visual imag- ery from writ- BY SAHAR KAZMI ten language. Such tools have As the largest repository of human the power to knowledge assembled in history, improve brows- the Library of Congress is home ing, searchabil- to information in virtually every ity and compu- format and touching on nearly tational analysis every subject ever studied. among massive In managing that rapidly growing collections. treasure trove, the Library stands However, Cordell at the forefront of a challenge and the LC Labs facing the entire cultural heritage team caution community: how to help users that machine discover specific information from learning should Ben Lee within a vast ocean of knowledge. not be imple- Newspaper Navigator, a project of LC Labs, uses While traditional solutions to meet mented hastily. machine-learning techniques to search the pages of histori- that challenge are difficult and Algorithms and cal newspapers for images. costly, recent advances in machine datasets are learning — the science of training not inherently neutral; because port the Library’s mission. Recent computers to “learn” from data they’re constructed and pro- collaborations have included a — are opening exciting new paths grammed by people, both con- research partnership with the for librarianship. Machine-learn- scious and unconscious biases University of Nebraska-Lincoln ing algorithms work by building on should be taken into account. (https://go.usa.gov/xGxQE), a daylong conference for cultural small samples, known as train- “We must carefully consider the heritage professionals (https:// ing data, to predict and discover ethical, operational and social go.usa.gov/xGxQp) and smaller patterns in larger datasets. impacts of machine-learning tech- experiments, such as drawing on nology before we can implement “Human time, attention and labor machine learning to help tran- it on a wider scale at the Library,” will always be severly limited in scribe audiovisual collection items. proportion to the enormous col- said Kate Zwaard, director of digital lections we might wish to describe strategy (https://go.usa.gov/xGgBk). Newspaper Navigator (https:// and catalog,” Ryan Cordell writes “That includes understanding how go.usa.gov/xGxys) is a good exam- in “Machine Learning + Librar- training data is created and the ple of how machine learning ies: A Report on the State of the human labor and expertise that can enrich the Library’s collec- Field” (https://go.usa.gov/xGxn2), inform machine-learning models.” tions. Ben Lee, a Library inno- vator in residence, created a which the Library published Most important, said Cordell and machine-learning application this summer. “Machine-learn- LC Labs, machine-learning appli- that pinpoints photographs, illus- ing methods are proposed as cations must maintain an ethi- trations and other visual images tools for … making [collections] cal foundation, from establishing across 16 million pages of dig- more useable for scholars, stu- guidelines around the energy itized historical newspapers in dents and the general public.” impact of such powerful com- the Chronicling America collec- puting to ensuring participant LC Labs commissioned Cordell, tion — an improbable feat for a consent for machine-learning an experienced digital human- human researcher working alone. ities practitioner and Northeast- applications that include peo- ern University associate profes- ple’s data. Cordell’s report con- “With the Library holding so much sor, to write the report to explore cludes with questions to help of the world’s heritage in its trust, machine learning’s potential within institutions design an ethical machine learning has the poten- cultural heritage institutions and footing for their own practices. tial to empower more users than ever in engaging deeply with our possible roadblocks to its use. With a better grasp of collections,” Zwaard said, adding, machine-learning considerations The report looks at machine- “Our application of this technology in hand, LC Labs continues to learning applications like hand- must take care to model an equi- collaborate with colleagues and writing recognition, metadata table ideal for machine-learning outside experts to explore how this extraction and optical character practices in our community.” ▪ recognition — it simulates human emerging technology can sup-

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 3 NEWS Two Libraries Honored for Service to Print-Disabled Readers

The National Library Service for books of regional interest. bringing their own instruments or the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Melinda Fruendt, executive director using the library’s drums and key- announced in August that it is hon- of the Oklahoma Department of board; quarterly braille story times oring two of its cooperating librar- Rehabilitation Services, called the for children; and the annual Hooray ies — the Oklahoma Library for the library “a treasure” in her nomina- for Braille! celebration with the San Blind and Physically Handicapped tion letter. And one patron per- Francisco chapter of the California and the San Francisco Public fectly captured the library’s role Council of the Blind. Library — for outstanding service. in the lives of those it serves: “I The library’s outreach efforts Each prize comes with a $1,000 live by myself, and over the years I include supporting families of chil- award and a commemorative have spent hundreds of hours lis- dren with disabilities and partner- plaque. The two libraries will be tening to your books. Please don’t ing with the San Francisco Public honored this November at NLS’ ever stop.” Library’s Jail and Reentry Service biennial meeting, which will be held San Francisco’s Talking Books to help prisoners with print dis- virtually, and at a luncheon at the and Braille Center is receiving the abilities. It also works with the San Library planned for spring 2021. Sub-Regional Library/Advisory and Francisco Department of Elections to provide voter information in “Each year the Library of Con- Outreach Center of the Year Award. gress recognizes the work of state Last year, it circulated 31,290 accessible formats. and local libraries that provide braille and audio books, magazines “Our library represents community braille and talking-book services and other items — two-thirds of and a joy in reading,” Jane Glasby, to people who cannot use print them via BARD. program manager of the Talking materials,” NLS director Karen The center’s monthly programs Books and Braille Center, said in Keninger said. “The programs and include its Talking Book Club, a her nomination letter. Confirming services these two libraries offer large-print book club called Easy her perspective, one patron wrote, are outstanding examples of inno- on the Eyes and audio-described “I have been bedridden and this vation and outreach and demon- movies that are shown in the main past week I have traveled all over strate their commitment to ensur- library’s auditorium. It hosts fre- the world through the books you ing that all may read.” quent musical jams, with patrons sent me.” ▪ The Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Oklahoma City is receiving the Regional Library of the Year Award. WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE ANNIVERSARY Last year, it circulated more than 150,000 braille and audio books, magazines and other collection items. Among the library’s innovative programs, it manages the Oklahoma Telephone Reader, an on-demand, dial-up information service staffed by volunteers that features local articles of interest from Oklahoma newspapers. The library’s Acces- sible Instructional Materials Center provides textbooks and other instructional materials in braille, large print and assistive technology to 1,258 children and teens in 523 public, private, charter and home schools. In addition, the library’s record- ing studio has contributed more than 100 items to BARD, the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Down- Shawn Miller load website, including 56 issues of The Jefferson Building was lit up in purple and gold — colors of the women’s suf- Cowboys and Indians magazine, 28 frage movement — on Aug. 26 to mark the 100th anniversary of the date the 19th issues of Oklahoma Today and 21 Amendment took effect, giving women across the country the right to vote.

4 SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 QUESTION & ANSWER

I wanted to keep the nature of my thousands of labor hours. Hun- work similar, I focused my search dreds of thousands of people on educational and cultural insti- attend the festival itself, with more tutions. Like most of us here at the than 2,000 Library staff members Library, I saw a posting on the USA and volunteers supporting the Jobs site and decided to give it effort. a chance. When I applied, I hon- How is putting together this year’s estly did not know a lot about the virtual format different? Library; by the time of my interview, after weeks of studying (I Organizing the festival this year is laugh now), I felt confident I could very similar to past years … and hold my own. Almost 10 years later, very different. My CLLE colleagues I am still learning thanks to the on the literary initiatives team depth of what the Library has to started early by building a won- of fer. derful lineup of authors and interviews, not knowing how the festival My first position was as a coordi- would play out. nator in the Special Events Office. On any given day, I could be work- Once it was determined that the ing with the Congressional Rela- festival would be fully virtual and tions Office to host a morning take place on Sept. 25–27, CLLE meeting with a member of Con- jumped into action, with the Librar- gress; have an afternoon Kluge ian setting the direction. As in past

Shawn Miller Center lecture to support with years, we are aiming to ensure that the foremost authority on astro- “we” collectively will be successful. physics; and in the evening host a Although we can’t have face-to- Jarrod MacNeil 1,000-person gala in the Great Hall. face meetings this year, staff from After a few years, I advanced to a across the Library have connected using Webex and Skype for Busi- Jarrod MacNeil is director of senior coordinator position. ness. In many ways, they have signature programs in the Center Later, I was selected for my cur- allowed us to collaborate on a level for Learning, Literacy and rent position as director of signa- that was not possible before. Engagement. ture programs in the Center for While in the past, we would have Tell us a little about your Learning Literacy and Engagement spent thousands of labor hours background. (CLLE). I assist in the collaborative work of producing some of the building an in-person festival in a Growing up, I lived in the Midwest, Library’s large programmatic initia- week, we needed months to pro- the South and in New England. tives, including the Gerswhin Prize duce a similar experience in the Outside of the D.C. area, I claim for Popular Song and the National virtual realm. We recorded authors New England as home, including Book Festival. presenting live during past festi- the sports teams (for better or vals, but now we needed to seek worse). I have family there and What does organizing the festival out all recordings in advance. Staff love to visit. involve during a typical year? from multiple service units — the In my career prior to the Library of It involves countless hours of work Events Office, Literary Initiatives, Congress, I worked for universities from staff all over the Library, cul- the Multimedia Group — recorded — I planned and executed cam- minating in D.C.’s largest single-day over a hundred videos with sup- puswide programming and large- event. It starts with CLLE and the port from a contractor. They will scale events. I learned a great deal Librarian’s Office and branches be presented during the festival on about balancing expectations and out from there. It takes hundreds YouTube, the Library’s website and a budget and have been using it of face-to-face meetings, rang- a new National Book Festival plat- ever since. ing from one-on-one dialogues form. PBS stations will also broad- to staff trainings in the Coolidge cast a two-hour festival special on While doing that, I pursued degrees Auditorium. Sept. 27. in communication, marketing and organizational leadership. I’ve built Following months of behind-the- What are some of the benefits of a on that education at every stage of scenes preparation, the week of virtual festival? my career. the festival begins with building One of the greatest benefits is stages, establishing crowd walking the potential for the festival to What brought you to the Library, patterns and setting up screens, and what do you do? reach individuals who have never audiovisual equipment and much engaged with the Library before. After working for years in higher more at the Washington Conven- The versatility of the virtual realm education, I decided to branch out tion Center. The three or four days and seek new challenges. Knowing leading up to the festival demand Q&A, CONTINUED ON 6

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 5 NEWS Q&A, CONTINUED FROM 5 New and Updated Workplace also allows us to connect Library content to festival programming. Policies Announced The festival will have a mix of videos on demand and live ses- In response to feedback the • Notice about changes to work sions in which participants can Human Capital Directorate schedules. Staff will receive at engage with authors — in the past, received during its listening tours least two weeks’ notice when only those physically present in in August, the Library has imple- needed before they are assigned the D.C. convention center could mented new policies to give staff to work on-site. In addition, staff engage in that way. greater flexibility in carrying out who returned to Library buildings their duties. They include: during phase one will receive at To encourage people to dig deeper least two weeks' notice, if needed, into Library content, we are work- • Expanded hours for on-site work. Staff can now work on-site from before changes are made to their ing to take moments from each of work schedules. the author interviews and con- Monday through Saturday from nect them to Library resources. 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Leave Bank Program has also been modified to make it easier Through hyperlinks, pop-up, chats • Garage parking. During phase and conversation sessions, we can two of operations restoration, for employees with extra leave to share the wonderful collections staff who need to come in for donate it and for those who need at the Library with audiences at brief, unscheduled periods should leave to cover medical emer- home. inform their supervisors a day in gencies to request it. Effective advance so they can work with immediately, a special enrollment Yet another benefit is that the period is open through Dec. 31. festival content will reside on the Integrated Support Services to determine if parking is available. Staff whose membership applica- Library’s website for continued tions are approved can draw from learning and enjoyment. • Extended telework. An extension the leave bank this year in accor- What do you enjoy doing outside of the enhanced telework policy dance with program guidelines, work? has been granted through Dec. 31 and Library staff can contribute an for those who have the required unlimited amount of annual leave I really enjoy spending time with equipment and who are approved to the program through Dec. 31. my wife and family — although to perform their work while tele- More information is available on “outside work” has become a working. For many positions, there the HCD intranet site (https://staff. relative term during the pandemic. may be a mixture of telework and loc.gov/sites/hcd/leave/). I have twin boy toddlers, and my on-site work to fulfill job require- wife and I often work early or late ments. Questions? Contact AskHCD via the to get needed things done. Thank HCD Portal: https://bit.ly/31fqIKw ▪ you to all my Librarywide team- mates (particularly in CLLE) for your support! What is something your co- KEEP YOUR DISTANCE workers may not know about you? I moved to D.C. on a whim. I had visited once as a child on a three- day family trip. Years later, I was offered a job after flying into D.C. for just a day to interview. I took the job not knowing anyone and not having anywhere to live. I packed a U-Haul, towing my car, and arrived during the week of President Obama’s first inaugura- tion. The housing market was tight, and places were being rented weekly and nightly. A rental agent wished me good look. Although it took me a month, I did find Division Prints and Photograph housing. The Prints and Photographs Division has developed its own unique signage to That luck would eventually lead remind staff of the need to social distance within Library buildings. Digitization me to work at the Library of Con- specialist Chris Masciangelo created this sign from a 1940 photo (https://go.usa. gress! ▪ gov/xGgRy) in an online Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information collection.

6 SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 GIS, CONTINUED FROM 1 service. The division also has a board” by tracking movement unique database mapping out of cell phones. Johns Hopkins “If someone is asking for modern businesses in China — the Library University’s important and exten- cartography at this point, they’re is the only U.S. institution that has sive mapping of the pandemic is not asking for a flat map. They’re it. Clicking on a business name another acquisitions goal. asking for data,” Hessler said. “In leads to details about what the the last 20 years, the field of car- “At this point, what we’ve done is business manufactures, how many basically contacted each of these tography has gone through a revo- employees it has and the kinds lution, an absolute revolution.” sources and talked to them about of infrastructure that support the the data, making sure they’re The Library’s collection poli- surrounding area. saving their data and that we’ll cies and expertise have evolved “They’re basically the modern have permission to actually get the alongside. While many people are equivalent of what’s in the drawers data,” Hessler said. familiar with stellar Library holdings in G&M,” Hessler said of such inter- The Library is collecting not only such as the 1507 Waldseemüller active but self-contained maps. world map, the 1783 Abel Buell with the interests of today’s U.S. map, Civil War battle maps Other acquisitions, however, bring researchers in mind, he added, but and even more recent Sanborn in massive amounts of geospa- also with an eye toward the future. fire insurance maps, the Library is tial data consisting of layers of “The data will be mined for years also known by cartographers for thematic, temporal and geospa- and years, because it’s so complex its geographic information system tial information cartographers and so difficult to get a handle on. (GIS) capabilities. can manipulate to build their own … Definite new discoveries about maps using GIS. How exactly they the viral dynamics will be found The Library’s system includes cut- can use the data depends on the without a question.” ting-edge software that enables terms of Library licensing agree- users to manipulate and analyze Hessler is himself advancing that ments and subscriptions governing goal. This fall, he will teach a Johns digital geospatial data to create the acquisitions. But cartographic visualizations, or maps, offering Hopkins University graduate sem- work with GIS and geospatial data inar titled “Geo-Informatics and new insights into patterns and is uncovering new knowledge and relationships. Genomic Mapping from Smallpox helping people better understand to COVID-19.” He will also present a GIS got off the ground at the the world around them. virtual lecture through the univer- Library two decades ago with a “Floods, rivers, hurricanes, pan- sity on the geospatial transmission single software system license demics — they all change in ways of pandemics in the Americas, and and an office in the Madison we can’t necessarily predict,” he will speak to the Washington Building’s basement. The program Hessler said. “Cartographers can Map Society on mapping COVID-19. expanded slowly but steadily at take data and visualize it to help first; as recently as a few years Next on his geospatial collecting scientists really understand the agenda: the 2020 U.S. census. The ago, it consisted of just a handful dynamics of the situation.” of single system licenses used by Census Bureau will make the data G&M and Congressional Research For the COVID-19 pandemic, Hes- it is collecting this year available Service (CRS) cartographers to sler is reaching out to organiza- on its website after it’s processed, help answer questions from tions collecting virus-related data along with sophisticated new Congress. linked to particular times and mapping resources and tools for places. The data originates from cartographers to use. Now, the system has multiple por- testing labs around the world. One Once that happens, Hessler said, tals, terabytes of data and hun- such organization, Nextstrain, is dreds of users, including staff from the manner and speed by which tracking and visualizing how the cartographers will be able to ana- the Senate and the House. The virus has mutated and spread. Office of the Chief Information Offi- lyze large quantities of new demo- cer supports the system’s smooth “This is the way the epidemiolo- graphic data will differ substantially operation. gists were able to discover early from the past, and he anticipates on, for example, that the strain important acquisitions. G&M acquires geospatial data for that was in Washington State use in the system mostly through “I don’t think I can even imagine all came directly from Wuhan, China, of the ways that data is going to purchase and downloads from whereas the one that was in New government agencies producing be used,” Hessler said. ”It’s going York City came through a European to be a truly amazing moment in information of probable historical source,” Hessler said. interest. The division also acquires the history of cartography.” digital maps others create. Hessler has also contacted the But that’s a story for another nonprofit GISAID, which is aggre- day. ▪ A few years ago, for example, G&M gating global COVID-19 data on its bought a database consisting of website for GIS use, and a com- tens of thousands of maps cre- pany called Unacast, which has ated by Iran’s national mapping created a “social distancing score-

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GAZETTE 7