INSIDE Saving Pulp Fiction From Mexico to America, With Art PLUS A Six-Foot Long Newspaper Researching Your Family Tree 50 Years of Library Computing LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2014 americaamericaamerica atatat playplayplay WWW.LOC.GOV In This Issue MARCH/APRIL 2014 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE FEATURES Library of Congress Magazine Vol. 3 No. 2: March/April 2014 Mission of the Library of Congress Saving Pulp Fiction 8 Library conservators work to preserve the magazines that gave us The mission of the Library is to support the Tarzan, Sam Spade, true romance and astounding fantasy. Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people. From Mexico To America, With Art Library of Congress Magazine is issued 10 A previously-unknown work by an acclaimed Mexican outsider artist bimonthly by the Office of Communications is discovered within the Library’s collections. of the Library of Congress and distributed free of charge to members of Congress, publicly America At Play supported libraries and research institutions, 8 donors, learned societies and allied organizations 14 More than 400 years of great American pastimes — from baseball to Conservator Nathan Smith in the United States. Research institutions and volleyball, badminton to hunting, football to roller derby — can be educational organizations in other countries may found in the nation’s library. arrange to receive Library of Congress Magazine 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 www.loc.gov/lcm/. DEPARTMENTS All other correspondence should be addressed to the Office of Communications, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., 02 21 20 Washington DC 20540-1610. Going to Extremes How Do I? 03 22 Sports-themed sheet music e-mail [email protected] Trending Library in History www.loc.gov/lcm/ 04 23 ISSN 2169-0855 (print) Online Offerings Favorite Places ISSN 2169-0863 (online) 04 For You at the Library 24 Around the Library James H. Billington 05 My Job at the Library 25 News Briefs Librarian of Congress 06 26 Technology at the Library Shop the Library Gayle Osterberg Executive Editor 19 Experts’ Corner 27 Support the Library 20 28 Audrey Fischer Page from the Past The Last Word Editor John H. Sayers 28 Managing Editor Sportscaster Bob Wolff Ashley Jones ON THE COVER: Detail of Harvard Dartmouth Game program, Oct. 22, 1927 | Harry Blackmun Designer Papers, Manuscript Division Abby Brack Lewis Photo Editor Contributing Writers Erin Allen CONNECT ON Jennifer Gaviin Flowers bloom at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Twitter: Flickr: Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Va. Abby Brack Lewis Mark Hartsell @librarycongress flickr.com/photo/library_of_congress Lindsey Hobbs Youtube: youtube.com/libraryofcongress Library of Congress blogs: blogs.loc.gov Susan Reyburn Facebook: facebook.com/libraryofcongress LCM online: loc.gov/lcm Bob Wolff MARCH/APRIL 2014 | LOC.GOV/LCM 1 going TO EXTREMES #trending AT THE LIBRARY THE ELEPHANTINE IN A HALLOWED LEGEND NEARLY TWO CENTURIES AFTER ITS THE READING ROOM PUBLICATION, “THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW” IS AS POPULAR AS EVER. Far left, a page from a special oversized The Library’s Rare Fox TV has a hit on its hands this season with its America” lecture holiday issue of the Book and Special retelling of the 1820 short story “The Legend of Illuminated Quadruple series. The series Collections Division Constellation, New Sleepy Hollow” by American author Washington was inspired by the holds several York, July 4, 1859 | Irving (1783-1859). The new drama series—one of Library’s selection copies of the first Serial and Government many with supernatural themes—premiered Sept. New York edition Publications Division and exhibition of 16, 2013, to 10 million viewers with 3.5 rating/9 influential American of “The Sketch share, making it the network’s highest rated fall Book” (1820). The Jamie Roberts and works, including division also holds Simonette dela Torre drama premiere in the past eight seasons. Several Irving’s ghost tale. eight 19th-century of the Conservation weeks after the first episode aired, Fox renewed editions, including Division examine the “Sleepy Hollow” for a second season. “The Legend of this 1899 edition largest newspaper in Sleepy Hollow” featuring artwork by the Library’s serials Written while the itinerant Irving was living was one of the first Margaret Armstrong collection. Shealah abroad in England, the popular tale was one of works of fiction by (1867–1944), the Craighead pre-eminent designer 34 essays and short stories—including “Rip Van an American author of decorated cloth Winkle”—comprising “The Sketch Book,” which to become popular publishers’ bindings Irving wrote under the pseudonym of “Geoffrey outside of the United States. Regarded as the first between 1890 and Crayon.” AT NEARLY SIX FEET LONG, A 19TH-CENTURY American to earn a living by his pen, Irving argued 1913. NEWSPAPER IS THE LIBRARY’S LARGEST SERIAL. for stronger laws to protect writers from copyright One might argue that the post-Revolutionary- infringement. In the January 1840 issue of the New War tale of Connecticut schoolmaster Ichabod York literary magazine “Knickerbocker,” Irving What is black and white and read all over? Crane and the dreaded Headless Horseman in the endorsed legislation pending in the U.S. Congress The answer, of course, is a newspaper, and the Dutch enclave in New York State known as Sleepy that would offer stronger protection for American Library holds one of the largest ever printed. Hollow has never been far from the American copyrights abroad. The copyright legislation was imagination. Measuring 50 inches long by 35 inches wide not enacted. folded (70 inches total when completely open) According to American University professor Lewis Long in the public domain, Irving’s tale has been the Illuminated Quadruple Constellation (New Grossman, the Headless Horseman has remained immortalized on stage and film, most notably by York, July 4, 1859) is the largest newspaper in the one of America’s favorite ghosts, in a roster that Walt Disney in 1949 (with tunes sung by Bing Library’s serials collection. includes Casper, Freddie Kruger and Charles Crosby) and 50 years later by director Tim Burton Dickens’ ghosts of Christmas. Grossman based Technological advances during the 19th century in his 1999 film starring Johnny Depp. Jamie Roberts of the Conservation Division his conclusion on his research in Google’s Ngram gave newspapers the freedom to expand printing measures the Library’s largest newspaper prior Viewer, a phrase-usage graphing tool that charts Located on the historic Hudson River, the real- in various ways, one being large-page sizes—called to preparing special housing for its preservation. the yearly count of selected life Sleepy Hollow remains a popular tourist “blanket sheets.” The term “elephantine” is also used Shealah Craighead words and phrases. Grossman destination, especially during Halloween. The to describe extremely large folio-sized newspaper also used the tool to monitor town boasts Irving’s home (“Sunnyside”) and his issues. the author’s popularity. gravesite in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Village Far left, Washington An advertisement announcing the special edition Irving, 1861 | George Roberts, formerly of the Boston Times, administrator Anthony Giaccio recently reported heralded it to be the “greatest newspaper wonder “The American-born Matthew Brady, published this eight-page mammoth newspaper a spike in visits to the town and its tourism website, the world has ever seen.” Washington Irving was, Prints and with a purported print run of 28,000 copies. which he attributes to the Fox show. Although the Photographs Division at one time, more popular According to Georgia Higley of the Library of show is filmed in Wilmington, N.C., Giaccio hopes The Library’s Conservation Division is currently in England than Charles Congress Serial and Government Publications its popularity will do for Sleepy Hollow what creating special housing to store and display this Dickens,” said Grossman, Background, This Division, this edition could be considered a special the hit television series “The Office” did for oversized item. who spoke at the autograph letter holiday issue of The Constellation, since no other Scranton, Pa. Library as part from Washington issues of the paper were produced in large format. —Erin Allen Irving was pasted of American —Audrey Fischer into the first edition University’s MORE INFORMATION of “The Sketch “Books Book” (1820). Rare That Books That Shaped America Book and Special Shaped loc.gov/exhibits/books-that-shaped-america/ Collections Division 2 LCM | LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2014 | LOC.GOV/LCM 3 online OFFERINGS my job AT THE LIBRARY CHERYL FOX SAGE SAGAN PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE LIBRARY’S A NEW LIBRARY WEB PRESENTATION HONORS HISTORICAL MEMORY IS THE JOB OF CHERYL CARL SAGAN BY EXPLORING THE FIELDS OF FOX, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ARCHIVIST. SCIENCE HE ADVANCED. How would you describe your work at the Library? “We are a way for the cosmos to know itself,” said American astronomer Carl Sagan (1934- As Library of Congress Archivist, my job is to 1996). Profoundly interested in the universe and preserve and interpret the institutional history our place in it, the celebrated scientist, educator, of the Library of Congress and to make the television personality and prolific author was a Manuscript Division collection known as the consummate communicator who bridged the Library Archives accessible to Congress, Library gap between academia and popular culture. The staff, researchers and members of the general Library of Congress acquired his papers last year, public. I also assist researchers who come to use the thanks to collections in the Manuscript Division Reading the generosity of writer, producer and director Room or answer reference questions via Ask-a- Seth MacFarlane.