Topic: The Library of Congress

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Betty Ford to Michelle Obama: How seven first ladies have changed the office

Former presidents, politicians, and the family of former first lady Betty Ford gathered today in Palm Springs, Calif., to celebrate her life. Mrs. Ford, who died Friday, is remembered for her honest demeanor and dedication to equal rights. Since her husband's presidency, Betty Ford has passed the mantle of first lady to six other women. Here are the contributions each made:
07/12/2011 07:00 pm

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Obama: Carole King concert at White House

Obama: Carole King will be presented the Gershwin Prize by President Obama during a White House concert. In addition to Carole King, the concert will include Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sandé, James Taylor, and Trisha Yearwood.
Reader recommendation: Joy in the Morning

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
Chapter & Verse Don DeLillo becomes first writer to receive the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction

Don DeLillo, who has been called 'chief shaman of the paranoid school of American fiction,' is the author of works that include 'White Noise' and 'Underworld.'
Chapter & Verse Digital Public Library: the promise of the Internet fulfilled

The Digital Public Library will make the holdings of America's libraries and museums available to all Americans (and, eventually, everyone), free and online through one portal.
White House opposes restrictions on unlocking cellphones

The Obama administration came out in favor of legalizing unlocking cellphones on Monday. The statement raises questions about what restrictions the Digital Millennial Copyright Act places on consumers with its ban on unlocking personal devices.
US security firm accuses Chinese military unit of cyber espionage

Although hacking accusations against China are nothing new, the report by US-based Mandiant Corp. includes some of most extensive and detailed accusations of cyber espionage to date.
Rare 1865 baseball card fetches $92K at Maine auction

An 1865 baseball card discovered at a yard sale in rural Maine sold for $92,000 at a Wednesday auction. The seller found the rare baseball card in a photo album, for which he paid $100.
Jackie Robinson: The baseball legend's legacy after baseball

Jackie Robinson broke down barriers in baseball, but his civil-rights campaign continued well after he retired.
30,000 Iranian spies? Library of Congress withdraws report

A US Library of Congress report asserting that Iran's Intelligence agency has 30,000 employees has been widely quoted – and criticized. The report has been withdrawn and is now under revision.
Seven questions and answers about the inauguration

Why is the inauguration always January 20? What happens when it falls on a Sunday? How many inaugural balls are there? The US presidential inauguration is full of history and tradition. Here's a look at President Obama's big day in question and answer form.
1865 baseball card to be auctioned off. Six-figure bids expected.

1865 baseball card found at a rummage sale in Maine is expected to fetch six-figure bids, experts say. The only other known card like the 1865 baseball card is in the Library of Congress.
Verbal Energy Hail to the neologizers in chief

US presidents – and one president in particular – seem to have a knack for coining new terms.
Opinion To avoid fiscal cliff, Obama and GOP should compromise like Founding Fathers (+video)

President Obama and John Boehner express optimism that a budget deal to avoid the fiscal cliff will be reached, but gridlock threatens. Politicians would do well to remember that America was established by men who sorely disagreed. Consider the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
In Benghazi, militias may promote security one day, threaten it the next

Ansar al-Sharia, the Libyan Islamist militia publicly blamed for the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi last month, has disappeared from the city's streets. Not all locals are happy about that.
From Our Files: the unvarnished Gore Vidal (+video)

Gore Vidal, who died Tuesday, was a prolific American author, provocateur, and Renaissance man. The Monitor's Daniel B. Wood interviewed Vidal in 2006 at his art-studded home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills. Here's the story that emerged from that Vidalian encounter.
Difference Maker Walter Dean Myers writes books troubled teens can relate to

Juvenile book author Walter Dean Myers writes stories troubled teens can identify with. He knows their world because he once was one of them.
'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane donates Carl Sagan's papers to Library of Congress (+video)

Seth MacFarlane said that the papers belonging to the astronomer and popularizer of science Carl Sagan were extremely influential to him, and that they should be accessible to everyone.
Chapter & Verse 88 books that shaped America

The 88-book list published by the Library of Congress includes titles like 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and 'Little Women.'
Latin America Monitor Hosting the G20, Mexico is 'Greece no more'

Mexico is increasingly speaking as a world leader as it shed its image as the 'Greece of the '80s and '90s,' when it suffered excruciating debt and monetary crises.
Chapter & Verse Natasha Trethewey is named as the newest poet laureate

The writer is the first African-American poet laureate in almost a decade and the first Southern writer since Robert Penn Warren was appointed in 1986.
The public library as community center: books, latte, yoga

The public library branches out with new ways to bring bodies to the stacks. Nationwide librarians are developing a community center model where visitors can do everything from drink their latte and do yoga, to speed dating and tax preparation – all while getting closer to books.
Legendary musician Earl Scruggs remembered for revolutionary banjo playing style

Earl Scruggs partnered with some of the greatest musicians in bluegrass and country music throughout his career to create indelible memories.
The new celluloid heroes

Preservationists springboard off audience enthusiasm for 'Hugo' and 'The Artist' to revive old-school films.
John Glenn's first spaceflight was fraught with risks and unknowns

Before Glenn completed three laps of Earth on Feb. 20, 1962, no American had spent more than 15 minutes in space.
Woody Guthrie, in an age of 'Occupy'

On his centennial, tributes pour in for a man who made complex social issues deceptively simple through song and championed the downtrodden.