Libraries

Today, America's founding documents reside in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom in the National Archives.

What Happened to America’s Most Precious Documents After Pearl Harbor?

Librarians and archivists made sure the nation’s records didn’t become casualties of World War II

Abraham Ortelius created the world's first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, or "Theater of the World," in 1570. Shakespeare, who famously wrote that "all the world's a stage," was doubtless influenced by the maps that flourished during his lifetime.

How Maps Shaped Shakespeare

An exhibition in Boston delves into historical maps to show how the Bard saw the wider world

Two supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment demonstrate in August 1980.

These Photos Bring the Women’s Movement to Life

<i>Catching the Wave</i> dramatizes the large and small moments of second-wave feminism

John Lewis has been arrested at least 45 times—and three previously buried records have now been unearthed

John Lewis’ Arrest Records Are Finally Uncovered

“Good trouble” led to real consequences for the civil rights agitator

The Field Museum's famed T-Rex Sue may be long dead, but she still requires a lot of TLC.

Preserve and Protect: How Paleontologists Care for Their Long-Dead, High-Maintenance Stars

Fossil collections are where the science of paleontology truly lives. Valuable dino bones must be treated accordingly

A legal rumpus threw the author's epic book collection into question.

Legal Dispute Over Maurice Sendak’s Epic Book Collection Gets Wild

A legal rumpus has concluded—but have concerns about the author's legacy only just begun?

As much as possible of the ad-hoc memorial that arose outside the headquarters of the Dallas Police after the shootings of five officers this year will be preserved in the city's public library.

Library Launches Campaign to Preserve Shrines to Slain Dallas Police Officers

A fundraising effort looks to make remnants of the city's tragic shootings available for future generations

An annotated note hidden in the margins of an 18th-century mathematical manuscript by a past restoration attempt.

How Experts Are Digitizing Ancient Manuscripts

Digital preservation is more work than it might seem

All aboard the book train

This Speedy, Wall-Crawling Conveyor System Will Now Deliver Books at the New York Public Library

Like a robotic, book-carrying train

This book of Grimm's Fairy Tales is entirely written using words with one syllable.

Channel Childhoods Gone By With This Digital Archive of Victorian Children’s Books

From nursery rhymes to religious lectures, this digital archive shows how kids read in a bygone age

A new imaging system could help people to read books without touching them.

This Camera Uses Radiation to Read Closed Books

No need to open a book to read past its cover

Four Finds from University of Kansas' Collection of Radical Zines

The university's Solidarity! Radical Library boasts a collection of almost 1,000 alternative papers

"Shotgun Seamstress"

The New York Public Library’s Radical Zine Collection Is Now on Display

Check out pamphlets from people like Noam Chomsky and Mumia Abu-Jamal

Pew Research Shows Public Libraries Remain Vital to Communities

The latest poll shows that the majority of Americans think libraries have the resources they need

Celebrate 50 Years of International Literacy Day With the British Library

Butterflies, rabbits and Shakespeare: there's something for everybody

If your book has a stamp like this, it's probably way overdue.

Alabama Library Plans to Enforce Strict Overdue Book Ordinance

You could face a fine or even spend a night in jail for keeping books too long

Beneath this obelisk is an even more outrageous display of Mussolini's self-regard.

Scholars Uncover Secret Message from Mussolini

The dictator's self-image lives on deep beneath an obelisk he built to commemorate his own greatness

The Dessen Bauhaus was home to ambitious movement that went far beyond blocky architecture.

Harvard Just Launched a Fascinating Resource All About Bauhaus

The newly digitized collection is as ambitious as the art school it documents

While on tour in the 1980s and 1990s, Ray Charles played this Yamaha KX88 electronic keyboard MIDI controller, customized with Braille.

How the Library of Congress Is Digitizing Its Braille Music Collection

It’s not as simple as putting it through a scanner

Grab a book, grab a mic, get down.

Finland’s Hot New Karaoke Bar Is a Public Library

Don’t stop believin’ in the power of music

Page 7 of 9