July 29, 2010
What We’re Reading: July 29, 2010 Edition
Our timely links this week include an obituary for broadcaster Daniel Schorr, the first declassification report from the National Declassification Center, news on the 20th anniversary of the ADA, the re-release of Senator Byrd’s musical album, a brief history of data visualization, and a new site for creating courses. If you’re looking for a good read this summer check out NPR’s list of historical fiction. Finally, check out our collection of image-related links, including the Library of Congress’ Great Depression color photographs, Harvard Law School Library’s legal portraits, food posters from World Wars I and II, and some historic D.C. photos.
News
- Veteran broadcaster Daniel Schorr dead
The Chicago Tribune on Daniel Schorr, who passed away last Friday at the age of 93. - National Declassification Center Issues First Report
The National Archives recently announced that the National Declassification Center (NDC) released its first report, covering January 1- June 30, 2010. Over that period of time, “nearly 8 million pages of material were processed and made available to the public.” - Americans with Disabilities Act turns 20
The National Museum of American History’s blog notes the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and highlights some related images from their collections. - Senatorial Soundtrack: U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, ‘Mountain Fiddler’
The late Senator Byrd’s album “Mountain Fiddler” is re-released on CD just a month after his death. - A Brief History of Data Visualization
Shawn Allen presents a brief history of data visualization, from a chart in 1786 to an electoral map in 2008. - Online Course Construction Gets a ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Web Site
The Chronicle reports on a new site, Nixty, that lets users make their own courses for free.
Historical Fiction
- Historical Fiction: The Ultimate Summer Getaway
There’s still plenty of summer left to fill up with good books, so check out NPR’s list of historical fiction novels and “Summer Titles That Will Take You Back in Time.” This is just one of a number of book lists they’ve put together. They’ve also rounded up the best summer science books, monster books, funny books, and more.
Images
- Legal Portraits Online
The Harvard Law School Library has made “images of lawyers, jurists, political figures, and legal thinkers dating from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century” from their collections available online. Hat tip. - Food Posters
Check out food posters from World Wars I and II that are currently on exhibit at the National Agricultural Library. Also see Smithsonian Magazine’s look at food posters. Hat tip. - DDOT Shares Historical Washington Images On Flickr
The DCist blog reports that the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in Washington has posted a number of historic D.C. photos.
Contributors: Elisabeth Grant and Vernon Horn
Comment:
Others are reading the Summer 2010 issue of PROLOGUE, the magazine of the National Archives. Inside is an article titled “Frame After Frame” written by yours truly. If you have an interest in the seemingly endless variety of historical films held within America’s film vault, you can read the article at…
http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/summer/frame-film.html
Thanks.
— Phil Stewart Jul 29, 10:29 AM