It Was Today I learned about the LOC Blogs!

I had no idea that the Library of Congress has so many blogs and each blog was focused on a particular topic. Where was I?

I have a presentation on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and there is rarely a new article. Today there was a new article from the Library of Congress. I saw it on my phone and I wanted to get the unabridged version and went to the LOC site and amazingly I found 21 different blogs based on different types of collections. You can see them here: https://blogs.loc.gov

Detail of the inhabited border from 217r in Manuscript 85 in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, LOC.

I have a presentation on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and there is rarely a new article. Today there was a new article from the Library of Congress. I saw it on my phone and I wanted to get the unabridged version and went to the LOC site and amazingly I found 21 different blogs based on different types of collections. You can see them all here: https://blogs.loc.gov

How can you not be interested in the map collection of the roads of the 18th century. US? or the latest items in public domain due to the roll over of a year? Drop a comment in about which ones look interesting to you!

Let’s look at the 21 blogs a little more closely, I include one of the three latest blogs to let you have an idea of what is covered. For the genealogists, I identified the ones in italics that piqued my interest; your interests will vary.

Timeless: Stories from the LOC:: “Forging Bonds the Veterans History Project Turns 25.” https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2026/01/forging-bonds-the-veterans-history-project-turns-25/

Bibliomania: Rare Books & Special Collections: “Behind the Rabbit: A Short Tale” https://blogs.loc.gov/bibliomania/2026/01/22/behind-the-rabbit-a-short-tale/

Bookmarked: Celebrating Contemporary Books & Writers at the Library: “A Reading Year With our Literary Ambassadors” https://blogs.loc.gov/bookmarked/2025/12/29/a-reading-year-with-our-literary-ambassadors/

Copyright: Creativity at Work: “Lifecycle of Copyright: 1930 Works in the Public Domain.” https://blogs.loc.gov/copyright/2025/12/lifecycle-of-copyright-1930-works-in-the-public-domain/

Folklife Today: American Folklife Center & Veterans History Project: “MLK’s Philosophy of Non-Violence Revisited,” https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2026/01/mlks-philosophy-of-non-violence-revisited/

4 Corners of the World: International Collections at the Library of Congress: “Conservation as Dendritic Maps an Interview with Paper and Book Conservator Yasmeen Khan,” https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2026/01/conservation-as-dendritic-maps-an-interview-with-paper-and-book-conservator-yasmeen-khan/ (dendritic: definition “having the form resembling a tree’)

Guardians of Memory: Preserving the National Collection:”Clues from the Past: Closely Examining Historic Documents,” https://blogs.loc.gov/preservation/2026/01/clues-from-past/

Headlines & Heroes: Newspapers, Comics & More Fine Print: “A Presidency Cut Short: Death of James Garfield,” https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2026/01/death-of-james-garfield/

Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business: “Tools of the Trade: Hardware Dealers Magazine,” https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2026/01/hardware-dealers-magazine/

Insights: Scholarly Work at the Kluge Center: ““Muhammad’s Grave: Death Rites and the Making of Islamic Society,” https://blogs.loc.gov/kluge/2026/01/25-25-halevi/

In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress: “Upcoming US Law Webinars” (February 2026) https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2026/01/upcoming-us-law-webinars-february-2026/

In The Muse: Performing Arts at the Library of Congress: “The Top 5 Acquisitions for 2025,” https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2026/01/top-5-acquisitions-for-2025/

Minerva’s Kaleidoscope: Resources for Kids & Families: “Craft, Create, and Calculate: Bring Geometry to Life with the Tangram,” https://blogs.loc.gov/families/2026/01/craft-create-calculate-bring-geometry-to-life-with-the-tangram/

NLS Music Notes: Resources for the Blind & Print Disabled: “Holiday Bard Additions, December 2025,” https://blogs.loc.gov/nls-music-notes/2025/12/holiday-bard-additions-december-2025/

Now See Hear!: National Audio-Visual Conservation Center:”This Coming monte at the Packard Campus Theater-February 2026,” https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2026/01/this-coming-month-at-the-packard-campus-theater-february-2026/

Of the People: Widening the Path: “Community Collections Grants Collections Spotlight: Documenting Bomba and Pleana Musicians in the Diaspora Los Pleneros de la 21,” https://blogs.loc.gov/ofthepeople/2025/01/community-collections-grants-spotlight-documenting-bomba-and-plena-musicians-in-the-diaspora-los-pleneros-de-la-21/

Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos:”Subterranean Travel: Subway Systems in Pictures,” https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2026/01/subterranean-travel-subway-systems-in-pictures/

The Signal: Digital Happenings at the Library of Congress:”What’s New Online at the Library of Congress,” https://blogs.loc.gov/thesignal/2026/01/new-loc-jan-2026/

Teaching with the Library: Primary Sources & Ideas for Educators:”The American Revolution: A New Primary Source Set for Teachers from the Library of Congress,” https://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2026/01/the-american-revolution-a-new-primary-source-set-for-teachers-from-the-library-of-congress/

Unfolding History: Manuscripts at the Library of Congress: “Thomas Jefferson and the Rumford Fireplace,” https://blogs.loc.gov/manuscripts/2026/01/thomas-jefferson-and-the-rumford-fireplace/

Worlds Revealed: Geography & Maps at the Library of Congress: “An 18th Century Survey of the Roads of the United States of America,” https://blogs.loc.gov/maps/2026/01/an-18th-century-survey-of-the-roads-of-the-united-states-of-america/

Whew!! Sign up for the ones that catch your eye.

Happy Hunting!

Jill

What I have done since the last posting: I continue to work on my family books. The paternal book as gone to the publisher for a draft and to the editor for final edits. I started work on the maternal book and in the last day or so, have got a good handle on the content and front matter. It will be about 160 pages long (about 1/2 the size of the paternal book). the content is to the editor for first review. Other then that just regular stuff–actually read for pleasure this past week.