Webcasts from the Library of Congress I

April 30, 2014. Andrea Rugh reflects on her years living and working as an anthropologist in the Middle East. Speaker Biography: Andrea Rugh is an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. She has a Ph.D. in anthropology from the American University in Washington. Between 1964 and 1995, she lived in the Middle East region, including three years in the United Arab Emirates. Her publications include four books on Arab society: "Coping with Poverty in a Cairo Community," "Family in Contemporary Egypt," "Reveal and Conceal: Dress in Egypt" and "Within the Circle: Parents and Children in a Syrian Village," plus introductions and English versions of Siham Tergeman's "Daughter of Damascus" and Samir Tahhan's "Folktales of Syria." For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6345

Howard Wettstein speaks on his new book "The Significance of the Religious Experience." Speaker Biography: Howard Wettstein serves on the faculty of the department of philosophy at University of California, Riverside. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5945

Nigerian writer A. Igoni Barrett reads from his work and discusses the state of contemporary African literature. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5953

American poet and teacher Richard Blanco delighted readers with his work. Blanco recited his poem, "One Today" at President Obama's second inauguration. He is the first immigrant, the first Latino, the first openly gay person and the youngest person to be the U.S. poet for a presidential inauguration. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5983

A panel discussion on the advances in Raman Spectroscopy for analysis of cultural heritage materials. Speakers included Lynn Brostoff, Richard Bormett, Silvia Centeno and Marco Leona. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5949

A Nowruz lecture featuring Ulrich Marzolph speaking about a lithographed Shiite pilgrimage scroll from Qajar, Iran. Speaker Biography: Ulrich Marzolph is an author and professor of Islamic studies at the Georg-August-University in Göttingen, Germany. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5948

Judith Hornok describes a new image of the Arab world, the modern generation of Arab women. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5961

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who was a young civil-rights leader in 1963, opened the photo exhibition "A Day Like No Other: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington" at the Library of Congress. Speaker Biography: Rep. John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties and building what he calls "The Beloved Community" in America. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won him the admiration of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Congress, where he represents Georgia's 5th District. In 1965, Lewis helped spearhead a seminal moment in the civil rights movement: Along with Hosea Williams, Lewis led more than 600 peaceful protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in a demonstration of the need for voting rights in the state. The marchers were attacked by state troopers in a brutal confrontation that became known as "Bloody Sunday." The incident helped hasten passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5960

In her book, "Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism," Sarah Bunin Benor describes how newly orthodox Jews have to adopt not only the laws and customs, but also new speech patterns. Speaker Biography: Sarah Bunin Benor is associate professor of contemporary Jewish studies at Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles campus. She is a socio-linguist focusing on the spoken language of American Jews. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5965

Jennifer Tobkin discusses Muhammad ibn Dawud al-Isfahani (d. 297/909), compiler of an anthology of poetry called "Kitab al-Zahra" ("The Book of the Flower") and author of some 500 lines of poetry in it as well as commentary on poems by other poets. Ibn Dawud is arguably more famous for the legend that he died from love for a male friend than for any of his own writings. As early as the 11th century, biographical dictionaries such as "Ta'rikh Baghdad" told the story of Ibn Dawud's writing those poems of his which appear in "Kitab al-Zahra" for a man who did not reciprocate Ibn Dawud's feelings for him and eventually dying from this unrequited love. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5969

Viewshare is a free, Library of Congress-sponsored platform that empowers historians, librarians, archivists and curators to create and customize dynamic interfaces to collections of digital content. Viewshare requires no particular technical proficiency, and participants will leave ready to use the application to help understand and provide access to digital collections of cultural heritage materials. Speaker Biography: Camille Salas is a program support assistant with the Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program and a recent MLS graduate of the University of Maryland's iSchool. She serves as a technical writer for the Viewshare online service development project. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5970

What turns a Shakespeare scholar into a digital entrepreneur? Katherine Rowe will talk about the opportunities and challenges that led two academics to design an application for social reading: Shakespeare's The Tempest for iPad, published by Luminary Digital Media. This initiative illuminates larger transformations of reading, writing, teaching, and learning that so many of us are experiencing today. Speaker Biography: Katherine Rowe is professor of English at Bryn Mawr College. She is the author of "Dead Hands: Fictions of Agency, Renaissance to Modern" and co-author of "New Wave Shakespeare on Screen." She writes about media history (with an emphasis on performance media), Renaissance cultural history, adaptation as a cultural process, and the digital humanities. She has served on the editorial board of the Shakespeare Quarterly and is a trustee of the Shakespeare Association of America. She is also co-founder of Luminary Digital Media (luminary.co), publisher of the Luminary Folger Shakespeare Editions, available in the Apple Store. Speaker Biography: Abby Yochelson is the English and American Literature reference specialist in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division of the Library of Congress. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5973

Raouf Abujaber discusses the development of Transjordan during the 19th century. Speaker Biography: Raouf Abujaber is a historian of 19th century Transjordan. He obtained his BBA from American University in Beirut, an MA from Jordan University, and PhD. from Oxford University in 1987. He has published eleven books and is the author of over hundred articles in both English and Arabic. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5975

Avi Mandell discusses how we discover and learn about planets around other stars. Speaker Biography: Avi Mandell is a research scientist in the Planetary Systems Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. His research focuses on the formation and evolution of planetary systems and the characterization of extrasolar planets. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5976

Poets Holly Bass and Al Young celebrate the birthday of American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar by reading selections from his work and discussing his influence on their own writing. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5981

El Maratón De Poesia Del Teatro de La Luna is the only Spanish-language poetry marathon in the country gathering poets together from Latin America. This event is hosted on a yearly basis by the Teatro de la Luna in Arlington, Va., and at the Library of Congress. The poets featured in the 21st marathon included Jorge Miguel Cocom Pech (Mexico), José Eduardo Degrazia (Brazil), Ángela Hernández Núñez (Dominican Republic), Laura Hernández Muñoz (Mexico), Astrid Lander (Venezuela), Emilio Mozo (Cuba), and Nicasio Urbina (Nicaragua). Each year, this event is moderated by poet, and literary critic Rei Berroa (Dominican Republic/United States). For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5574

Finding just what you want at a large library can be daunting. Imagine how overwhelming that might be at the largest library in the world. It doesn't have to be. This tutorial video from the Library of Congress shows you how easy finding what you want can be by using subject headings and a helpful librarian. And these tips can be used in any library.

John Hessler discusses Renaissance cartographer Johannes Schöner. Speaker Biography: John W. Hessler is senior cartographic reference specialist in the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is the author of "The Naming of America: Martin Waldseemüller's 1507 World Map and the Cosmographiae Introductio" (2008), "Thoreau on Cape Cod: His Journeys and the Lost Maps" (2011), and "Seeing the World Anew: The Radical Vision of Martin Waldseemüller's 1507 and 1516 World Maps" (2012). For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5964

Conservators highlight basic preservation measures one can do at home for long-lasting albums and scrapbooks; enumerate the pros and cons of dismantling old scrapbooks and albums in poor condition; and discuss how to address condition problems. Digital archivists cover preservation considerations for digital scrapbooks and albums. Staff from the Library's Veterans History Project share information on how to participate in the Project. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5954

"Carl Gustav Jung and the Red Book," an all day symposium, featured presentations by prominent Jungian scholars. Speaker Biography: Jung scholar Sonu Shamdasani is a London-based author, editor, and professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London WIHM/UCL. Shamdasani works discuss the history of psychiatry and psychology from the mid-nineteenth century to current times. Shamdasani holds a BA from Bristol University, followed by MSc, History of Science and Medicine, University College London/Imperial College and gained his Ph.D. in History of Medicine from WIHM/UCL. Speaker Biography: James Hillman is a psychologist, scholar, international lecturer, pioneer psychologist, and the author of more than twenty books. Hillman has held teaching positions at Yale University, the University of Chicago, Syracuse University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Dallas, where he cofounded the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Speaker Biography: Ann Ulanov is a professor of psychiatry and religion at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She is the author of several books, including Religion and the Spiritual in Carl Jung and The Healing Imagination: The Meeting of Psyche and Soul. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4909