The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and 32 partner institutions today launched the World Digital Library, a website that provides free, unrestricted public access to unique cultural materials from libraries and archives from around the world. The site includes manuscripts, maps, rare books, films, sound recordings, prints and photographs. The World Digital Library functions in seven languages―Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish―and includes content in more than 40 languages. Descriptions of each item and videos, with expert curators speaking about selected items, provide context for users and are intended to spark curiosity and encourage both students and the general public to learn more about the cultural heritage of all countries.

The Law Library of Congress provides information on the history of Law Day, when Americans celebrate the rule of law and its contributions to our freedoms. Learn more about the history of Law Day, this year’s theme and links to our World Treasures exhibition section on the rule of law around the world.

Also make sure to explore the teacher resources on Thomas <http://thomas.loc.gov/> where you and your students can learn about Congress, the Supreme Court and find links to primary sources on the founding documents of the United States.

Because of overwhelming demand, the Library of Congress is extending both the closing date and public hours of "With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition."

The exhibit will remain open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building at 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. (Normal visitor hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will prevail Monday though Thursday.) In addition, the Library is taking the rare step of opening to the public on a Sunday. The exhibit will be open on Sunday, May 10, its closing day, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (The original closing date was May 9.)

The exhibit will close to the public on May 10th and then will travel to

The California Museum, Sacramento, CA, June 22–August 22, 2009
Newberry Library, Chicago, IL, October 10–December 19, 2009
Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN February 12–April 11, 2010
Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA, September 4–November 6, 2010
The Durham Museum, Omaha, NE, January 8, 2011–March 5, 2011

Also make sure to visit the online presentation. Make sure to click on the Learn More tab to see links to other resources, a bibliography including books for younger readers and resources you can use in the classroom.

The Library of Congress now has its own channel on You Tube. Our page currently has more than 70 videos, arranged in the following playlists: 2008 National Book Festival author presentations, the Books and Beyond author series, Journeys and Crossings (a series of curator discussions), “Westinghouse” industrial films from 1904 (I defy you to watch some of them without thinking of the Carl Stalling song “Powerhouse”), scholar discussions from the John W. Kluge Center, and the earliest movies made by Thomas Edison, including the first moving image ever made (curiously enough, a sneeze by a man named Fred Ott). We will continue to add additional videos from American Memory, the National Book Festival, and our webcasts from Library presentations.

The Spring 2009 issue of the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Newsletter is now available at http://www.loc.gov/teachers/tps/newsletter/. This issue focuses on the theme of technology integration, exploring how teachers can use technology to bring primary sources into their classrooms to enhance learning. Previous issues on the themes of literacy integration, promoting critical thinking and differentiated instruction are also available in both html and pdf versions through the newsletter’s archive.

Did you ever wonder why a camel has a hump? If you can really tell the weather by listening to the chirp of a cricket? Or why our joints make popping sounds? Everyday Mysteries will help you get the answers to these and many other of life's most interesting questions through scientific inquiry. In addition, Everyday Mysteries also introduces users to the Library of Congress' rich collections in science and technology.

Once you finish with Everyday Mysteries make sure to explore the Science and Technology Reading Rooms other online resources at http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society. The website includes information about programs at the various institutions, information on exhibits and links to resources for teachers.

Want to learn more about how to identify photographs or how to incorporate photographs into classroom activities? The Prints and Photographs Division has created a researcher’s toolbox which includes links to visual literacy exercises, how photographs can be used to support research and how to locate images found within the Prints and Photographs collections.

Abraham Lincoln Images Available on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/sets/72157613324367705/

Looking for images of Abraham Lincoln? The Library has made several available on the Flickr website. Additional Lincoln Images are available at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/sets/72157613324367705/

The Library has also made available panoramic photographs from World War 1 http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/sets/72157608675448396/
and outstanding Photochrom Travel Views http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/sets/72157612249760312/.

Interested in learning about all of the activities that the Library is doing as part of the celebration of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth? Visit the website listed above to learn more.

Make sure to review our Thematic Resource on Lincoln found at http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_lincoln.php and our Lincoln Primary Source Set at http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_lincoln_kit.php. You can also see some portions of the exhibition online at http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/lincoln/Pages/Default.aspx

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to become a backbone American society. The website includes information about programs at the various institutions, information on exhibits and links to resources for teachers.

Interested in seeing one of the most beautiful rooms in Washington? The Library will be offering tours of the Thomas Jefferson Building and the Main Reading Room on February 16th from 10am-3pm.

On Feb. 16, the Main Reading Room will be open for viewing only. No reference services will be available and all other reading rooms and facilities will be closed.

Unreserved guided tours of the Thomas Jefferson Buildings will be offered at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 pm. Tours begin at the Visitors Theater on the ground floor. Public tours, which are limited to 50 people, are designed to accommodate individuals and families, not large groups. More information about the Library or tours is available at the Orientation Desks or www.loc.gov/visit/ or by calling (202) 707-8000.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, The Library invites the public to a special evening opening of its new exhibition, "With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition," in the Jefferson Building from 5 to 9 p.m. http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-199.html

That day, the Jefferson Building Great Hall and exhibitions will be closed to the public until 5 p.m. No general visitors will be allowed in the Jefferson Building, although researchers will be able to use all Jefferson Building Reading Rooms. Researchers should enter the building via the Southeast Entrance. The Library Shop in the Jefferson Building will be closed for the day.

The Jefferson Building will reopen for normal business hours on Friday, Feb. 13.

Want to learn more about ways to use primary sources in differentiated instruction? Read the latest issue of the Teaching with Primary Sources newsletter. Find links to research on differentiated instruction, discover activities you can use with your students, and meet a teacher who uses primary sources in her classroom activities.

Would you like to see back issues of the newsletter? You can access them through Teaching with Primary Sources Web site.

These one day institutes invite educators from across the country to learn about Abraham Lincoln through the Library’s primary and web based materials. Participants will leave with strategies and materials they can use in their schools. The institute uses the Library's exhibition With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition as its foundation

Institutes will be held on the following dates:

Friday, February 27, 2009; 9 am – 4 pm
Saturday, February 28, 2009; 9 am – 4 pm
Friday, March 27, 2009; 9 am – 4 pm
Saturday, March 28, 2009; 9 am – 4 pm

Registration is limited to the first 20 applicants for any date.

The Library of Congress has rich documents and artifacts from every state, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. You can browse some of the best primary sources by state in the Features and Activities section of the Teachers Page. Also included on each state resource page are tools to help teachers use these items in the classroom and links to the American Memory collection home page and Prints and Photographs online catalog for those looking for more primary sources.

Interested in learning more about the famous poem that starts with the words “Twas the Night Before Christmas…?” This Today in History Feature presents information about the author and his inspiration.

We have updated the MyLOC pages to make them even more interactive. We have also added new lesson plans and activities. Make sure to try our Knowledge Quest which allows even deeper exploration of the Library’s architecture and the materials in our exhibitions.

Reference staff from the Science Reading room have created a variety of reference resources that will lead you to books and online resources of interest. Learn more about Podcasts, Webcasts and other Digital Media Files, Aeronautics, Beer and Brewing, Studying Bird’s Migration patterns from space and Wind Power. Watch webcasts on Earth’s Water Cycle in a Changing Climate and on School Gardens. Also make sure to visit the link for resources for teachers and students including one on resources for science fair projects.

Did you know that the Library has a large collection of musical instruments? Learn more about this collection which includes several Stradivarius violins, a huge collection of flutes and a collection of Thai musical instruments. Of special interest is a comparison of five of the violins in the collection. Those interested in how scientists insure that their experiments are done in controlled situations will be fascinated by the materials discussing how the performer developed the controlled conditions to make sure that the violins were played in the same manner in similar conditions. Musicians and those interested in sound will enjoy hearing how five different violins handle the same musical piece and hearing the difference in tone and sound between the different violins.