Web Discussions

The Library of Congress offers interactive online programs using webinar technology. Varied topics reflect the depth and breadth of the resources available in the Library's collections, while the webinar format allows participants from around the country and the world to learn from and interact with Library of Congress staff. Specialists from across the Library regularly join in offering a varied slate of presentations.

Upcoming Programs

Happy Birthday Walt!: Digitized Walt Whitman Collections from the Manuscript Division
Thursday, May 30, 2019    1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT

May 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of poet Walt Whitman. Join Manuscript Division historian Barbara Bair as she highlights the content and research use of three digitized manuscript collections related to Whitman, as well as upcoming programs celebrating Whitman’s birthday at the Library of Congress.
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Introducing loc.gov: Orientation and Research Strategies
A website orientation webinar is offered monthly.
Please visit the Introducing loc.gov page for a full description, schedule, and registration information.

Topical Program Offerings

Topical webinar programs range from thematic workshops focused on getting the most out of online collections to in-depth explorations of Library materials with expert specialists. Upcoming topical programs include:

Happy Birthday Walt!: Digitized Walt Whitman Collections from the Manuscript Division

May 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of poet Walt Whitman, who revolutionized the style and content of American poetry with his 1855 publication of the first edition of Leaves of Grass. Whitman was also a journalist, printer, publisher, orator and prose writer. The Library of Congress holds the largest group of Whitman-related special collection materials anywhere in the world, including printed matter, rare books, photographs, and manuscript materials. In this webinar Manuscript Division historian Barbara Bair highlights the content and research use of three digitized manuscript collections: the Walt Whitman Collection of miscellaneous manuscripts; the Charles Feinberg collection of Walt Whitman Papers; and the Thomas Harned collection of Walt Whitman Papers, and highlights programs celebrating Whitman’s birthday at the Library of Congress.

Date: Thursday, May 30
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT
Registration: Register via Eventrbrite

Orientations are held in real time via webinar software. Confirmation and log on instructions will be sent via email. Please read the Library of Congress Comment and Posting Policy.

Technical Requirements: Participants must have access to an Internet-connected computer or device with speakers or headphones. There is also a telephone option for listening to audio.

ADA: Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]. Registration for the program is also required.

 

Programs are announced through the Virtual Programs & Services RSS Feed and Email Subscription, and on this page. To request a program for your group, or for other questions, contact us via Ask A Librarian.

Past Topical Programs

Topics of past Web discussions have included:

• How Thomas Jefferson's library became the Library of Congress;
• Exploring the Finding our Place in the Cosmos collection, featuring selections from the Carl Sagan papers;
• The role of Clara Barton in the Civil War, with the Manuscript Division;
• Celebrating poetry, with the Poetry & Literature Center;
• Overview of the Library's map collections, with the Geography & Map Division;
• Researching ancestors, with specialists from the the Local History & Genealogy Research Center; and
• Locating free e-resources, with the Library’s electronic resources coordinator.