Library of Congress
Making Arrangements: Introducing the Gil Evans Music Manuscripts

08/19/2026 07:14 AM EDT

The Gil Evans Music Manuscripts are now available for research in the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room! Evans is one of the greatest arrangers in jazz history, acclaimed for his arrangements, band leadership, and original compositions. He arranged many well-known jazz and musical theater standards for his own projects and for his many collaborators, from Miles Davis to João Gilberto. Many of these standards were composed by other musical greats whose collections are held by the Music Division, and the manuscripts of these arrangements are remarkable examples of both Evans's process and the range of music from which he drew inspiration.

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Today in History - August 19

Today in History - August 19

On August 19, 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops under the command of Major General Robert Ross and Rear Admiral George Cockburn landed at Benedict, Maryland, on the shores of the Patuxent River. Continue reading.

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) first aired Saturday morning television shows for children on August 19, 1950. Continue reading.

Click here to search Today in History for other historic moments.

 

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Faulkner’s “Beer Broadside”

08/19/2026 09:48 AM EDT

This post examines the circumstances surrounding a rare broadside composed and distributed by William Faulkner in Oxford, Mississippi in 1950. The broadside is a response to local debates that broke out over a referendum being held on whether legal beer sales in Oxford should be permitted. Not only does Faulkner express his support of the local and legal sale of beer in his usual wry style, but at the same time challenges local religious leaders who tried to use their positions in the community to sway Oxford residents on the issue.

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“Bad Air”: Malaria in Veterans History Project WWII Collections

08/19/2026 10:00 AM EDT

In addition to seasonal delights such as long sunny days and warm nights, summer can also bring… bugs. As we near summer’s end and in honor of World Mosquito Day (August 20), the Veterans History Project explores accounts of mosquitos and malaria from our World War II collections.

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National Book Festival to Feature Martin Scorsese and Film Preservation at the Library

08/19/2026 10:16 AM EDT

Filmmaker and film preservation advocate Martin Scorsese joins the Library of Congress National Book Festival on August 22 for a discussion of his filmmaking philosophy and the importance of preserving our nation’s film heritage.

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Explore Local Fairs with the Library of Congress

08/19/2026 10:00 AM EDT

Dive into local and state fairs from the 1930s and 1940s with the Library of Congress’ Farm Security Administration photo collection. See how similarly we celebrated our communities and achievements nearly 100 years ago.

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NLS BARD Support: New date for September’s Many Faces of BARD program

New date for September’s Many Faces of BARD program

Due to the NLS Biennial National Conference, the Many Faces of BARD program will be held on September 3, which is the first Thursday of the month. The program will resume its regularly scheduled second Thursday of the month in October.

The topic for the Thursday, September 3, Many Faces of BARD program will be Introducing the Web Player. After the presentation and demonstration, we will take your questions about all things BARD for the remainder of the hour.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. NLS will record this program. The session can be joined by going to: https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1606945179?pwd=EH2KEjihYhALNg5ttf816aKuPGgndc.1.

Archived recordings of previous Many Faces of BARD sessions are available online at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/many-faces-of-bard.

Remember that the meeting is recorded. Do not speak if you do not wish to be on the recording. If you wish to speak, you may request to do so by raising your hand. On a PC, press Alt Y to toggle raising and lowering your hand; on a Mac, press Option Y; and if dialing in via telephone, press Star 9. To mute or unmute yourself on a PC, press Alt A; on a Mac, press Command-Shift A; and on a telephone, press Star 6. If you choose to dial in to the call, use the telephone numbers provided below. The Zoom.gov ID will not work with standard Zoom.us.

The complete Zoom invitation is below.

 

Hi there,

Rorie, Tamara is inviting you to a scheduled ZoomGov meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting

One tap mobile:

US: +16692545252,,1606945179# or +16469641167,,1606945179#

Meeting URL:

https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1606945179?pwd=EH2KEjihYhALNg5ttf816aKuPGgndc.1

Meeting ID:

160 694 5179

Passcode:

069088

Join by Telephone

For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.

Dial:

+1 669 254 5252 US (San Jose) +1 646 964 1167 US (US Spanish Line) +1 646 828 7666 US (New York) +1 415 449 4000 US (US Spanish Line) +1 551 285 1373 US (New Jersey) +1 669 216 1590 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID:

160 694 5179

International numbers

Join from an H.323/SIP room system

H.323:

166.108.98.42 (US West) 166.108.66.42 (US East)

Meeting ID:

160 694 5179

Passcode:

069088

SIP:

1606945179@sip.zoomgov.com

Passcode:

069088

 

 

—The BARD Support Team

Send comments, questions, or concerns to NLSDownload@loc.gov
Like NLS on Facebook or subscribe to the NLS Music Notes Blog

 

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“Fast” Fashion: Early Twentieth Century Style at the Auto Races 

08/19/2026 12:29 PM EDT

One of our business librarians takes a look at a 1917 article from Nugent’s The Garment Weekly that explored how early twentieth-century women’s fashion represented the racetrack's culture as fast, bold, free, and innovative.

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Japan: Act Establishes New Disaster Management Agency

08/19/2026 12:44 PM EDT

On July 17, 2026, Japan enacted a law establishing a new Disaster Management Agency that will start operations in late 2026. (Act on Establishment of the Disaster Management Agency, Act No. 61 of 2026; Supp. Provisions, art. 1.) According to an advisory committee report, the agency will serve as a disaster management command center. It will take a comprehensive view of the nation’s disaster preparedness, unite the collective strengths of industry, government, academia, and the public, and envision and realize an appropriate disaster preparedness framework for the medium- to long-term. (Report at 3.)The Disaster Management Agency will be placed under the Cabinet, and the prime minister will be its top official. (Act No. 61, art. 2; art. 6....

 

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The National Air and Space Intelligence Center Russian Collection: A Unique Period of Russian Publishing During the Late Cold War Era

08/19/2026 02:35 PM EDT

Former Junior Fellow Kat Payne explored the National Air and Space Intelligence Center’s Russian Collection as she worked on cataloging some of these materials during her internship with the Russian Section of the Germanic and Slavic Division. This is an important collection of Soviet-era science and technology-related publications that will soon be available in the general collection at the Library of Congress. Kat shares some of the interesting items she uncovered while working at the Library during summer 2025.

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