Join us Tomorrow at 1:00 PM EDT for the Orientation to Law Library Collections Webinar. This webinar provides information about the Law Library’s wide range of online resources, as well as our print collections. Some of the resources attendees will learn about include the Law Library’s research guides, digital collections, and the Guide to Law Online, among others. This month’s webinar will also feature a special appearance by the University of Georgia: Alexander Campbell King Law Library as part of our state law libraries outreach project. Presenting from Georgia will be TJ Striepe, director of the Alexander Campbell King Law Library, and Anne Burnett, foreign and international law librarian at the Alexander Campbell King Law Library from the University of Georgia.
Louis Gilbert, legal research fellow, outside the Library’s Madison Building. Photo by Louis Gilbert.
Describe your background.
I was born and raised in Paris, France. My mother is American and my father is French, so I grew up speaking both English and French at home. I have been living in Washington, D.C., since 2018, and though I sometimes miss Paris, D.C. continues to grow on me.
What is your academic/professional history?
After high school, I studied law at Université Paris Ouest Nanterre. I was lucky enough to be accepted into a double degree program, which gave me the opportunity to obtain an LL.B. from the University of Essex as well as a French License de Droit from Paris Ouest. After studying law in England and France, I was accepted into another double degree program between Nanterre and American University in Washington, D.C., where I obtained an American J.D. and a French master’s degree in comparative law.
I am admitted to the D.C. bar, and so far I have had the opportunity to work for law firms, international organizations, and the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.
How do you describe your job to other people?
I tell people that my job is to respond to legal research requests concerning French-speaking jurisdictions from Congress, the judiciary, federal agencies, and members of the public. I also help write reports on legal and legislative developments in the French-speaking jurisdictions I cover.
Why did you want to work at the Library of Congress?
I first wanted to work for the Library of Congress after hearing alumni from my school praise the work environment. I also wanted to work in an environment that would allow me to switch between reading and writing in English and French throughout my work day. What really pushed me to apply was the idea that the work in the Global Legal Research Directorate involves not only researching multiple jurisdictions, but also switching between varied legal subject areas.
Ultimately, it’s the friendliness of the people I have met working here that makes me want to stay.
What is the most interesting fact that you’ve learned about the Library?
I learned that in addition to its extensive physical collection, the Library also houses over three million sound recordings. I also learned that the library maintains a database of free-to-use audio that includes music recorded by the U.S. government, field recordings, and other recordings dedicated to the public domain. As a music producer, this resource is a goldmine of interesting sounds to sample from!
What’s something that most of your co-workers don’t know about you?
While most of my coworkers know that I am an avid painter, I actually started my creative journey as a music producer. I make soundtracks for documentaries and produce instrumental tracks (beats) for rappers I meet around the D.C. area and New York.
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In 1860, three illegal slave ships (slavers) were captured near the coast of Cuba and subsequently processed in Key West,Florida for violating the 1808 Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves. An illustration in Harper’s Weekly portrays 510 Africans in “miserable, cramped conditions” on one of the ships. According to the accompanying article in Harper’s Weekly, around 60 women and girls were in the ship’s cabin. Approximately 400 of the captured Africans “were… ten to sixteen years” old.
The U.S. steamship Mohawk II seized the enslaved people from the Wildfire and arrived in Key West on April 30, 1860. According to Harper’s Weekly, “ninety and upward” Africans died before arrival, 40 Africans were hospitalized at Fort Taylor, and 100 more were inflicted with diseases such as dysentery. In the following days, Marshall Fernando J. Moreno constructed a shelter while the women of Key West gathered and donated clothes.
Map of Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies, 1860. W. Williams. 1860. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.
On May 9, 1860, the U.S. steamer Wyandotte seized another slaver, the William. The Wyandotte’s entry to Key West was relayed in the July 14, 1860, issue of Friend’s Intelligencer. A woman on the Wyandotte, sang a “lament… about her home and children,” when out of nowhere people heard distant voices sing the song back to her. This continued as the Wyandotte approached the shore. Upon docking, the woman learned that those were the voices of her children who had already been liberated from a slaver. According to the Friend’s Intelligencer, when the mother was reunited with her children, people of all races were in tears.
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, with text, and illustration of landing of the cargo of slaves at Key West, Florida. June 30, 1860. Open Parks Network.
On May 19, 1860, President James Buchanan issued a message to Congress in response to the seizures in Key West. President Buchanan implored Congress to pass legislation standardizing an 1858 agreement he made with the American Colonization Society following the seizure of the slave vessel Echo. In this agreement, freed Africans were to be sent to Liberia. On May 23, 1860, the U.S. steamer Crusader seized the slaver Bogota and subsequently arrived in Key West on May 25, 1860. Approximately 1,432 Africans were liberated from the slavers and 295 Africans died due to diseases and the conditions on the slavers. Between June 30 and July 19, ships arrived in Key West to transport the Africans from Key West to Liberia.
However, in 1860, while Key West residents banded together to help the African refugees, there were 451 enslaved people living in Monroe County, which primarily consists of Key West. According to the 1860 census, Monroe County’s enslaved population outnumbered its free population of 160 freemen and women. This is a consequence of the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ requests in the 1840s and 1850s for Key West residents to purchase slaves for the construction of Fort Taylor and Fort Jefferson which began in 1845 and 1847, respectively. According to the authors of a National Parks Service Report on African Americans’ experience at Fort Jefferson, enslaved workers “were administered physical punishment for even the slightest offense, real or imagined.”
Fort Taylor, Key West, Fla. Engraved between 1861 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.35167
In Key West, African Americans, whether free or not, faced laws restricting their behavior. For instance, African Americans were prohibited from being out or making “any other kind of noise” past 9:00 p.m. According to Florida Supreme Court Justice and Key West local, Jefferson Beale Browne, this law was created in 1832 by Key West’s first town council.
This contradiction of Key West restricting African Americans while supporting the Africans freed from the slavers is representative of a historic trend, dating back to George Washington, of viewing the slave trade as immoral instead of the system of slavery. George Washington, who owned enslaved people, expressed opposition to the slave trade as far back as the days leading up to the American Revolution. This is exemplified by Washington’s Fairfax Resolves which he co-wrote with George Mason.
Image 5 of George Washington Papers, Series 4, General Correspondence: Fairfax County, Virginia, Citizens, July 18, 1774. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
In section 17 of the Fairfax Resolves, Washington and Mason made the following statement about the slave trade:
“Resolved that it is the Opinion of this Meeting, that during our present Difficulties and Distress, no Slaves ought to be imported into any of the British Colonies on this Continent; and we take this Opportunity of declaring our most earnest Wishes to see an entire Stop for ever put to such a wicked cruel and unnatural Trade.”
“The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.”
While the Constitution protected the importation of enslaved people until 1808, President Washington signed the Slave Trade Act of 1794 which banned the exporting of enslaved people from the United States. The Slave Trade Act of 1800 was signed by President John Adams on May 10, 1800. This act increased fines for ships exporting slaves.
An act to prohibit the carrying on the slave trade from the United Sates to any foreign place or country. March, 22, 1794. General Records of the U.S. Government. National Archives.
On December 2, 1806, President Thomas Jefferson, advocated for the end of the slave trade in his State of the Union address. On December 3, 1806, Joseph Bradley Varnumspoke on behalf of “a Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union…referred to a select committee” to determine the future of the slave trade. Subsequently, on December 15, 1860, Peter Early introduced the 1808 Act Prohibiting the Slave Trade to the House of Representatives. The Act was signed by President Jefferson on March 2, 1807, and went into effect on January 1, 1808.
An Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves Into Any Port or Place within the Jurisdiction of the United States, From and After the First Day of January 1808. March 2, 1807. General Records of the U.S. Government. National Archives.
At the time of the Act’s passage, Florida was under Spanish control with ports in Florida being used to smuggle slaves into the United States. Florida’s transition to U.S. statehood began in 1819 with the Adams–Onís Treaty and continued through 1821 when Florida became a U.S. territory. As a U.S. territory, Florida was governed by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida. During this period, the American view of supporting slavery but disliking the slave trade spread into Florida, which is demonstrated in an address by Legislative Council member Zephaniah Kingsley Jr.
Once Florida was officially designated as a U.S. territory, the 1808 Act Prohibiting the Slave Trade became effective in the state. Florida achieved statehood in 1845, aligning with the federal government’s investment in the construction of Forts Taylor and Jefferson. During the Civil War, the Union identified these forts as crucial for naval control of Florida and seized Fort Taylor and Key West. Three years into Union control, command was transferred to the 2nd Regiment, United States Colored Infantry.
Key West–1862. William Waud. 1862 [ca. February]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.22575
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Last September, Congress.gov introduced the beta Congress.gov API. Today, we are thrilled to announce that the beta label has been removed from the Congress.gov API. We are very excited about this news and a great deal of hard work has gone on behind the scenes this year to make this happen. As we celebrate the removal of the beta label, we are greatly appreciative of our data partners, the Congressional Data Task Force, and our users.
Since announcing the beta API, the Congress.gov API has added several new endpoints and enhancements that include new endpoints for the daily Congressional Record and the bound Congressional Record. While we have created several new endpoints, existing endpoints continue to be enhanced. For example, the Library of Congress is investigating how to provide all committee video metadata elements from a single data source, the Congress.gov API Committee Meeting endpoint. We expect there will be more collaboration with our data partners, developers, and users on how to create new, useful, and exciting features within the Congress.gov API.
The api.congress.gov website allows users to explore available parameters related to particular endpoints
There is a GitHub page for the Congress.gov API where you can get additional information and provide feedback if you encounter any issues, bugs, or difficulties. Our developers and our team greatly appreciate feedback and use this to consider possible changes, fixes, and enhancements to the API. We also encourage users to look at the issues section for information which can help answer possible queries. Additionally, the GitHub repository hosts a Change Log that details past changes to the API and upcoming API development.
The Congress.gov API Change Log, which is available in the GitHub repository, highlights upcoming changes and enhancements to the API.
The collaboration and feedback with our partners and users have greatly improved the API’s collections and usability. We look forward to adding more of Congress.gov’s fantastic collections to the API and making Congress.gov collections more accessible to our users.
Enhancement – Legislation – Download Amendments First Iteration
You can use the Download Results link on the amendments tab of a bill to save a spreadsheet of metadata and text where available. See Coverage Dates for availability of amendment text.
You may need to wrap text and resize the Amendment Text column in order to view the text in the downloaded Excel file.
Extremely large texts will be incomplete.
Congress.gov API
The Congress.gov API is no longer in beta as endpoints for all Congress.gov collections have been added.
Improvements based on user feedbackhave been implemented.
You can sign up for a key to use the Congress.gov API to retrieve legislative data in a machine-readable format.
Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.
The following is a guest post by John Cannan, a former legal analyst with the Public Services Division of the Law Library of Congress. John is currently a faculty scholarship librarian and legal research instructor at the library of the Charles Widger School of Law of Villanova University. In addition to his publications on legal research and statutory interpretation, John has written on campaigns of the American Civil War in the eastern theater. John was an attendee at the recent annual meeting of the American Association of Law Libraries in Boston.
After a long march through Boston, under a scorching July sun, I found my objective in a small verdant, Brookline cemetery. I pulled back a tree-like weed to reveal a plaque over a nondescript brick mausoleum, sealed in a cinder block. It read:
FRANCIS CHANNING BARLOW
Born Oct. 19 1834 – Died Jan. 11 1896
Enrolled As A Private Soldier April 19 1861
Appointed Major General United States Volunteers
May 26 1865.
This brief biography told only a small part of one of the most spectacular careers from the Civil War and the decades that followed.
The grave of Francis Channing Barlow in the Walnut Street Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts. Photograph by John Cannan.
Barlow was educated on Brook Farm, the Transcendentalist enterprise, where one of his teachers was Ralph Waldo Emerson. He went to Harvard at the age of 17 and graduated in 1855 as class valedictorian. Afterward, he moved to New York, taking up the law and working as a reporter and editor for the New York Tribune.
Shortly after the Civil War broke out, Barlow enlisted as a private, the same day he married his first wife Arabella Griffith. As the war continued, he rose in rank and command, seeing action in some of the most critical battles in the eastern theater—McClellan’s failed 1862 campaign against Richmond, Antietam’s Bloody Lane, Chancellorsville, and the first day of Gettysburg. He was severely wounded twice and was both times nursed back to health by Arabella, who crossed enemy lines at Gettysburg to give her husband aid. A nurse with the U.S. Sanitary Commission, in part to be near her husband, Arabella contracted typhus from her work and died before the war’s end. Barlow would later marry Ellen Shaw, the sister of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw who died leading the 54th Massachusetts at Battery Wagner in South Carolina.
Barlow joined Grant’s 1864-1865 campaigns against Richmond, during which he won his most spectacular success, leading the troops that shattered the Confederate Mule Shoe salient at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864. Though ultimately repulsed, his attack captured thousands of Southern troops, including two general officers, and nearly broke the Army of Northern Virginia.
After the war, Barlow flirted with politics, serving as New York Secretary of State, Marshal for the Southern District of New York, and New York Attorney General. As the Empire State’s top lawyer, he battled the scandalously corrupt Tammany Hall organization of William “Boss” Tweed and his associates and allies. Barlow used the New York Bar Association, which he helped found, to police the ethics of the state’s legal profession, and to oust two Tweed judges from their posts. He also tried to bring professional censure on Tweed lawyer, David Dudley Field, who also defended robber barons Jay Gould and James Fisk as they sought domination of several lucrative transportation networks in the state. (Field’s regrettable clients detracted from his more honorable role as the drafter of New York’s reformed codes of court procedure.) Tweed himself was Barlow’s primary target and the attorney general meticulously put in motion the gears of civil and criminal prosecution of the boss and his cronies. Barlow left office before Tweed was vanquished but his work was instrumental in bringing him down.
In full disclosure, my visit to Barlow’s gravesite was to pay my respects for a more frivolous reason — our shared lack of facial hair. Barlow, in a time when most men wore beards, is distinguished in Civil War photographs for being clean-shaven. This gave him the deceptive appearance of a “newsboy” or a young student. He had a reputation for being combative, a quality proven by his tenure as a soldier and state attorney general. His features are perhaps best remembered as a model for the natty Union officer in the painting Prisoners from the Front by Winslow Homer, who was the general’s distant kin.
The record on the Barlow tomb does not fully record his many accomplishments, but you can only stick so much on a plaque.
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National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Invites Families for One-on-One Conversations at the Library
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina is launching a news series to engage with local children, teens and families beginning on Oct. 7.
Meet Meg Medina: Family Office Hours with the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literatureis an opportunity for families to engage directly with Medina in person at the Library of Congress. In each 20-minute Meet Meg Medina session, children, teens and their loved ones can expect to talk about their favorite books, ask questions about writing and the writing process, and hear a master “book talker” suggest ways to connect young readers’ passions to books they may enjoy. Families may also discuss how books they love help create and strengthen their chosen communities.
Medina will share her favorite Library of Congress resources for children and teens, many of which can be accessed after families leave the Library. Families will also be encouraged to visit theYoung Reader’s Center and Programs Lab, a dedicated kids’ space with activities based on Library collections.
Due to high demand, and in an effort to create equitable access, tickets are required and will be selected by lottery. The lottery is open for registration between 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, and 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21. If selected, guests will receive an e-mail on Sept. 22 with notification that they have secured tickets.Register for the lottery here.
Each registration group must include at least one adult (at least 19 years old) and one child (ages 7 – 18). Up to four of the requested tickets can be for children (ages 7 – 18), but groups with two or more children must be accompanied by two adults. Groups may not exceed six people. The total number of participants per registration does not affect the likelihood of being selected for the lottery.
The initiative is a first for the National Ambassador program and offers direct access to the nation’s preeminent children’s literature expert. This program will occur quarterly; upcoming dates include Jan. 23, 2024, April 20, 2024, and June 8, 2024. Registration for these dates will be available in the future.
Medina’s signature platform, Cuéntame!: Let’s talk books is inspired by the phrase Spanish-speaking friends and families use to catch up with one another, and its primary goal is to encourage connection amongst classrooms, libraries and communities by talking about books — books that reflect readers’ lives and books that expose readers to new perspectives. As part of her two-year ambassadorship,Medina tours the countryto meet with schools and libraries across the nation.
About Meg Medina Meg Medina is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book “Merci Suárez Changes Gears,” which was followed by two more acclaimed books about the Suárez family: “Merci Suárez Can’t Dance” and “Merci Suárez Plays It Cool.” Her young adult novels include “Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass,” which won the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award and will be published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas; “Burn Baby Burn,” which was long-listed for the National Book Award; and “The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind.” She is also the author of picture books “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away,” illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, Jumpstart’s 2020 Read for the Record selection; “Mango, Abuela, and Me,” illustrated by Angela Dominguez, which was a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book; and “Tía Isa Wants a Car,” illustrated by Claudio Muñoz, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award; and the biography for young readers “She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor.” The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia. To learn more about Meg Medina, her platform, or about the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, visit Medina’s LibGuide in Englishand in Spanish.
About the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, with generous support from The Library of Congress James Madison Council, The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation and Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
The program was established in 2008 by the Library, the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader to emphasize the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.
Previous National Ambassadors include authors Jon Scieszka (2008–2009), Katherine Paterson (2010–2011), Walter Dean Myers (2012–2013), Kate DiCamillo (2014–2015), Gene Luen Yang (2016–2017), Jacqueline Woodson (2018–2019) and Jason Reynolds (2020-2022).
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
This webinar will address Israel’s government’s reforms to overhaul the judiciary. The webinar will provide information on Israel’s constitutional framework and the main elements of the reforms. A discussion of the objectives, justifications, and potential impact of the reforms on the legal system will be included as well, and a review of the current status of the reforms will also be provided.
The webinar will be presented by Ruth Levush, senior foreign law specialist in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress.
I was born in Beijing, China, and have resided there for the majority of my time. My parents are both professors of philosophy, which explains my deep interest in academia and my persistent pursuit of ideals. Living in a modern environment, I am deeply interested in traditional Chinese culture and am determined to dedicate my life to its preservation, restoration, and adaptation to the modern world. I am also influenced by classical liberalism.
What is your academic/professional history?
I earned a bachelor’s degree in law from Beijing Jiaotong University Law School in 2022. During the fourth year of my undergraduate study, I interned at a big law firm in Beijing. Afterward, without a gap, I attended Cornell Law School’s LL.M. (Master of Laws) program and graduated in 2023. Now, I am here at the Law Library of Congress doing comparative research. I have two legal articles in print in Chinese, and a new one is going to be published by the Social Sciences Literature Press of China in 2023.
How would you describe your job to other people?
Currently, under the supervision of foreign law specialist Laney Zhang, I contribute to the Law Library’s Global Legal Monitor database by writing articles on legal developments in China. My job enables the U.S. Congress and other Law Library patrons to get authoritative and accurate updates on, inter alia, the latest legislation, other rules, and judicial opinions within that jurisdiction. I am also excited to extend my research to other Chinese-speaking jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Why did you want to work at the Library of Congress?
Most importantly, the Library is such a prestigious and rich place. As America’s oldest federal cultural institution, it has a history nearly as long as the United States. It is one of the largest libraries in the world, housing hundreds of millions of materials old and new, domestic and foreign of all stripes; a true paradise for anyone interested in any kind of academic work. In addition, I can gain experience working in government institutions here.
What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Library of Congress?
The Library has an Asian Division that houses about 5,300 titles of Chinese rare books (books and manuscripts produced before 1796). Also, the Librarian of Congress is appointed by the U.S. president with the advice and consent of the Senate, just like many other high-ranking government officials.
What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you?
I can do Chinese calligraphy. I have done quite a bit of research on Confucianism. And, I am preparing to apply to a J.D. program in the U.S.
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The Judicial Conference of the United States on Tuesday approved a change to its broadcast policy that expands the public’s access to civil and bankruptcy proceedings over the Judiciary’s longstanding pre-COVID policy, which prohibited all remote public access to federal court proceedings.
The revised policy, adopted at the Conference’s biennial meeting, will permit judges presiding over civil and bankruptcy cases to provide the public live audio access to non-trial proceedings that do not involve witness testimony.
The new policy will go into effect on Sept. 22, 2023, immediately after the expiration of the temporary exception that was put into place by the Judiciary when access to courthouses was restricted for health and safety reasons. The exception allowed judges to permit remote audio access to any civil or bankruptcy proceeding.
The Conference adopted the revised policy on the recommendation of its Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM), with the endorsement of the Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and the Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System.
The CACM Committee is exploring possible ways to further expand remote public access to civil and bankruptcy proceedings and examining concerns about the potential impact on proceedings involving witness testimony. Specific issues the Committee is studying include whether remote public access to proceedings involving witness testimony could increase the potential for witness intimidation or complicate witness sequestration – vital considerations in ensuring trial proceedings are fair to all parties; and whether the potential for live remote streaming of witness testimony may impact the truth-finding mission of the courts – for example, whether it would alter witness testimony if the proceeding were instantly available to individuals who cannot be seen in the courtroom.
The change approved Tuesday does not extend to criminal proceedings. Temporary permission to conduct some criminal proceedings by videoconference or teleconference, which had been granted under the 2020 CARES Act, ended on May 10, 2023. Courts have already discontinued use of virtual criminal proceedings, except as otherwise authorized. The revision also does not affect a judge’s ability to allow parties and counsel to appear remotely by teleconference and videoconference.
The Conference also approved comprehensive style amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. The amendments do not change the substance of the bankruptcy rules. However, the restyled rules use language that is more consistent and easier to understand, based on several years of work by the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure and the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules, as well as input from the public. This is the fifth and final set of rules to be comprehensively amended to update the style, culminating a project that began almost 30 years ago.
The 26-member Judicial Conference is the policy-making body for the federal court system. By statute, the Chief Justice of the United States serves as its presiding officer and its members are the chief judges of the 13 courts of appeals, a district judge from each of the 12 geographic circuits, and the chief judge of the Court of International Trade.
The Conference convenes twice a year to consider administrative and policy issues affecting the court system.
Innovator in Residence Invites Public to Experience Chinatown Reconstruction Jeffrey Yoo Warren’s ‘Seeing Lost Enclaves’ Tells Stories of Lost Neighborhoods of Color
Complete with navigable buildings, glowing lamplights and the sounds of evening rain, the virtual Providence Chinatown reimagines a once-vibrant neighborhood, of which little trace remains today.
Along with the 3D reconstruction, Yoo Warren is also releasing arelational reconstruction toolkitfor the public’s use, featuring tutorials and resources for reconstructing other community spaces with materials from the Library.
“The process of virtual reconstruction, especially when building on personal connection to a place, can be both enlightening and healing,” said Yoo Warren. “I look forward to connecting with folks seeking to better understand and relate to their histories through these techniques.”
In the second year of his residency with the Library, Yoo Warren will work with artist and educator Dri Chiu Tattersfield to reconstruct the historic Chinese vegetable gardens of Portland, Oregon. Yoo Warren will also host public workshops on a national tour of former Chinatown sites including Portland, Riverside, California and Terrace, Utah. Yoo Warren hopes his work will honor and encourage a deeper understanding of these lost neighborhoods and what their stories mean for Asian Americans today.
For more information about Yoo Warren’s upcoming project releases and future tour dates, sign up for the Seeing Lost Enclaves mailing list atLC-Labs@loc.gov.
Like previous Innovator in Residence experiments –Library of Colors, Citizen DJ, Newspaper NavigatorandSpeculativeAnnotation– Seeing Lost Enclaves is the result of collaboration between outside innovators and Library subject matter experts to develop unique ways for the public to interact with the Library’s expansive digital collections.
To explore the wide range of digital experiments from LC Labs, visit labs.loc.gov.
The Library’s Digital Innovation Division, LC Labs, supports the Library’s mission to engage, inspire and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity. LC Labs is home to the Library of Congress Innovator in Residence Program; leads experiments with AI and other new technologies; and supports communities in exploring the Library’s data and digital collections. Learn more about the Library’s approach todigital strategyand visitlabs.loc.govto see this work in action.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
