The Library of Congress's American Memory project began as a pilot program in 1990 endeavoring to digitize and make accessible some of its massive holdings. Originally, the program centered around making materials available on CD-ROM. As the internet became ubiquitous, the emphasis moved online. Millions of items are now available through the web.
According to the LoC, American Memory will continue to expand its online offerings "as an integral component of the Library of Congress’s commitment to harnessing new technology as it fulfills its mission 'to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.'"
Translation: What's online and available dwarfs what the LoC has in its basement. And the searching is very cumbersome. But the LoC is moving forward, and they understand access to the public domain as part of their mission.
While there's more work to do, what's available now is still wonderful. There's films, photographs, maps, sound recordings, manuscripts, and more.
A great place to start is the browsing index. Just pick a subject. Then all you have to do is hire some celebrity voice-over artists, and you're on your way to being the next Ken Burns.
If you're having trouble negotiating the colossal stores of digital content, you can make use of the LoC's Ask a Librarian service to get expert reference-desk help. It's completely free (or, to be precise, at no explicitly stated additional cost, assuming you're a U.S. taxpayer).
Illustration:Poster for the Independence Day celebration at the DuPage County Centennial in Downers Grove, Illinois, retrieved from the American Memory collection.
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