Library of Congress Joins YouTube

Last year, we brought you the news that the Library of Congress had established a Flickr account. The Library announced today that it has joined YouTube, starting with more than 70 video clips. The launch collection of videos are divided into several categories including:

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, 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).

LC Director of Communications Matt Raymond promises that the library will soon follow with more videos. For now, enjoy one of the classic Edison recordings of boxing cats! I don't think that he could get away with this one nowadays...



Related on Carmichael blog:

• Library of Congress Places 3,000 photos on Flickr

Related on the Web:

• Offical Library of Congress channel on YouTube
• YouTube, and Now We Do Too - Library of Congress blog

YouTube Unveils New Viewing Experience

The popular online video hub YouTube has announced a new layout for its website. In unveiling the new look, YouTube has provided several tips for getting the most out of your viewing experience. You can check out our Día de los Muertos highlights video (taken in 2006) to get an idea of how this new layout will look on your monitor.

Welcome to Congress, YouTube

The leaders of the United States Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives have announced that Congress is now in session, on YouTube. You can now find a number of Representatives and Senators' YouTube channels on two new platforms: youtube.com/senatehub and youtube.com/househub.

These pages feature a clickable map at the top of the screen that makes finding your lawmakers easy. At this point, the only member of the Alabama delegation sharing video is Fourth District Representative Robert Aderholt, but more are sure to follow in the coming weeks.

Check out this video from House and Senate leaders about this new service:



House Minority Leader John Boehner points out that some lawmakers have been using sites like YouTube for some time now. There can be little doubt that video and other social media had a huge impact on the recent presidential election. It will be interesting to see how voters use this these technologies to stay informed about their government.