Library of Congress International Collections

08/05/2026

Ever wonder how a lightweight fabric from India became the ultimate uniform for Southern summers? To mark one of the final Seersucker Thursdays of 2026, Dr. Giorgio Riello and Dr. Prasannan Parthasarathi will come together for a conversation about the historical trade of the famous cloth, from its place of origin in India, to the American South, where it has become a part of the Southern dress code. This virtual talk will take place on Zoom, August 13, 3:00PM-4:30PM. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3dw3wrbw.

08/04/2026

Library of Congress Intern Thomas Kingsley wrote about his time visiting Skopje ten years ago and how this experience came full circle when working with election ephemera from North Macedonia published during that same period as part of his internship this summer. Click through to read more and see some amazing photos of the “Colorful Revolution.”

https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2026/08/election-ephemera-north-macedonia/

07/30/2026

The Latin American, Caribbean and European Division of the Library of Congress has a position as Head, European Reading Room. The job posting will close August 13. https://www.usajobs.gov/job/878513000 provides more information and is where interested persons can apply for the position.

The head of the European Reading Room supervises nine area specialist librarians and one technician. The incumbent leads the reference librarians in providing services to patrons in the European Reading Room and to others who contact the reading room online. They oversee work the librarians do to build the Library’s collections and create and publish authoritative research guides and other materials online as well as other projects and duties as assigned. The head of the European Reading Room is also responsible for management of the reading room’s custodial collection materials, including Slavic and Baltic periodicals and newspapers and miscellaneous ephemera collections.

The Library of Congress shares its vast collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, and priceless artifacts to cultivate curiosity and spark imagination. We engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge...

07/22/2026

This blog post continues the “4 Corners of the World” blog’s observations of the United States of America’s semiquincentennial by looking back at the connections between the Hispanic Reading Room’s collections and American history and culture. Click to read the full post.

This blog post continues the “4 Corners of the World” blog’s observations of the United States of America’s semiquincentennial by looking back at the connections between the Hispanic Reading Room’s collections and American history and culture.

07/20/2026

The European Reading Room in the Latin American, Caribbean and European Division of the Library of Congress is seeking a German Area Librarian. The German Area Librarian has responsibilities for reference services, collection development creation of research guides and other published materials, as well as other projects as assigned. Requirements for this entry level permanent position with a career ladder from GS-9 through 12 are described on the USA jobs website at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/877197000, which is also where applications are to be submitted online. The position closes August 3, 2026.

The Library of Congress shares its vast collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, and priceless artifacts to cultivate curiosity and spark imagination. We engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge...

07/15/2026

On July 20, 2026, from 2:30 – 4:30 pm, the Library of Congress is hosting a program by Johannes Makar entitled: Arabic Print and Religious Pluralism in the Nineteenth Century Middle East. This talk explores how Arabic-speaking Christians, Jews, and Muslims used print to forge new connections across religious boundaries and across continents.

Please join us and reserve your ticket at:

http://go.loc.gov/KVQb50ZkJVy

07/15/2026

In the spirit of America 250 observations marking America’s semiquincentennial, the European Reading Room looked back through the 4 Corners of the World blog archive to pull together a selection of posts that highlight moments and experiences tied to Europe and European Americans in American history. The selections start with the American Revolution and end with cultural contributions in the 20th century. Click to read the full post.

In the spirit of America 250 observations marking America’s semiquincentennial, this blog post looks back at some of the European Reading Room’s content on “4 Corners of the World” that focuses on U.S. and European American history told through our collections and events.

07/11/2026

**North Korea and the 1966 World Cup**
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1966 World Cup. This tournament is famous for being both hosted and won by England, but it is also notable for the surprising participation of the North Korean soccer team and their unexpected success in reaching the knockout round of the contest. This new blog post offers a unique window into this event from the North Korean perspective (https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2026/07/the-north-korean-soccer-team-at-the-1966-world-cup-in-england/?loclr=fbint).

The team’s experiences are collected in several articles in Chŏllima, a monthly North Korean general-interest magazine that is part of the North Korean Serials Digital Collection at the Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/collections/north-korean-serials/about-this-collection/?loclr=fbint). A Chŏllima reporter had direct access to players and recounted interacting with them during practice, mealtime, and while relaxing on the night before their first match in Middlesbrough (joining a group of players listening to Beethoven on the radio). From this we learn that forward Pak Tu-ik raises goldfish back home and team captain Sin Yŏng-gyu’s four-year-old son is also a budding soccer player who had already lost at least a dozen balls.

Chŏllima is also an essential source for soccer culture in North Korea, including information on other tournaments the DPRK competed in, differences in terminology and rules, and the history of the sport in the Hermit Kingdom (including the eyebrow-raising claim that the sport dates back more than 700 years in the country). We invite you to explore the North Korean Serials Digital Collection to discover more!

07/02/2026

Ismail Kadare was an incredibly important figure in modern Albanian literature whose work has been translated into 45 languages. To mark two years since his passing, this blog post digs into Kadare’s life, his role in Albanian literature, and his works in translation through an interview between Nevila Pahumi, the Reference Specialist for Albania, Cyprus, and Greece, and translator John Hodgson. This is another entry in the International Collections’ Conveyances blog series. To read the interview, check out the blog post!

Ismail Kadare was an incredibly important figure in modern Albanian literature whose work has been translated into 45 languages. To mark two years since his passing, this blog post digs into Kadare’s life, his role in Albanian literature, and his works in translation through an interview between N...

07/01/2026

Join us for a special evening exploring the history of Armenians in the United States through manuscripts, rare books, photographs, maps, and other treasures preserved by the Library of Congress. The program traces the Armenian American experience from the earliest known Armenian in colonial America to the growth of communities, institutions, and cultural life across the United States. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, Armenian and Georgian Specialist in the Library's African and Middle Eastern Division, and will be accompanied by a display of selected collection items.