Soon you’ll be able to access Library of Congress content via Apple iTunes and YouTube.
The organization said it will begin sharing content from its video and audio collections on those Web services. Library of Congress channels iTunes and YouTube will launch within afew weeks.
“New channels on the video and podcasting services will be devoted to Library content, including 100-year-old films from the Thomas Edison studio, book talks with contemporary authors, early industrial films from Westinghouse factories, first-person audio accounts of life in slavery, and inside looks into the Library’s fascinating holdings, including the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and the contents of Lincoln’s pockets on the night of his assassination,” it stated.
The LOC noted that the federal General Services Administration also announced agreements this week with Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and blip.tv that will “allow other federal agencies to participate in new media while meeting legal requirements and the unique needs of government.” It said GSA plans to negotiate agreements with other providers and that the library will explore those new media services too.
The library said it has had a good response to its pilot project with the Flickr photo-sharing service in which it uploaded several thousand historic photos and has been adding more each week. “A Flickr initiative called The Commons was introduced with the Library’s project launch and a growing number of libraries, museums and archives have since started their own accounts within the Commons framework.”
Content made available on third-party sites will also be available on the Library’s own Web site.
