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February 9, 2000
Contact: Guy Lamolinara (202) 707-2905

Lincoln Legal Papers DVD Edition Is Presented to the Library

Demonstration of DVD and "Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library" to Be Part of Program

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency will present to the Library the "Lincoln Legal Papers DVD Edition," a collection of more than 100,000 records associated with Abraham Lincoln's legal career from 1836 to 1861. The DVD will complement the Lincoln materials in the Library of Congress, many of which are available on-line in a Web presentation called "Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library."

The event will take place Friday, Feb. 11, at 11 a.m. in the National Digital Library Learning Center, which is in the first-floor atrium of the Library's Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E.

The event will be hosted by James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress. "We are grateful to the Illinois Preservation Society for this gift that will make our Lincoln collections even stronger," he said. "We are also appreciative of the generosity of Donald G. Jones, Terri L. Jones and the Jones Family Foundation," whose gift supports "Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library."

Following Dr. Billington will be remarks by Thomas F. Schwartz, State Historian of Illinois. Daniel Stowell, Director of Lincoln Legal Papers on DVD, will demonstrate the DVD, and Mrs. Lura Lynn Ryan, First Lady of Illinois, will present the DVD as a gift to the Library.

Lincoln documents and other materials, many of which are on-line, will be on display prior to the event. Also on hand will be John Sellers, a historian from the Library's Manuscript Division.

There will also be a demonstration of "Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library," which is a part of the on-line historical collections called American Memory.

American Memory is a project of the National Digital Library Program of the Library of Congress, which aims to make freely available more than 5 million items, in collaboration with other institutions. Currently, more than 70 collections are on-line.

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PR 00-012
2/9/00
ISSN 0731-3527