(The following is an article from the September-October 2012 issue of the Library’s new magazine, LCM, highlighting a “page from the past” of the publication’s humble beginnings.)
Page from the first issue of the Library of Congress Staff Information Bulletin, Jan. 23, 1942.
With the debut of its new magazine, the Library bids a fond farewell to its predecessor, the Library of Congress Information Bulletin, which began publication 70 years ago.
The first issue of the Library of Congress Staff Information Bulletin was published on Jan. 23, 1942—nearly two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor that led to America’s entry into World War II. The publication provided the staff with wartime information such as air-raid watches, Red Cross war-relief drives and the sale of defense bonds. Staff appointments and deployments were announced, along with new policies, offices, committees and collections that arose in response to the war effort.
In July 1943, the publication was renamed the Library of Congress Information Bulletin and its audience was broadened to include the public as well as the staff. The launch of a staff newsletter—The Gazette—in April 1990 allowed the Information Bulletin to focus on its public audience.
Through improvements in technology, the Information Bulletin evolved from a mimeographed sheet to a four-color printed publication produced using digital technology. Issues dating from 1993 are accessible online.
Download the September-October 2012 issue of the LCM in its entirety here. You can also view the archives of the Library’s former publication from 1993 to 2011.