Holiday Fun from Uncle Sam

Surprisingly, government documents aren’t the first thing to come to mind when most people think of the holidays. And yet– government documents librarians in all kinds of libraries are probably thinking just that. And did you know that CLP is a Federal Depository Library? We’re happy to help you find all kinds of government resources, but here are a few that might get you in the holiday spirit:

President Truman accepting a menorah from David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister of Israel, in 1951. Photo from the National Archives.

The National Archive’s photo stream on flickr: Of course the National Archives is the go-to place for older images of the holidays, and their flickr collection is a great way to browse through some of their sizeable collection from the comfort of your home (or the library!) Their holiday set of photos isn’t limited to Christmas pictures; you’ll find photographs, fliers, and other images that relate to many different holidays. (Added bonus: the collection is listed as having “no known copyright restrictions, which means you can feel free to use the photographs as long as you credit the National Archives.)

Christmas in the Field- Through the Years: This collection of photographs from the U.S. Army’s Center for Military History features images from the holidays during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq/Afganistan War (2004). Although it’s a relatively small collection, the images are poignant.

American Memory from the Library of Congress: You’ll find lots of holiday images, texts, songs, and films here! Just search the site for “Christmas (or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate) and you’ll find a list of what’s in this collection. A few things that caught my eye in this archive were a collection of writings from Minnesota pioneers about ways of celebrating the winter holidays; fiddler Henry Reed playing Christmas songs; and an article from a 1905 edition of the Cleveland Journal titled Holiday Meditations about race issues.