Peru seeks to keep rudimentary gold refining from exposing communities to neurotoxic metal

Colorful polymer particles could enable new diagnostics and electronic devices

Country will now allow exports if domestic needs are met to treat COVID-19

Chemical industry backs plan to keep current standard

[Milano] : Springer, 2006

Join Us for a Kluge Center Author Salon with Susan Schneider on Artificial Intelligence

Get your free tickets here.

On Thursday January 30, at 4pm in the Montpelier Room of the Madison Building, the John W. Kluge Center will hold a discussion with Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation Susan Schneider.

Schneider will discuss her new book, Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind, which is an exploration of what artificial intelligence can, and cannot, achieve.

Humans may not be Earth’s most intelligent beings for much longer: the world champions of chess, Go, and Jeopardy! are now all AIs. Given the rapid pace of progress in AI, many predict that it could advance to human-level intelligence within the next several decades. From there, it could quickly outpace human intelligence. What do these developments mean for the future of the mind?

In Artificial You, Susan Schneider says that it is inevitable that AI will take intelligence in new directions, but urges that it is up to us to carve out a sensible path forward. As AI technology turns inward, reshaping the brain, as well as outward, potentially creating machine minds, it is crucial to beware. Homo sapiens, as mind designers, will be playing with “tools” they do not understand how to use: the self, the mind, and consciousness. Schneider argues that an insufficient grasp of the nature of these entities could undermine the use of AI and brain enhancement technology, bringing about the demise or suffering of conscious beings. To flourish, we must grasp the philosophical issues lying beneath the algorithms.

Schneider will discuss these topics and more, with a reception to follow.

The event is free, but tickets are recommended. Visit the event ticketing site for more information and to secure your ticket. Entry is not guaranteed.

Register for a ticket here.

Questions? Please contact (202) 707-9219 or scholarly@loc.gov

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Hayden Library - QC178.R49 2019

Hayden Library - QC793.3.F5 M35 2019

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Barker Library - QC176.M278 2018

Cambridge, Mass. : National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020

Rotch Library - HT169.576.G3 B63 2019

Rotch Library - HT166.G5577 2019

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Rotch Library - HT153.N49 2019

The Library of Congress Preservation Directorate is excited to present a Topics in Preservation Series (TOPS) for Preservation Week 2020! From April 27-May 1, we are hosting webinars every day at 11am (EST). The five, hour-long webinars will feature preservation related projects conducted at the Library of Congress. Register now for any, or all, of the following webinars at http://LOCPreservation.eventbrite.com or at the links below. For more information and resources related to preservation at the Library of Congress, visit https://www.loc.gov/preservation/

Keeping it Cool – Designing the Library’s New Gutenberg Bible Display Case

Monday, April 27th, 11am – 12pm Register here

The Library of Congress’ Gutenberg Bible is on permanent display in the Thomas Jefferson Building. Even though its three volumes are displayed on a rotating basis, the concerns about the adverse effects of long-term display required the Library’s’ conservation staff to create a purpose designed display case that would mitigate these adverse effects. The speakers will talk about the design process, present various features of the new case, and share with the audience some lessons learned now that the case is fully functioning for a little over a year.

Presented by Elmer Eusman, Chief, Conservation Division and Nancy Lev-Alexander, Head, Collection Stabilization Section

Acquiring and Developing an Offsite High Density Collections Storage Facility

Tuesday, April 28th, 11am – 12pm Register here

In addition to operating state-of-the art preservation quality storage facilities at Ft. Meade, the Library operates a rental property which meets its needs for interim storage.  This webinar discusses the Library’s experience in acquiring and developing this facility.  Cabin Branch (located in Landover, MD) shows a way to control costs without compromising on collections care.  The webinar will explain how the Library of Congress designed an interim storage warehouse with collections safety foremost in mind, while keeping cost under control by working with the developer to focus on the features most critical to safeguarding our collections.

Presented by Steve Herman, Chief, Collections Management Division; Rohn Roache, Assistant Chief, Collections Management Division; Nancy Lev-Alexander, Head, Collection Stabilization Section

Assessing the Condition of the United States National Collection

Wednesday, April 29th, 11am – 12pm Register here

A national research initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation “Assessing the Physical Condition of the National Collection” is undertaking the task to objectively assess the condition of books held in collecting institutions of the United States by performing an in-depth scientific analysis on a representative sample.

The research focuses on analyzing the same 500 volumes from five different research libraries in five different climatic zones through the time period 1840-1940. Research to date has shown some extremely interesting trends. This presentation will focus on the analytical techniques used in the program and show what this means to the preservation of print collections throughout the United States.

Presented by Fenella France, Chief, Preservation Research and Testing Division

Environment, Housing & Building Materials Testing to Protect our Collections

Thursday, April 30th, 11am – 12pm Register here

Challenges to preserving the national collection come from both inherent risks in the collections themselves and from materials in the immediate environment. The Library’s quality assurance program is focused on analyzing all materials that come into contact with collections or are part of the surrounding environment. The quality assurance (QA) program involves testing of materials used for housing, storage, and in conservation treatments, as well as evaluation, definition, and dissemination of standards for the use of these materials.

 This presentation will give specific examples of QA testing, new developments in quantification and identification of volatile organic compounds, fast and accurate test methodologies, examples of collection inherent material challenges, and assessment of off-gassing from potential building and housing materials to determine safety for special collections.

Presented by Dr. Eric Monroe, Supervisory Physical Scientist

Would You Like to Save Your Game?

Friday, May 1st, 11am – 12pm Register here

Libraries, archives and museums are facing an ever increasing amount of interactive media in their collections, including software applications, time based artworks and video games. These materials provide unique challenges in regards to acquisition, description and preservation, and many institutions are working to develop new approaches to ensuring the long term preservation of and access to born digital cultural artifacts. The Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC) holds over 5,000 videogames amassed through copyright deposit and private donation. This collection contains not only a wide array of formats from 5.25” floppy disks to modern console cartridges, but also packaging, documentation, and adjacent materials such as magazines. The Preservation Reformatting Division and NAVCC work together to describe, reformat, and preserve these complex digital objects and preserve this important part of culture. This webinar will highlight different aspects of the preservation workflow.

Presented by Amanda May, Digital Conservation Specialist; David Gibson, Processing Technician; Laura Davis, Project Specialist

Click here for more information about the webinars.

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Dewey Library - LC93.A2 B87 2015

Hayden Library - LC2633.6.P34 2014

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