1-5 Viewing & Saving Items from American Memory What Do I Need to View Text Documents? The Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory collections contain hundreds of thousands of images of text documents, many of which also contain transcriptions. These documents provide insight into our nation s history and culture including personal insights from famous people as well as regular citizens. No special software is required to view most of the text document images, however, certain illustrations and higher-resolution images do require special formatting. If you are having trouble viewing a document image, consult the LOC s viewing items information page (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#text). What Do I Need to View Maps? A unique web interface allows you to navigate through and zoom in with amazing detail on all types of maps in the American Memory collections, including cities and towns; conservation and environment; cultural landscapes; discovery and exploration; general; military battles and campaigns; and transportation and communication. No special software is required to view the maps online. For more details, consult the LOC s viewing items information page (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#map). What Do I Need to View Prints & Photographs? The American Memory collections contain thousands of wonderful prints and photographs to share with students and use in class presentations and projects. The majority of the prints and photographs have been digitized as.gif (graphic interchange format) and.jpeg (joint photographics expert group) files, which require no special software to view them. Some images, however, are also offered as TIFF (tagged image file format) files higher-resolution images with larger file sizes that require additional software. For more details, consult the LOC s viewing items information page (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#photograph). What Do I Need to Listen to Audio Recordings? The American Memory collections contain numerous audio recordings of songs, speeches, and oral narratives to share with students and use in class presentations and projects. You can listen to an audio recording on the web or you can download it to your computer. Most of the audio recordings are offered in multiple formats, having been digitized as MP3 (MPEG 2, Layer 3,.mp3), RealAudio (.ra,.ram), and/or WAV (WaveForm,.wav). You will need a multimedia player/program, which comes preinstalled on most computers, to listen to the recordings. Please note that RealAudio and Quick Time multimedia software are available for free download. Before downloading any software to a school computer, however, we suggest that you first check with the school s technology coordinator. For more details on the audio recording formats, consult the LOC s viewing items information page (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#sound).
2-5 What Do I Need to View Videos? Kids today are accustomed to watching videos. Show students how video got started and teach them about our nation s history and culture at the same time by using videos from the American Memory collections in class presentations and projects. You can view a video on the web or you can download it to your computer. Most of the videos are offered in multiple formats, having been digitized as MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group,.mpg,.mpeg), Quick Time (.mov), RealMedia (.rm,.ram). You will need a multimedia player/program, which comes preinstalled on most computers, to view the videos. Please note that Windows Media Player is standard on many Windows machines and that RealMedia and Quick Time multimedia players are available for free download. Before downloading any software to a school computer, however, we suggest that you first check with the school s technology coordinator. For more details on the video recording formats, consult the LOC s viewing items information page (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#video).
3-5 How Do I Save Photographs to View Offline or Use in Projects? Once you have found a photograph that you would like to save, be sure to click on the small image in the bibliographic record to open up the full-size image. Then follow the instructions for your Internet browser listed below to save the photograph to your computer. When clicking the photograph, PC users will right click and Mac users will hold down the Internet Explorer : Click the photograph and click Save Picture As. Select a convenient folder, enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Netscape : Click the photograph and click Save Image As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Safari : Click the photograph and click Save Image to Desktop. Enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Firefox : Click the photograph and click Save Image As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Internet Explorer View
4-5 How Do I Save Audio Files to Listen to Offline or Use in Projects? Once you have found an audio recording that you would like to save, follow the instructions listed below to save it to your computer. Keep in mind that these files can be big and will take a while to download when using a slower Internet connection. If you plan to insert the recording into a Microsoft Office application (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, etc.), save the file in.mpg or.wav format. When clicking on the icon, PC users will right click and Mac users will hold down the Internet Explorer: Click the icon next to Listen to this recording in the appropriate format and click Save Target As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Netscape: Click the icon next to Listen to this recording in the appropriate format and click Save Link Target As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable file name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Safari: Click the icon next to Listen to this recording in the appropriate format and click Download Linked File. Enter an easily identifiable file name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Firefox: Click the icon next to Listen to this recording in the appropriate format and click Save Link As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. How Do I Save Video Files to View Offline or Use in Projects? Once you have found a video that you would like to save, follow the instructions listed below to save it to your computer. Keep in mind that these files can be very large and will take a while to download when using a slower Internet connection. The LOC suggests viewing and saving in RealMedia format for those using dial-up Internet connections. The Quick Time format should be selected if you are using a Mac or want a more compressed file. The MPEG format will be the largest file and, thus, the longest download, but it will also provide you with the best video quality. When clicking on the icon, PC users will right click and Mac users will hold down the Internet Explorer: Click the icon next to the appropriate format and click Save Target As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Netscape: Click the icon next to the appropriate format and click Save Link Target As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Safari: Click the icon next to the appropriate format and click Download Linked File. Enter an easily identifiable file name in the File name textbox and click the Save button. Firefox: Click the icon next to the appropriate format and click Save Link As. Select a convenient folder, then enter an easily identifiable name in the File name textbox and click the Save button.
5-5 Internet Explorer View