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Tag: National Museum of American History Library

Mind your manners this holiday season

etiquettegoodman00mort_0001With holiday parties and visiting relatives, December can be hectic and nerve-wracking for all. The Smithsonian Libraries comes to the rescue with a stockpile of works to help you navigate the muddy waters of social and familial obligations! As part of the Cultural Heritage Library, the Smithsonian Libraries has digitized at least nine etiquette books from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These  precursors to Emily Post, the grande dame of American etiquette who first published in 1922, give us a glimpse at the social expectations of the time and may put some of your modern day conundrums in to perspective.

Finding Familiar Places

This post was written by Tyler Phelps. Tyler spent the summer of 2013 as an intern at the National Museum of American History Library and is completing her librarian degree at San Jose State University.

Each state or territory that makes up the United States has its own unique identity. Because of this, visitors and locals alike inevitably have a favorite area—it might be a great vacation spot, the one they dream of seeing, or the place they were born.