Libraries to the Rescue shares with libraries steps that other libraries have taken to help their communities. The five episodes cover a range of topics, including how libraries are increasing access to key information through virtual libraries, the importance of broadband access, and new partnerships between libraries and state and federal agencies to help citizens access all types of assistance.

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With Memorial Day over, summer is upon us.  Today’s podcast gives some entertainment options for the entire family, available from the Department of Cultural Resources.  First up, George Holt of the North Carolina Museum of Art talks about the summer concert series held each year in the Museum’s amphitheatre. 

Saturday June 6 is Family Day at the North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh.  In a recent phone interview, Museum Education Programs Coordinator Nancy Pennington talks about free family fun.

The podcast closes with a song from the Durham-based group the Pratie Heads, featured artists on the North Carolina Arts Council’s Touring Artists Directory.   

Spring has definitely sprung in North Carolina.  Pirates continue to be a big draw at the Museum of History, April’s poetry month just drew to a successful close, and… as hurricane season approaches, thoughts turn to how to keep your family’s precious documents high and dry.

The podcast starts with a look at the conservation efforts surrounding the artifacts being recovered from the presumed wreck of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Each year, April is designated National Poetry Month.  The North Carolina Arts Council has videos of poetry read by high school students from across North Carolina posted on its Web site. The 28 students featured were semi-finalists and finalists in the statewide Poetry Out Loud competition coordinated by the Arts Council.  We’ll hear from first-place winner Nadia Nasir, who attend Cedar Ridge High School in Orange County.

Next, Sarah Koonts, head of the collections management branch at the State Archives, talks about ways to protect personal documents when disaster strikes.

We’ll close today with “Hurricane, Flood, Tornado.”  The song is performed by the duo Coyote, which is featured in the North Carolina Arts Council Touring Artists Directory.

Lincoln Symposium, Lincoln’s Policital Leadership: An Overview
William C. Harris, North Carolina State University
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Lincoln Symposium, Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederacy: A Comparison
Paul D. Escott, Wake Forest University
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Lincoln Symposium, Lincoln as Military Commander
Joseph T. Glatthaar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Lincoln Symposium, United States Colored Troops
John David Smith, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
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Lincoln Symposium, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the End of Slavery
Loren Schweninger, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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Lincoln Symposium, Lincoln’s Legacy
Heather A. Williams, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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National and state leaders will gather for an Arts in Education Conference March 5-7 in Raleigh at Meredith College.  Linda Bamford, Arts in Education Director for the N.C. Arts Council, tells us more.

Next, Andrea Gabriel, head of the Resource Management Branch at the State Archives talks about the Outer Banks History Center, which just opened up a year-long exhibit titled “Preserving Timeless Treasures: The Outer Banks History Center Turns 20.”

The beginning of the Civil War 150th celebration is just a couple of years away. Si Lawrence of the eastern Civil War office talked with Goldsboro attorney and local historian Randy Sauls about Goldsboro’s important role in the Civil War.

A major exhibit about pirates opens Friday, March 6, at the N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh. Knights of the Black Flag will explore the legacy of pirates, from ancient times to the present, through intriguing artifacts, artwork, and interactive displays. For ticket information, go to www.ncmuseumofhistory.org.

The podcast closes with the tune Jackie Tarr, which was performed in Triad Stage’s production of “Bloody Blackbeard.”

Love is in the air, and on the NC Culture dot com podcast.  First up is an exhibit that opens Valentine’s Day weekend at the North Carolina Museum of Art.  Alesia DiCosola of the museum staff talks about “Highlights of the American Collection,” which opens Feb. 15.

Sequoyah Winston reads two poems from George Moses Horton.  Horton was an enslaved African American who became North Carolina’s first professional poet. Horton, who published his first book in 1829, lived in Chatham County and was a familiar sight in Chapel Hill on the campus of the University of North Carolina.  There, he recited compositions to students, who also paid him for his love poems.

Next, a love letter from Confederate soldier Calvin Boyles to his wife Mary is part of an on-line exhibit from the N.C. Museum of History.

The podcast closes with the song “Letter From Down the Road,” from Laura Boosinger.  Laura is listed on the North Carolina Arts Council’s Touring Artists Directory. 

February is Black History Month, and the podcast takes a look at some events that honor the state’s African American heritage.  First up, a conversation with Emily Grant of the N.C. Museum of History about its annual African American Heritage Celebration. Next, Terra Schramm, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the State Capitol talks about the Read-In being held there February 7. Michelle Lanier, Curator of Cultural History for N.C. Historic Sites will be at the State Capitol reading, and gives a preview here. For more Black History Month events around the state, visit the newsroom at ncculture dot com.   The podcast closes with a musical selection from Lois Deloatch entitled “Reflection.” The Durham based singer is part of the N.C. Arts Council’s Touring Artists Directory.   

This edition of the NC Culture Dot Com Podcast starts with a chat with North Carolina photographer Chris Simms, who is featured in the “Telling Our Stories Photography Exhibit.” The exhibit is on tour around the state through late 2009.

Next, Dr. Jeffrey Crow, deputy secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources for Archives and History is also one of the co-authors of the book “A History of African Americans in North Carolina.”  With the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday coming up soon, we spoke with Dr. Crow about North Carolina’s pivotal role in the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century.

The podcast closes with an instrumental version of the spiritual “Wade in the Water,” performed here by the Asheville based group Keowee Chamber Music. The group is listed on the North Carolina Arts Council Touring Artists Directory.