Merrilee Proffitt

How did Mickey Mouse go from borrowing hit songs to making Disney’s own musical legacy? 🎶 1930 Mickey Mouse comic strips referenced popular songs, like "Singin’ in the Rain," placing the character inside a shared musical culture. But that all changed with the original tune, "Minnie’s Yoo Hoo," marking the shift from borrowing culture to creating it. Learn more on our blog 👇 blog.archive.org/2026/02/24/mic… #MickeyMouse #DisneyHistory #AnimationHistory

🧵 🎶 The 2026 Public Song Project is here! And this year, we’re turning up the volume on the public domain. For the first time, WNYC’s Public Song Project is partnering with the Internet Archive! Here’s what you need to know ⬇️ 🎤 Anyone can participate. You don’t need to be a professional musician. Voice memos welcome. Bedroom producers, shower singers, full bands — the public domain is for everyone. 🤝 What’s new this year? This year’s playlist will live not only with WNYC, but also on the Internet Archive, where millions can stream and share it. Some ideas: 🎼 Rewrite a public domain poem in your own language 🎙 Highlight a historically marginalized artist 📜 Remix a government work (they’re all public domain!) 🎵 Reimagine the national anthem 🏡 Tell your family’s story through inherited songs There’s no right or wrong way to do this. The public domain belongs to you. It’s a tool to celebrate, question, remix, critique, and create. 📅 Submit your song by May 10. 📝 Submission form, contest rules & more info ⤵️ wnyc.org/story/2026-pub… 📩 Questions? Email aoi@wnyc.org @wnyc @InternetArchive #PublicSongProject #PublicRadio

Volunteer #librarians from around the world joined forces to build the Nancy Drew collection on Open Library—volunteering their time to organize series, verify editions, untangle authorship, and clean up metadata so anyone can discover these books. Learn more about the collection ➡️ blog.openlibrary.org/2026/01/30/a-c… #empoweringlibraries

🎤 When songs enter the public domain, they don’t just get older—they get new lives. 🎶 For Public Domain Day 2026, musician Stephanie Woodford gave three newly public-domain classics a fresh voice by writing new lyrics, reimagined for today. It's a striking example of how timeless songs continue to evolve and find new audiences. Learn more ⤵️ blog.archive.org/2026/01/27/tim… #PublicDomainDay

Department of Justice memo - use AI instead of human translation to support non-English audiences. nextgov.com/digital-govern…

Join the Internet Archive & partners for PROTECT OUR FUTURE MEMORY 🏛️ 📚 This #webinar introduces the growing international movement to ensure libraries and other memory institutions have the same rights online they’ve long held in the physical world. 🌐 📆 Jan 27 🕙 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET 📍 Online 🎟️ eventbrite.com/e/1968807647673 #libraries #digitalrights #righttoown

@Sarah_Stierch Same here!

One thing that's nice about being sober is not having to worry about failing Dry January. It still amazes me how dominate alcohol was in my life. It still amazes me how great it feels to be free from the burden.

Now that these works have entered the public domain, put them to good use in our annual Public Domain Film Remix Contest: blog.archive.org/2025/12/01/202… Submit your short film by 11:59pm PST on January 7.

⏰ 12 HOURS TO GO 👀 When the new year begins, so does #PublicDomainDay2026. At 12:00 a.m. ET, iconic books, films, and music move into the public domain—and we’ll be sharing highlights #here all night long. 🔔 Set your reminder ➡️ blog.archive.org/public-domain-…

A preview of coming attractions! In addition to our January 1 countdown, look out for our Public Domain Day celebration, in person and virtually!

Celebrate the Public Domain with the Internet Archive in 2026! #PublicDomainDay is nearly here. From first appearances of yet-to-be-named cartoon stars to landmark films and music, works from 1930 & sound recordings from 1925 will soon be free to reuse. Enter our film contest, join our events, and have a blast! All the details on our blog ⤵️ blog.archive.org/public-domain-… #PublicDomain #event #contest #filmcontest

Another brief clip from yesterday's rapid response livestream regarding what's at stake with the potential loss of NCAR, and what we can do about it: "What would we lose if the National Center for Atmospheric Research is dismantled? Quite a lot." youtu.be/4Rm3irCOWYE

Please share in your networks and with those that may be our next recipient!

I am on the committee for the SAA Brenda S. Banks Travel Award given annually to archivists of color who would like to become active in SAA. It provides generous travel support & a years membership in SAA. www2.archivists.org/governance/han…

⏰ There’s still time to join today’s #booktalk! 📖 THE PUBLIC DOMAIN explains why safeguarding shared cultural material is crucial for creativity, innovation & free expression. 📆 Thurs Dec 18 🕙 10 AM (1 PM ET) 📍 Online 🎟️ eventbrite.com/e/1839697527829

🎬 The 2026 Public Domain Film Remix Contest is on! Celebrate Public Domain Day by remixing & reimagining the past—using at least one item entering the #publicdomain on January 1, 2026 in your 2–3 minute film submission. 📅 Deadline: January 7, 2026 💰 First prize: $1,500 ℹ️ Contest details: blog.archive.org/2025/12/01/202… @InternetArchive #contest #film #public domain

🎬 Enter the 2026 Public Domain Film Remix Contest! Remix & reimagine treasures from 1930—early sound films, cartoons, music, literature & art—and turn them into unique 2–3 minute films. Use the Internet Archive’s collections & your creativity to breathe new life into these cultural gems. 📅 Deadline: January 7, 2026 💰 First prize: $1,500 ℹ️ Details: blog.archive.org/2025/12/01/202… #contest #film #publicdomain

@craignewmark You wear it well, sir!

73 today

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🏈

How do power, access & inequity determine who benefits from the music economy? ⚖️ MUSIC AND COPYRIGHT IN THE ERA OF TAYLOR SWIFT explores the gap between copyright’s ideals & its realities, & what a fairer future for musicians could look like. Hear Michael Menna & Anjali Vats discuss it on the Future Knowledge #podcast. 🎧 Listen & subscribe where you get your podcasts ⬇️ futureknowledge.transistor.fm/episodes/music… @InternetArchive #taylorswift