Earlier this month, to coincide with World AIDS Day, the Library of Congress (LOC) released a new digitized collection of records related to the National AIDS Memorial Quilt. The collection contains more than 125,000 letters, diaries, photographs, and other materials documenting the lives of those represented in the Quilt. The National AIDS Memorial Quilt records are housed at the American Folklife Center at the LOC, and more than half of the collection has now been digitized, allowing the public to engage with and reflect on this important piece of history. Members of the public are able to access the collection online and in the LOC’s reading room for items that are not part of the digital collection.

On December 1, 2024, panels from the National AIDS Memorial Quilt took center stage at the White House’s commemoration of World AIDS Day. HIV.gov talked with Nicole Saylor, director of the American Folklife Center at the LOC, about the digitized collection and how the public can access these records. Please watch the video on YouTube and at the top of this post.

In addition to the LOC’s digitized collection, the National AIDS Memorial hosts a searchable archive of the Quilt’s 50,000 panels. Users can search the more than 110,000 names sewn onto the Quilt panels. Together, these online displays allow a comprehensive look into the nation’s largest ongoing community folk art project. During the week of World AIDS Day, HIV.gov spoke with John Cunningham, CEO of the National AIDS Memorial, about the history and importance of the AIDS Quilt. Please watch the video:

Read more about the White House event with President Biden and the National AIDS Memorial Quilt panels and watch the HIV.gov interview with Francisco Ruiz, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), about World AIDS Day and the AIDS Memorial Quilt here.

This blog post was published December 18, 2024, on HIV.gov.