The Library of Congress

Calling all book lovers! If you love reading and being a part of a team, you’re invited to volunteer for the 24th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival on August 24th! 📚📖🎉

Learn more about volunteering & sign up: http://go.loc.gov/Bn6g50SGgU1

NEWS: The Library will host a conversation with Zachary Levi and Zooey Deschanel who star in the new film, “Harold and the Purple Crayon” on Tuesday, July 30. Prior to the discussion, attendees can enjoy a sneak peek from the upcoming movie!

Library to Host Zachary Levi and Zooey Deschanel Discussing New Sony Pictures Film, “Harold and the Purple Crayon” Library to Host Zachary Levi and Zooey Deschanel Discussing New Sony Pictures Film, “Harold and the Purple Crayon”Special Event Includes a Sneak Peek of Movie Clips Based on Children’s Classic and...

A fun story about the Library in Scientific American this week includes this mind-blowing fact:
"...as of 2024, the library held about 184 petabytes of digital information...Converted into DVDs, that would be about 39 million disks. And if those disks were stacked atop one another, they would tower 29 miles high—a span equivalent to about 106 Empire State Buildings."

How Does the World’s Largest Library Decide What Becomes History? From ancient clay tablets to TV shows to video games, the U.S. Library of Congress preserves far more than just books

A trip to the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center's subterranean storage vaults in Culpeper, Virginia — once used by the Federal Reserve to safeguard billions in cash — brings home the almost mind-boggling range of formats and genres stored there. There are 78s, 45s, cassettes, reels, CDs, and many more.

The staff of specialists at the NAVCC, which is part of the Library of Congress, transfer audio from fragile or obsolete formats to preservation-quality digital files. Read more about how it's done: https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/07/saving-the-sounds-of-history/?loclr=fbloc

Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress

The Panel Maker Files series is a collection of the Library's American Folklife Center (AFC) and consists of documents and artifacts submitted by the loved ones of the individuals who are memorialized with an AIDS Memorial Quilt panel.

Preserving the AIDS Quilt Archives | Guardians of Memory Read along to learn about how Preservation Specialist Kate Morrison-Danzis worked to preserve photos, pamphlets, notebooks, and other archival...

NEWS: Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today that the 2024 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction will be awarded to James McBride. One of the Library’s most prestigious awards, the annual prize honors an American writer whose body of work is distinguished not only for its mastery of the art but also for its originality of thought and imagination. More: http://go.loc.gov/kaWr50SzLK4

James McBride to Receive 2024 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction James McBride to Receive 2024 Library of Congress Prize for American FictionAuthor of Books ‘The Color of Water,’ ‘Deacon King Kong’ and ‘The...

The Library of Congress has acquired the House of Blues Radio Hour collection. It consists of all the programs in the series, as well as the unedited interviews and performances that were excerpted for them. Legends including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt, and John Lee Ho**er are represented in the collection.

The show, hosted by Dan Aykroyd in character as Elwood Blues, is a soulful journey through a cornerstone of American music. Jim Belushi joined us in character for the announcement and celebratory concert. 😎

http://go.loc.gov/xZau50SxVZG

On this day in 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single, "Wannabe", which marked the beginning of their journey into pop superstardom. The Library was recently honored to host author and literacy advocate Geri Halliwell, a.k.a. Ginger Spice, as she promoted literacy in Washington, D.C. in partnership with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. We'll never get tired of people being wowed by the beauty of the Main Reading Room!

ICYMI: The full author lineup for the National Book Festival is OUT. We hope you're planning to enjoy us for the fun on Saturday, August 24.

Library of Congress National Book Festival Announces Full Author Lineup for 2024 The 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival returns to the Washington Convention Center on Saturday, Aug. 24 and will feature more than 90...

The best way to celebrate Independence Day is to take stock of our history. Librarian of Congress.Carla Hayden, Archivist of the U.S. Colleen Shogan and Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution explain:

Opinion: This July 4th, a different way to celebrate the history we share | CNN The Fourth of July is a day to see US history up close, write Lonnie G. Bunch III, Carla Hayden and Colleen Shogan, who head some of America’s top cultural institutions.

Fascinating Declaration of Independence facts for this Independence Day. 🎆🇺🇸🙅👑

The very well-known handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence — the "engrossed copy" signed by John Hancock and other members of the Continental Congress — was actually produced weeks after the Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. It resides at the National Archives.

The Library is home to some slightly older copies, including Thomas Jefferson's own rough draft, which he worked on with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. (pictured)

The Library also has two of the original typeset printings of the document, which are called "Dunlap broadsides." On the night of July 4, 1776, a manuscript copy of the document was walked down the street to the Philadelphia print shop of John Dunlap, who likely stayed up all night producing the typeset edition. Of about 200 copies made in this first printing, just 26 are known to have survived. Learn more about these copies: https://www.loc.gov/item/2024697837/

Images: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams meet at Jefferson's lodgings, on the corner of Seventh and High (Market) streets in Philadelphia, to review a draft of the Declaration of Independence. Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome, 1863-1930, artist.

Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, handwritten with things crossed out and notations added.

It's too hot to hustle. Read a book instead.

Image: Poster art by Tomi Ungerer. Library of Congress Artist Posters collection, Prints and Photographs Division. 1972.

We're in the final days of our Walt Whitman Pride Month transcription challenge! In June alone, volunteers have completed 1,200 pages from Whitman's archives. Jump in to help with the pages that still need a final pass to complete the collection! http://go.loc.gov/1XJU50Sr3ES

Poetry in parks, from coast to coast. ✨ The first three poetry installations in national parks as part of U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón's signature project have been unveiled!

"You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks" will bring public art installations to seven parks by the end of the year, and you can now find them at Cape Cod National Seashore, Mount Rainier National Park and Redwood National and State Parks (NPS)!

Learn about : https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/you-are-here/?loclr=fbloc

Photos by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress

"What we want people to get from looking at just a sample, a small sample of the treasures of the Library of Congress, is these are their memories," Librarian Carla Hayden told CBS News. "These are their items. It is the nation's library."

New Library of Congress exhibit spotlights rare historical artifacts It includes a handwritten draft of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and the crystal flute saved by first lady Dolly Madison, which was made famous again by pop star Lizzo in 2022.

The papers of talk show host and s*x therapist and television personality Ruth Westheimer have been acquired by the Library of Congress and are now open for research in the Library’s Manuscript Division.

Papers of Talk Show Host and S*x Therapist Ruth Westheimer Open for Research at Library of Congress The papers of talk show host and s*x therapist Ruth Westheimer have been acquired by the Library of Congress and are now opening for research in the Library’s Manuscript Division.

It's National Selfie Day! Before there were selfies, there were self-portraits. This one, taken in a mirror at a public sale in Lititz, Pennsylvania in 1942, is by Marjory Collins.

Collins was a photographer at the U.S. Office of War Information who documented home front activities during World War II. She created remarkable visual stories and more than 3,000 of her images are preserved in the Farm Security Administration / Office of War Information Collection at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

It's the first official day of summer in the northern hemisphere! ☀️ Here's hoping you get to experience the best parts of the season, some of which are illustrated here with images from the Library's Prints and Photographs Division. 🍦🏖️📚🎡

Images: Fashion models posing in bathing suits floating in a swimming pool. Photographed by Toni Frissell. 1948.

Children with ice cream cones, National Rice Festival, Crowley, Louisiana. Photographed by Russell Lee. 1938.

Wife of FSA (Farm Security Administration) client reading book to her son on swing on her front porch. Sabine Farms, Marshall, Texas. Photographed by Russell Lee. 1939.

Ferris wheel ride, carnival, Brownsville, Texas. Photographed by Arthur Rothstein. 1942.

The National Book Festival author lineup is HERE! 📚🎉 Check out the 90+ authors who will join us at the Washington Convention Center on August 24th!
👇

Library of Congress National Book Festival Announces Full Author Lineup for 2024 The 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival returns to the Washington Convention Center on Saturday, Aug. 24 and will feature more than 90...

“Dad, why is your book so thick?”
“Well, it’s a long story.”

A dad joke for this Father's Day. Enjoy your day, dads!

Image: Poster art by Magnus Norstad. Library of Congress Artist Posters collection, Prints and Photographs Division.

The Summer Movies on the Lawn schedule is here! 😎🎥 Come enjoy cinema outdoors, for FREE, in a picturesque setting.
“The Wizard of Oz” - 7/11
“An American in Paris” - 7/18
“Love and Basketball” - 7/25
“Rocky” - 8/1
“Lady and the Tramp” - 8/8
Plan your visit:

Annual Summer Movies on the Lawn to Present National Film Registry Selections Annual Summer Movies on the Lawn to Present National Film Registry Selections The Library of Congress will host its annual “Summer Movies on the...

THIS SATURDAY: The Library of Congress will host a Family Day 👪 on June 15 with focused programming around the new Treasures Gallery exhibition.

Plan your visit!

Library To Host Treasures Family Day in June with a Special Performance by Natalie Merchant Library To Host Treasures Family Day in June with a Special Performance by Natalie Merchant Other Events Include Treasures-Themed Live! At the Library, Concert by Zephyros Winds and Pianist...

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, let's look at the day from a different perspective. An artist's perspective. It comes to us from the wartime sketchbooks of noted architect Victor A. Lundy, who was also a member of the 26th Infantry Division.

In 1942, Lundy was 19 and studying to be an architect in New York City. Excited about rebuilding Europe post-war, he and other college men enlisted in the Army Special Training Program (ASTP). But, by 1944, the Army needed reinforcements, and Lundy and his company were thrown into the infantry.

Lundy's surviving sketchbooks — eight spiral-bound pads small enough to fit in a breast pocket — cover May to November 1944 when Lundy was wounded. After the war, he became a successful architect. He later donated his architectural archive and wartime sketchbooks to the Library.

See all the sketches: https://guides.loc.gov/lundy-world-war-ii-sketches?loclr=fbloc

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." - Marie Curie

It seems many of you are dealing with a convergence of periodical cicada broods this summer, the likes of which hasn't been seen since Thomas Jefferson was president! The Library has created a new reference guide to help you understand these harmless creatures a bit better.

Included in the guide: Books, journal and historical newspaper articles, and even a 1939 USDA educational film, which this image was taken from.

Learn more: http://go.loc.gov/g50y50S8RUK

Recently, we learned that the Library's hometown zoo will soon be home to giant pandas 🐼🐼 once again! It inspired us to look for panda 🐼 content in our collections, and we found these Works Progress Administration posters advertising the very first panda exhibit at a U.S. zoo in the 1930s.

The results of one of the first U.S. government programs to support the arts, WPA posters were added to the Library's holdings in the 1940s. Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress collection of more than 900 is the largest.

See more of the collection: http://go.loc.gov/mLVA50S6Tne

Images by Charles Raymond Long and Arlington Gregg, 1938.

Lilli Vincenz was a pioneering le***an activist who donated her papers, photos, films and memorabilia to the Library in 2013. On the first day of Pride Month 🌈, enjoy these images from two documentaries in that collection.

Images 1-4: From "Gay and Proud," footage of one of the earliest Gay Pride demonstration marches, the first Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, held in New York City, New York, on June 28, 1970, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

Images 5 & 6: From "The Second Largest Minority," footage of one of the earliest Gay Pride demonstration marches, "Reminder Day Picket," held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1968.

Read more about the films in the Lilli Vincenz collection:
http://go.loc.gov/Rfbk50S4mM8