News from the Library of Congress

March 2024

  • March 13, 2024  (24-021)
    Library of Congress Awards Third Round of More than $500,000 to Support Contemporary Cultural Field Research within Diverse Communities Library of Congress Awards Third Round of More than $500,000 to Support Contemporary Cultural Field Research within Diverse CommunitiesThe Library of Congress American Folklife Center is pleased to announce the 2024 recipient cohort of the Community Collections Grant program. This series of grants, part of the Of the People: Widening the Path initiative, is awarded to individuals and organizations working to document cultures and...
    • Date: 2024-03-13
  • March 11, 2024  (24-027)
    Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Papers Open for Research at the Library of Congress A major portion of the papers of Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, consisting of approximately 600 containers, opens for research use March 11, in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. The collection documents the trajectory of O’Connor’s life in politics and law at the state level in Arizona and later nationally, as the Supreme Court’s first woman justice. Appointed to...
    • Date: 2024-03-11
  • March 7, 2024  (24-A03)
    Jefferson Building Access March 7 On Thursday, March 7, due to security preparations for the State of the Union, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building will close to visitors at 1:30 p.m. There is no impact to James Madison Memorial or John Adams buildings.Researchers may access the Jefferson Building reading rooms as they will be open normal hours of service with regular access. Entry is via the Independence Avenue door...
    • Date: 2024-03-07
  • March 6, 2024  (24-025)
    U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón to Launch "You Are Here" with Anthology of Nature Poems, Poetry Installations in National Parks “You Are Here,” Ada Limón’s signature project as the nation’s 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, will launch during National Poetry Month in April with a celebration at the Library of Congress and will continue throughout the year with installations of poetry as public art in national parks across the country.“You Are Here” is comprised of two major initiatives, a new anthology of nature...
    • Date: 2024-03-06

February 2024

  • February 28, 2024  (24-A02)
    Thomas Jefferson Building Access – March 4 On Monday, March 4, scheduled maintenance work on the building’s west front will reduce access to the Jefferson Building. The West Basement (Carriage), West Main (first floor) doors as well as the west front parking lot will be closed to staff and researchers. The building is closed to the general public on Mondays. There is no impact to James Madison Memorial or John Adams...
    • Date: 2024-02-28
  • February 22, 2024  (24-019)
    Live! at the Library to Feature Gershwin Prize Honoree Bernie Taupin Gershwin Prize honoree Bernie Taupin will sit down with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden for a special conversation during Live! at the Library on March 21. The Library also will celebrate Women’s History Month with events highlighting women figures in historical texts and novels. Also, challenge your knowledge and discover how the Library preserves and celebrates the diverse stories and accomplishments of women during...
    • Date: 2024-02-22
  • February 21, 2024  (24-018)
    Library of Congress to Celebrate National Cherry Blossom Festival The Library of Congress will host its annual Japanese Culture Day in celebration of the 2024 National Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual commemoration of Japan’s 1912 gift to the U.S. of 3,020 cherry trees.Japanese Culture Day will take place at the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring family activities, including Japanese drum and traditional dance...
    • Date: 2024-02-21
  • February 21, 2024  (24-A01)
    Jefferson Building Access February 24 On Saturday, February 24, due to a scheduled maintenance event in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building all reading rooms, exhibitions, public spaces and the Library Shop will be closed for the entire day, and no timed-entry passes will be offered to the public. There is no impact to James Madison Memorial or John Adams buildings.Normal access to the reading rooms in the Jefferson Building...
    • Date: 2024-02-21
  • February 20, 2024  (24-020)
    Library To Host an Advance Screening with Stars of Apple TV+ Series "Manhunt" The Library of Congress will host an early screening of the first episode of “Manhunt,” Apple’s upcoming seven-part true crime limited series, ahead of its global debut on March 15 on Apple TV+. The screening will feature a panel discussion with the series' stars and executive producers in the Coolidge Auditorium on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. Free tickets can be obtained at...
    • Date: 2024-02-20
  • February 13, 2024  (24-015)
    Library of Congress Acquires Papers of Academy Award-Winning Songwriter Leslie Bricusse The Library of Congress has acquired the papers of songwriter Leslie Bricusse, best known for writing scores for the stage and film musicals, “Doctor Dolittle” (1967), with its Oscar-winning “Talk to the Animals;” collaborating with Anthony Newley on “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (1971) for a score that included the No. 1 hit song, “The Candy Man” and the much-beloved “Pure Imagination;” and...
    • Date: 2024-02-13
  • February 1, 2024  (24-017)
    Join the Library of Congress for Douglass Day 2024 and Black History Month Events The Library of Congress’ By the People initiative, in collaboration with the Center for Black Digital History at Pennsylvania State University, are inviting the public to show some love for Frederick Douglass on Feb. 14 by joining a transcribe-a-thon focused on his letters housed at the Library. In a first-of-its-kind, multi-year agreement with Penn State, the Library wants Americans to take a deep dive...
    • Date: 2024-02-01
  • February 1, 2024  (24-010)
    Library of Congress to Host Panel on Longevity Science The Library of Congress will host a panel with leading experts in the fields spanning the sciences and the arts to explore the latest developments in longevity science and how cognitive wellness affects quality of life. Co-sponsored by the American Folklife Center and the Health Sciences Division, in conjunction with the Longevity Science Foundation, the panel will discuss the ethics involved in longevity science,...
    • Date: 2024-02-01

January 2024

December 2023

  • December 21, 2023  (23-103)
    Explore Exhibitions at the Library of Congress During Live! at the Library in January Explore Exhibitions at the Library of Congress During Live! at the Library in JanuaryExplore exhibitions about the nation’s long tradition of volunteering for a variety of groups and causes, see some of the vast photography holdings of the Library of Congress and celebrate the creativity of songwriters George and Ira Gershwin at Live! at the Library in January. On Thursday evenings in January, the...
    • Date: 2023-12-21
  • December 13, 2023  (23-101)
    25 Films Selected for Preservation in National Film Registry Twenty-five influential films have been selected for the 2023 Library of Congress National Film Registry, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today. The films are selected each year for their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.The newest selections include a diverse group of films, filmmakers and Hollywood landmarks exploring the drama of history, social justice and reform, the experiences...
    • Date: 2023-12-13
  • December 12, 2023  (23-102)
    Library of Congress Announces Spring 2024 Concert Series Spring 2024 will see the inauguration of a landmark celebration for the 100th anniversary of the Concerts at the Library of Congress series, presenting a packed roster of 27 vibrant, exciting chamber music, jazz, dance and popular music events. Performances by the Goldmund String Quartet, the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble and cellist Seth Parker Woods open the spring concert season beginning in January. On Feb....
    • Date: 2023-12-12
  • December 11, 2023  (23-A05)
    Holiday Schedule Dec. 2023-Jan. 2024 The following is the holiday operation schedule, including building closures, for the Library of Congress for December 2023 and early January 2024:Monday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)All Library buildings will be CLOSED.Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 (New Year’s Day)All Library buildings will be CLOSED.Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 (Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday)All Library buildings will be CLOSED.The Library’s public spaces and reading rooms will operate as...
    • Date: 2023-12-11
  • December 7, 2023  (23-099)
    American Archive of Public Broadcasting Preserves 2,000 'Le Show' Radio Programs This December, to mark the 40th anniversary of celebrated actor, author, director, musician, political satirist and broadcaster Harry Shearer’s weekly hour-long public radio series “Le Show,” the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, a collaboration between the Library of Congress and Boston public media producer GBH, is launching the “Le Show” Collection, a publicly accessible digital archive of more than 2,000 hours of broadcasts, stretching...
    • Date: 2023-12-07

November 2023

  • November 29, 2023  (23-098)
    Library of Congress Webinar on Human Rights Day: Science Literacy and the Law The Law Library of Congress will host a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 7, to discuss how science literacy helps the law, including handling of evidence at all stages of its journey through the criminal justice system. Sarah Cooper, a 2017 Law Library scholar-in-residence, will explain how science helps the law to understand the world in which legal policy, including human rights standards like the...
    • Date: 2023-11-29
  • November 28, 2023  (23-100)
    Library of Congress Hosts Virtual Panel on Artificial Intelligence and Cancer The Library of Congress will host its annual Cancer Moonshot panel discussion on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. Led by the Health Services Division and the Researcher Engagement and General Collections Division at the Library, the virtual event will bring together renowned international experts working on artificial intelligence for cancer screening, immunotherapy, imaging, and the ethics involved in using AI to provide their...
    • Date: 2023-11-28
  • November 16, 2023  (23-097)
    Celebrate the Holidays, See National Film Registry Selections During Live at the Library in December Visitors are invited to get into the holiday spirit at Live! at the Library in December with the Library's annual holiday celebration and Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 14. Plus, on Dec. 21 and 28, watch two holiday films that will be added to the National Film Registry this year. And enjoy happy hour alongside café concerts on Dec. 7, 14 and 21 in...
    • Date: 2023-11-16
  • November 6, 2023  (23-096)
    Library Seeks Applicants for the 2024 Junior Fellows Program The Library of Congress is seeking applicants for its next Junior Fellows Program, a summer internship held from May 20, 2024, to July 26, 2024. This 10-week, full-time paid internship is open to undergraduate and graduate students, and recent graduates interested in learning and conducting research using the resources of the largest library in the world. Remote and on-site project opportunities are available. The...
    • Date: 2023-11-06
  • November 2, 2023  (23-094)
    Library of Congress Opens Award Nominations for Outstanding Federal Libraries, Librarians and Library Technicians To honor the innovations and successes of federal libraries, librarians and library technicians in meeting the information demands of government, businesses, scholarly communities and the public, the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) in the Library of Congress has opened nominations for its national awards for federal librarianship in fiscal year 2023.For nomination materials, visit the “awards” section of the FEDLINK website or email...
    • Date: 2023-11-02
  • November 2, 2023  (23-095)
    Library of Congress Hosts Premiere of "Language Is Life," an Episode from the PBS series Native America The Library of Congress will premiere one of four new episodes of the acclaimed PBS series “Native America” on Nov. 9, focused on Native people’s efforts to preserve their languages and ways of life. The film, which features Library collections, will be followed by a panel discussion on Indigenous language preservation, as part of the Library’s celebration of Native American Heritage Month.Narrated by former...
    • Date: 2023-11-02

October 2023

  • October 19, 2023  (23-089)
    Shakespeare Everywhere Festival, Conversation with Simon Schama and More During Live at the Library in November Throughout November, the Library will host events during Live at the Library as part of the city-wide Shakespeare Everywhere Festival. Public health leader Atul Gawande joins public intellectual Simon Schama for a conversation on Nov. 16. Plus, commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Washington, D.C. Home Rule Act on Nov. 30 with a panel discussion, GoGo band performance and more.On Thursday evenings, the Library’s...
    • Date: 2023-10-19
  • October 18, 2023  (23-091)
    Library Announces 2023 Music Commissions from Koussevitzky Foundation The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress has awarded commissions for new musical works to six composers. The commissions are granted jointly by the foundation and the performing organizations that will present the world premiere of each work.Winning composers for 2023 and the groups co-sponsoring their commissions are Lembit Beecher and Ensemble Échappé; Ashkan Behzadi and Ensemble Recherche; Michael Finnissy and...
    • Date: 2023-10-18
  • October 17, 2023  (23-090)
    George Chauncey, Historian of LGBTQ+ Life and Kluge Prize Recipient, Releases New Video Series "Through History to Equality" George Chauncey, recipient of the 2022 John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, released three videos today with the Library of Congress examining the experiences of LGBTQ+ Americans. These are now available to watch on loc.gov and the Library’s YouTube channel.In “From Sexual Regulation to Antigay Discrimination,” Chauncey is interviewed by Library of Congress Chief Communications Officer Roswell Encina on...
    • Date: 2023-10-17
  • October 17, 2023  (23-092)
    Materials from the Musical 'Hadestown' Added to Library of Congress Collections The Library of Congress has added rare materials from the development of the Tony Award-winning musical “Hadestown” to its collections, thanks to a donation from the show’s Tony Award-winning creator, singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. Items donated by Mitchell tell the story of the show’s development, including draft lyrics written on a yellow legal pad; memorabilia including promotional posters and a postcard from the very first...
    • Date: 2023-10-17
  • October 10, 2023  (23-085)
    Library of Congress Appoints Stephanie Stillo Chief of Rare Book and Special Collections The Library of Congress has named Stephanie Stillo as the new chief of the Library’s Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Stillo, who assumed her new role on Oct. 9, joined the Library in 2016. She has served as the curator of the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection and the Aramont Library — two of the division’s notable collections.The Rare Book and Special Collections Division...
    • Date: 2023-10-10
  • October 5, 2023  (23-087)
    Library Awards New Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative Grants to Organizations Developing Resources for History, Civics and Democracy Students The Library of Congress has awarded Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative grants to six organizations that are working to develop digital educational projects that teach history, civics, and democracy to secondary students using creative arts materials from the Library’s collections.The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2023 appropriated money for the new Lewis-Houghton Civics and Democracy Initiative, which honors the service and democratic ideals of...
    • Date: 2023-10-05
  • October 4, 2023  (23-A04)
    Library Open for Federal Holiday Oct. 9 The Library of Congress will be open to visitors with timed-entry passes on the federal Columbus Day holiday, Monday, October 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including public spaces in the Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions.In addition, the Main Reading Room in the Jefferson building will be open for visitors to view from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. via the Great Hall...
    • Date: 2023-10-04

September 2023

  • September 27, 2023  (23-A03)
    Advisory: Possible Federal Government Shutdown In the event of a temporary shutdown of the federal government effective 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, all Library of Congress buildings will be CLOSED to the public and researchers.All public events will be cancelled. Also, all inquiries and requests to the Library of Congress web-based services will not be received or responded to until the shutdown ends. Information on loc.gov will not be...
    • Date: 2023-09-27
  • September 19, 2023  (23-083)
    Library Welcomes Science and Social Studies Teachers for New School Year The Library of Congress began the 2023-2024 school year by welcoming two teachers to its Capitol Hill campus. Kelsey Beeghly, a science curriculum and assessment coordinator from Orlando, Florida, will serve as the Library’s 2023-2024 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow.Tyron Bey, a middle school social studies teacher from Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been named the 2023-2024 Teacher-in-Residence at the Library of Congress.Beeghly and...
    • Date: 2023-09-19
  • September 14, 2023  (23-082)
    National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Invites Families for One-on-One Conversations at the Library National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina is launching a new series to engage with local children, teens and families beginning on Oct. 7.Meet Meg Medina: Family Office Hours with the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is an opportunity for families to engage directly with Medina in person at the Library of Congress. In each 20-minute Meet Meg Medina session, children, teens...
    • Date: 2023-09-14
  • September 14, 2023  (23-084)
    American Archive of Public Broadcasting to Add New Collection: 50 Years of Programs from Journalist Bill Moyers The American Archive of Public Broadcasting announced today that it has collected more than 1,000 public television programs produced by veteran broadcast journalist Bill Moyers, and more than 800 of them are available to stream online. The new Bill Moyers Collection in the archive offers a look at more than 50 years of Bill Moyers’ work reporting on our times, during which he became...
    • Date: 2023-09-14
  • September 13, 2023  (23-079)
    Library of Congress Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a Danzón Class The Library of Congress joins National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations with a special danzón dance class and performance and 50 audio recordings added to its historic PALABRA Archive, which turns 80 this year. The monthlong celebration from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 highlights the culture, history and contributions of the Hispanic community to the nation.As part of the celebrations through Live at the Library,...
    • Date: 2023-09-13
  • September 12, 2023  (23-081)
    Innovator in Residence Invites Public to Experience Chinatown Reconstruction Artist, educator and 2023 Library of Congress Innovator in Residence Jeffrey Yoo Warren is inviting the public to visit an immersive 3D reconstruction of historic Providence, Rhode Island’s Chinatown in 1914, recreated using archival photographs and records from the Library’s collection. The model is the first part of Yoo Warren’s project, Seeing Lost Enclaves: Relational Reconstructions of Erased Historic Neighborhoods of Color, which aims...
    • Date: 2023-09-12
  • September 8, 2023  (23-077)
    Library of Congress Announces 2023 Literacy Awards on International Literacy Day Three organizations working to expand literacy and promote reading will be awarded the 2023 Library of Congress Literacy Awards, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today. Top prizes are being awarded to The News Literacy Project, Downtown Boxing Gym and Worldreader.The Literacy Awards program, sponsored by David M. Rubenstein since 2013, honors organizations that provide exemplary, innovative and replicable strategies to combat illiteracy. For...
    • Date: 2023-09-08
  • September 7, 2023  (23-075)
    Library of Congress Honors Libraries in New Jersey and Michigan for Outstanding Service to Readers with Disabilities The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress today recognized two of its cooperating libraries in New Jersey and Michigan for their outstanding service to readers with visual, physical or print disabilities.The New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center in Trenton, New Jersey, received the 2023 Regional Library of the Year Award, while the...
    • Date: 2023-09-07
  • September 6, 2023  (23-080)
    U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón to Publish Anthology, Bring Poetry to National Parks as Part of Signature Project, 'You Are Here' Ada Limón’s signature project as the nation’s 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, “You Are Here,” will feature two major new initiatives: an anthology of commissioned nature poems and poetry installed as public art in seven national parks.“I want to champion the ways reading and writing poetry can situate us in the natural world,” Limón said. “Never has it been more urgent to feel...
    • Date: 2023-09-06
  • September 1, 2023  (23-002)
    Library of Congress, National Park Service Announce 2022 Holland Prize Winner The Library of Congress and the National Park Service announced today that the 2022 Leicester B. Holland Prize will be presented to Lukas Burgher for a drawing of the historic Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in Lincoln, Virginia.The Holland Prize honors an outstanding historic building, structure or landscape measured drawing prepared to the standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey, Historic American Engineering Record, or...
    • Date: 2023-09-01