October 30, 2003 The Library of Congress Is Coming to Cleveland

The Library of Congress and U.S. Congressman Bob Ney, in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council, will sponsor special events in Cleveland on Nov. 14 and 15 that will introduce Clevelanders to a selection of the fascinating resources available to them from the world's largest library.

"The Library of Congress is a library for all Americans, and we are honored to visit Cleveland as part of our nationwide outreach," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "Cleveland's long tradition of support for the arts and education makes it a fitting venue to demonstrate the cultural and educational resources that we offer."

On Nov. 14, Clevelanders and guests from throughout the state are invited to "Celebrating Books and Reading in Ohio," a program at the Cleveland Public Library. The event marks the relocation of the Ohio Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, from the Ohio State Library to the Cleveland Public Library. State book centers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia promote books, reading and literacy. The Ohio Center for the Book, established in 1987, also highlights Ohio authors and the state's literary heritage. Congressman Ney and Dr. Billington will join the festivities, along with Andrew A. Venable Jr., the Director of the Cleveland Public Library.

On Nov. 15, the Cleveland Public Library will host the Library of Congress as it conducts a clinic on preserving family treasures, such as old photographs and books; a workshop on how to conduct an oral history interview with a war veteran; and presentations on the Library's electronic educational resources on its Web site at www.loc.gov. The Cleveland Public Library is located at 325 Superior Ave. N.E.

Following is the schedule of events:

Friday, Nov. 14
10 a.m.-noon
Ohio Center for the Book event, "Celebrating Literacy in a Local Community"
Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing­Board Room, 325 Superior Ave. N. E.

Saturday, Nov. 15
10 a.m.-4 p.m.Conservation and preservation of family artifacts workshop
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Presentations on using the Library's online resources.
1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Oral history workshop featuring the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 126 million items in all formats on which information is recorded. The collections of the Library are diverse and in more than 450 languages. The collections include nearly 19 million books, 2.6 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.9 million maps, 5 million music items and 56 million manuscripts. The resources of the national library are accessible to all Americans. Through its popular and educational Web site (www.loc.gov), the Library makes more than 8 million items freely available to anyone with Internet access. The Library was founded in 1800 and has grown into an unparalleled resource for knowledge and information.

The Ohio Arts Council was created in 1965 to "foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio's cultural heritage." This is achieved primarily through the various grant-funding programs that the Council operates to provide support to artists and to make arts activities available to a broad segment of Ohio's public and by providing services that help to enhance the growth of the arts.