Don't Miss the SW Courtyard

The SW Courtyard will close for the year on September 30th, so make sure that you take some time to sit out there. Buy a coffee or other drink/snack in the snack room across the hall from the SW Courtyard door. It is so pleasant to sip coffee and listen to the cicadas in the sun.

The SW Courtyard will open again on April 1, 2015. 

Another Hidden Treasure in the LOC

To counteract the AC, I sat for a few minutes in the SW Courtyard. After a very peaceful sit, I walked out and saw that the doors to the NW Courtyard were open! I have never seen this before. I walked in and saw this glorious courtyard, with its fountain flowing into a pool lined with red flowers. I was just thinking how the SW Courtyard could use some landscape maintenance, especially now in comparison to the NW Courtyard!

According to the Library of Congress:

Since 1897, three of the four interior courtyards of the Jefferson Building have been filled. The east courtyards have become bookstacks; the southeast bookstack was completed in 1910, the northeast in 1927. The northwest courtyard is occupied by two special structures: the Coolidge Auditorium, built in 1925 for chamber music recitals and a gift of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, and the Whittall Pavilion, given to the Library in 1938 by Gertrude Clarke Whittall to house five Stradivarius instruments she donated to the Library. A plaque commemorating Mrs. Coolidge and her gift is outside the entrance to the Coolidge Auditorium, on the ground floor. The names of four great composers--Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms--are inscribed on the outside wall of the Whittall Pavilion, above the windows and the stairs leading down to the interior courtyard.

You can see the NW courtyard through the window to the right of the men's bathroom at the ground floor entrance to the Jefferson Building. Experiencing it in person is really wonderful.

Insider's Tip from a Regular Reader

From a friend:

Can I offer an Insider's Tip based on seven years of field research? Dress down! On the days when I wear drab clothing, the [Library of Congress] cafeteria cashiers almost always give me the employee discount based on their visual estimations. For real. Bad for reinforcing librarian stereotypes, good for the pocketbook!

This is just glorious

Yesterday, we were sitting in the so peacefully quiet SW Courtyard in the Library of Congress, when a woman walked in with an amazed look on her face. She asked, "Has this always been here? When did it open? This is just glorious!"

True words!

Hidden Treasure in LOC

While some have argued that the new Dunkin Donuts is the hidden treasure in the Library of Congress, I argue that the real hidden treasure is the glorious Jefferson SW Courtyard.

THE SOUTHWEST COURTYARD OF THE THOMAS JEFFERSON BUILDING is one of four interior courtyards that were designed to surround the circular Main Reading Room. The northeast and southeast courtyards were enclosed in 1910 and 1927, respectively, to provide space for book stacks. The northwest courtyard provided space for the Coolidge Auditorium, built in 1925, and the Whittall Pavilion, which was completed in 1938. Both spaces provide venues for programs and musical performances. In 2012, the southwest
courtyard was refurbished and reopened for use by members of the public and the Library’s staff.

These photos don't really capture how nice the courtyard is. To get there,
1) go to the Jefferson main cloakroom and then turn around and go down the stairwell into the cellar.
2) Turn right and then right again.
3) Grab a coffee or other item from the vending machines on the left. Return to hallway.
4) On the right side, in a few steps, you will see the door to the SW courtyard.

Yes, the Library of Congress is great!

Jefferson SW Courtyard hours:
9:30 a.m.–3 p.m., Monday–Friday

Faculty, spread the word

Yesterday, I met one of my students at the Library of Congress. We originally were going to sit in the 6th floor cafe (the cafe with the great view) to talk about her project, but instead I decided to do some active Library of Congress propaganda. We first got her a library card, which took about one minute. Then, we did a tour, looking at the Main Reading Room, the Hispanic Reading Room, the European Reading Room, the Great Hall, and even my own shelf in one of the reading rooms. We talked about her project at various benches throughout the library. And, voila!, it is now much more likely that she will use the LoC.

The great Russian historian Richard Stites was known for requiring his students to read in the LoC. This semester, I saw the undergraduate students of another colleague doing their required reading time in the LoC. A couple of years ago, I met my graduate class in the LoC, where we got library cards, did a tour, tested out ordering books, and discussed the reading of the week (in the basement cafe).

Your students, especially graduate students, might be excited to see all the great academics in the readings rooms. The European Reading Room was always known as a place where various famous and non-famous exiles hung out. These days, there are regular sightings of many great academics. Here are just a few examples:

• Ben Cowan, David Sartorius, and Julia Young in the Hispanic Room.
• Johanna Bockman, Michael David-Fox, Steven Harris, Marcy Norton, Arpad von Klimo, Bernardo Piciché, and Andrew Zimmerman in the European Reading Room. 
• Emily Landau in the Folklife Center. 
• Gershon Greenberg, Emily Landau, Paul Landau, Sara Scalenghe, Dan Schwarz, and Jonathan Skolnik in the Main Reading Room. 

Invite your students to join the intellectual in-crowd. 

P.S. Faculty, feel free to let me know which reading room you are working in and I'll add you to the list! 

Pleasant Day in the LoC

It is exceedingly pleasant reading in the Library of Congress today. If you ever find the main reading room too cold, come up to the European Reading Room, which quite pleasant. Well, isn't everyday in the LoC pleasant? 

Summering at the LoC

It is great to look forward to a summer in the cool Library of Congress reading rooms. Also, during lunch, you can sit poolside, by the pool of Puck Fountain across the street at the Folger Library shaded by magnolia trees. A perfect spot on a summer day. 

A great place to work

Of the many things I like about the Library of Congress is that it is like a tiny city full of workers. Yesterday at a flamenco guitar concert, a LoC worker and another guy near me could barely hold still during the concert, seeming to want to jump up and dance. A great place to work!

Aside from concerts, the Library of Congress is a world of work that is clearly visible, as opposed to many places of work which we can't easily enter. Workers are continually doing repairs on the amazing building, pushing huge carts of books, running meetings, cooking and selling (very tasty) food, greeting readers like me, and so on,

Report from Marcy

Insider's tip: part of what makes the LC great is the veggie special at Pete's across the street. 

The National Jukebox

The Library of Congress has introduced the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available online to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives. The Library of Congress is even better!

Re-Affirmation

Yes, the Library of Congress is Great. I'm on sabbatical and spend everyday in the European Reading Room. It is truly glorious. And today is the regular Friday Afternoon Tea!