Happy 125th Birthday to the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress

 

The Library of Congress, Washington. Photochrome print by Detroit Publishing Company, c1900. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/det.4a31954

November 1, 2022 by Kristi Finefield, https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2022/11/happy-125th-birthday-to-the-jefferson-building-of-the-library-of-congress/?loclr=eaptb

On November 1, 1897, the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress opened to the world. Today we mark its 125th birthday. This magnificent building was the Library of Congress’ first home away from the U.S. Capitol, where it had first been established in 1800.

This was a pivotal moment in the history of the Library as we moved to expand our mission. In addition to serving the U.S. Congress, we would establish ourselves as the national library of the United States. In 1870, U.S. Copyright law began to require that those claiming copyright on books, maps, visual materials such as engravings or photographs, dramatic and musical compositions and so on must send two copies to the Librarian of Congress. In the first 25 years of this law, vast quantities of books, maps, prints, photos, and more came to the Library in the U.S. Capitol.

Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford pushed for a separate building for the Library of Congress and saw his decades-long dream come to fruition in November 1897. The Prints & Photographs Division shares its birthday with the building, as we were established as the Department of Graphic Arts at that time. We became the Division of Prints in 1899. And here is the reading room as it looked in the early 1900s in the Jefferson Building:

[Reading Room, Prints Division, Library of Congress] Photo by Levin C. Handy, ca. 1900. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a37604

To read more about the great Library of Congress: https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2022/11/happy-125th-birthday-to-the-jefferson-building-of-the-library-of-congress/?loclr=eaptb

“A Masterwork” on libraries today

A fascinating book review of Sam Popowich’s “brilliant” “masterwork” Confronting the Democratic Discourse of Librarianship: A Marxist Approach. The reviewer talks about the contradictory position of librarians in our capitalist world. During the pandemic, they have been further called upon to do so much, including risky work. Libraries themselves provide so much for us in our economically exploitative world. Among other interesting points, the review talks about Popowich’s use of:

Fobazi Ettarh’s concept of “vocational awe,” which refers to “the set of ideas, values, and assumptions librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in notions that libraries as institutions are inherently good, sacred notions, and therefore beyond critique.”

This vocational awe allows for the unviable and uncritical exploitation of these workers. A critical view of our love of libraries and our admiration of librarians is necessary especially within an economically exploitative world that simultaneously undermines and exploits librarians’ great work.

The book review: https://networks.h-net.org/node/11717/reviews/10374436/fisher-popowich-confronting-democratic-discourse-librarianship

Reading and Doing Research in the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress opened again to researchers a little over a year ago, on June 1st, 2021. It has been wonderful to have a great place to read, write, and do research. Since then, I've used the Manuscript Reading Room, the Newspaper & Current Periodicals Reading Room, and the European Reading Room (see photo of the ERR below). Now, researchers don't have to have appointments to use the reading room, just a reader/library card, which is easy and quick to get. I am in the European Reading Room today, and I didn't have an appointment. Here is all the info for researchers: https://research-appointments.loc.gov/