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!

Yes, the Library of Congress is Great

Here's the recent C-Span documentary on the Library of Congress.

Here's the original post that started it all

As an informal cheerleader for the Library of Congress, I came up with the bad idea of making a blog about why the LoC is so great, especially for researchers. Here is the LoC's general Researcher Webpage. The access to books and journals from all over the world and from centuries gone by is phenomenal.

To get started, one needs to get a new library card, which takes about 2 minutes. Just go in the main doors of the Madison Building (the most modern of the three buildings, closest to Capitol South Metro) and turn left for the registration room. There are three buildings (from oldest to newest): Jefferson, Adams, and Madison.

Unless you want to use particular collections such as Manuscripts, Prints and Photographs, or Motion Pictures, there are are basically three locations in which researchers work on a daily basis:

1) the Main Reading Room in the Jefferson Building
2) one of the area studies rooms (African & Middle East, Asian, European, Hispanic)
3) the Science and Tech reading room in the Adams Building.

The Main Reading Room is the most impressive space, but it is seriously cold. The area studies room are smaller, warmer, and often beautiful as well, and the staff are much more accessible. The European room even has a weekly tea on Fridays at 2:30pm. The Main Reading Room is open later and on Saturdays, but you can send books from the area studies rooms to the Main Reading Room, if you want to continue working after the area studies room have closed. The main positive about the Science and Tech room is that you don't have to put away your bag in the cloak room. Most academics don't choose to work there, but I find that it is good for social sciences (the social science books are in that building) and it requires less commitment since you get to keep your bags, coats, etc.

When you order books (which can be done online once you get a new library card), you can hold those books on the 3-day reserve shelf. These books have to be re-reserved after 3 or so days. Everyone can apply for a shelf, which allows you to store books indefinitely, but I think that you have to show that you have come into the Library once a month or something.

There is a cafeteria on the 6th floor and the basement of the Madison building. There is a cafe with great staff next to the basement cafeteria. There is also a small cafeteria on the first floor of the Adams building. Pete's Diner across the street has a great pan-Asian veggie combo that changes every day.

Librarians as Superheroes

If information is power, then there's no hero mightier than a librarian. Librarians are superheroes, adventurers, explorers and invaluable guides to other heroes. Here are 20 amazing librarians who save the world every day!

It's too bad that the Library of Congress is protected from the world behind the national security apparatus, rather than being open to the world. In addition, non-researching visitors also never get to go into the library reading rooms, rather they are made to roam around the large decorative halls. My students have told me that when they visited they asked, Where are the books? Where is the reading going on?

The Poet Laureate makes the LC even more great

The Library of Congress annually appoints the Poet Laureate, and the Library of Congress hosts the Laureate from October to May. The Laureate receives a $35,000 annual stipend. While the Laureate is provided maximum freedom to work on their own projects while at the Library, the Laureate also "gives an annual lecture and reading of his or her poetry and usually introduces poets in the Library's annual poetry series, the oldest in the Washington area, and among the oldest in the United States. This annual series of public poetry and fiction readings, lectures, symposia, and occasional dramatic performances began in the 1940s." You can listen to thousands of poets read their works through the Archive of Recorded Poetry.

This year's Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin will give his inaugural reading October 25th at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium (Jefferson Building). Be there for the excitement, the poetry, and the reception! (The receptions are always good).

In addition, the evening, "A Celebration of American Poets Laureate," which starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6, will feature readings by Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Daniel Hoffman, Donald Hall, Maxine Kumin, Kay Ryan, Charles Simic and Mark Strand, and will be followed by a reception and book-signing. Kay Ryan is a wonderfully funny poet and poetry reader. Charles Simic is a regular writer for the NY Review of Books. It'll be a great evening!

Library of Congress is Great Blogger has Returned

This blogger has returned from a brief hiatus to revise her book for publication. The book went to the press on Monday night. Tuesday afternoon I was back in the European Room. I saw Eric there, who said that most people would think it was strange to be there after completing a book, but he completely understood. The Library of Congress is Great!