Librarian's Holiday

I am so excited.  Yesterday, Lee and I went to the Library of Congress to research his genealogy.  Mecca!!!  A librarian's dream : )

I have been in the building before, but never in the Reading Room.  And I have never taken the official tour, which Lee and I did yesterday.  I know you have all seen photographs of the Library of Congress (or LOC to us librarians), but bear with me, because it is a beautiful building.

The LOC was originally housed in the Capitol Building, but it outgrew its space and the building we know and admire today was opened in 1897.  It is known as the Thomas Jefferson Building.

Here is proof that I was there.  I am sitting at the magnificent fountain in front of the building.

Most of the tour took place in the Great Hall of the library, which is what most people see when they visit.  It is a very public, noisy, and grand space.  All of the artwork was done by artists hired for the world's fair in Chicago in 1893, and the space was renovated in the 1990's.  Today, full of color and light, it is stunning.

My husband, the Republican, says the U.S. should not have spent so much money on such a building, but I reminded him it was built during a period when the U.S. was growing and wanted to impress the world with a capitol city that could equal those of Europe - London, Paris, and Rome.    

Did you know that the LOC building was the first in Washington DC to have electricity?  Neither did I!  But that is why the statues holding lamps on either side of the great staircases are so significant.

 The ceilings and floors are all worth close observation.

 

The Gutenberg Bible is on display, one of three copies IN THE WORLD that are complete.

The ceiling over the Gutenberg Bible, which is just off the Great Hall, has mosaic pictures that depict each of several areas of human knowledge.  The one that jumped out to me, of course, was the one dealing with the natural sciences.  In the circle is a seahorse, plants, and microscope.

Notice the two names below the pictograph.  "Say" would refer to Thomas Say, entomologist and malacologist of the Academy of Natural Sciences in the early nineteenth century.  He is often referred to as the Father of American Entomology and is also known as the Father of American Malacology, so the placement of his name is appropriate.  The other name would refer to James Dwight Dana, prominent geologist and mineralogist of the mid to late nineteenth century.  Dana wrote the Manual of Geology and Systematics of Mineralogy, both of which went through multiple editions and served as the principle texts for all students of American geology for three quarters of a century or more.

The view from the front windows of the Great Hall are of the Capitol Building.  Since the LOC serves Congress, this makes perfect sense.

This is the view that most people see of the Main Reading Room, taken from a balcony above the researchers.

Once you are in the reading room, no photographs are allowed.  It's a good thing I took so many from the balcony!  The books in the alcoves below make up a tiny part of the reference collection.  Of course, today librarians have access to digital versions, but sometimes it is nice to have the hardcopy at your fingertips.

The next photograph is of one of several figurines that circle the Reading Room.  The plaque above this one reads, "The inquiry, knowledge and belief of truth is the sovereign good of human nature."  I love the inspiring quotes of yesteryear.  We need more of them in today's world.

I wanted to take a better photograph of the dome, but because of glare on the acrylic barrier on the balcony I was not able to.  Most of you have seen better photographs anyway.

After the tour came the exciting part.  Lee and I were directed to a tunnel that went under the street to the more modern Madison building, where the LOC administration offices are currently located.  There is apparently a tunnel that leads to the Capitol building as well, but it has additional security.

We showed ID and got our reader cards.  Look!  I can use the Library of Congress for the next two years!  I am official!  (I blocked my face because I don't like photos of me.  I blocked the barcode and reader number for obvious security reasons.) 

After dropping off our coats and bags at the Cloak Room, we entered a room just off the Main Reading Room with a couple of reference librarians.  We talked to a very helpful genealogy librarian, who then guided us to the genealogy reference section.  The genealogy section has recently been relocated from what used to be its own lofty room, but no longer so.  I wish we had the opportunity to see it.  Here is Lee, studying a family history that has been difficult for him to find!  As is the case with many family histories, only a few copies were created and they are not always available readily or digitally.  

There were several people in the Reading Room while we were there, perhaps 20 or 30.  But we were told by the tour guide that the Reading Room used to be filled most of the time, until digital resources became so readily available.  It is in part because of the Library of Congress that so many books, photographs, and archival materials have been digitized during the last two decades.  Check out one of their most important projects, American Memory, at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html.  Even George Washington's papers are available for all to read.

We passed the door to the Rare Book Room on the way to the Main Reading Room, and  I took a photo of it because it has such grand style.

On Wednesday nights, the Jefferson building is open to researchers until 9 p.m.  We didn't stay that late - we got hungry and left for dinner by 6:30.  The sky was starting to darken, and the Capital Building was beginning to glow because of its night lights.  So beautiful!

The day came to an end, and I was happily satisfied.

Adieu until the next post.