Pouring Love on The Library of Congress

by Jan Godown Annino

If you bump into a live body in the popular halls of The Library of Congress,

the person will be friendly about it.

In these days of instant gratification, who will traipse through marbled halls dedicated to

words, but the patient folks? The folklife study folks, the African literature

study folks, the children’s literature folks

The Library of Congress (LOC) buildings (I know of three) are populated with devoted staffers, readers, writers & researchers. A genial group, when it comes

to excusing bumpers.

Here is my idiosyncratic #LOC mini-tour, following our family vacation to Washington, D.C.

THE #LOC 2015 MINI TOUR

ART in the HALLS

The Library of Congress is an art gallery.

 Murals of tropical birds & other works, such as this macaw I snapped, by poet/artist Edward Lear,

from valuable books in the the LOC’s collections, caught my eye. They were backdrop in a
room that features tons of maps dear to my own piece of real estate. Which is up next.

 FLORIDA

 I turned a corner and found that my part of the world is

on carefully-curated display in the # Jay and Jean Kislak ongoing exhibit,

 Exploring The Early Americas.

I could have dwelled with these artifacts, with rare maps 

& their explanations much longer. But there were other cases to see. I took many fuzzy photos because you're not using flash, but this one turned out. All of the southeast U.S. was once considered Florida.

FIRST BOOKS

The term takes on a new meaning at the Library

of Congress. Such as - the codex books created in the area

we know as Mexico, made before the Spanish Conquest period.

A ROUND ROOM

This room is a work-in-progress, as the LOC endeavors to recreate the

personal library of Thomas Jefferson. It is a thrill to walk into this circle

of books. 

Even when closed, some volume’s pages, looked at

en toto, were a work of design art. Because it’s exactly 200 years since

Jefferson’s personal library helped rebuild our burned national collection

this is a special time to visit.

WHISTLE WHILE YOU LOOK

Who knew the Disney cartoon version of Snow White

derived in great detail from a Swedish-born artist’s interpretation of the

classic folk tale? Not I. Learn much more about the illustrator,

Gustaf Tenggren. On display beautifully in the Swann Gallery.

This long horizontal GUSTAF TENGGREN panel is courtesy of the Art Wood Collection of Caricature and Cartoons.

Here is a detailed Gustaf Tenggren site.

INK. PENS. COMMENT.

Thanks to the Herblock Foundation, we can ponder various

political cartoonists’ decades of work.

THE. READING. ROOM.

The very one.

When you see the movie, All the President’s Men, you will

recognize this iconic view. 

On this trip I didn’t exercise the right I have to enter the vaulted space.  But I will, I will. I walked through it years before with heart aflutter. This was our view, after climbing extra steps into an airtight windowed balcony that overlooks the research desks and arched book rooms.

To enter the iconic space, obtain your LOC Reader card.  - my official Library of Congress Reader ID begins #ROO like the 2^nd part of kanga. Luv it.

Look at how easy it is to become a LOC reader

 CHECKOUT

There are no checkoutable books at the LOC.

Everything in the collection stays. You study it there.

But you can check out innumerable bookish swag at The Library Shop.

I bought an outrageous pencil for show and tell this upcoming school

year, as a Reading Pal. 

I will plant the eyedear with the wee ones that every child should some day visit the LOC – source of giant pencils. And more.

The LOC is so much more.

Events. Such as the National Book Festival Sept 5, 2015.

It’s not held at the LOC or, as in past times, on the National Mall.

But stop by the Washington Convention Center

for friendly readers, writers & affiliated folks at this

LOC-organized of day and night celebration of books. The Honorary

Chairs of it are President Barack and Mrs. Obama.

Underground Tunnel & More

So thank you for visiting the LOC vicariously with me.

I reluctantly close the book on the Library of Congress, as even more thrills & chills undetailed here, await you there.  An underground tunnel. Lively tours. Concerts, poetry readings, 

the American Folklife Center, interviews, podcasts….

The best part is that so much of it is online, every day.