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 aroom 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,
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 2nd 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.
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.
