NPC Members Meet-Up at the Library of Congress: Semi-Annual Main Reading Room Open House

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Special Event

NPC Members Meet-Up at the Library of Congress: Semi-Annual Main Reading Room Open House

- Monday, October 9, (2 groups) 1:30 & 2 p.m. in Alcove 8 inside the Main Reading Room. Reference Librarians will meet with Press Club members to provide a briefing on the Main Reading Room including how to conduct research, describe the features of the art and architecture and also historical facts about the Library. Each group can accommodate a maximum of 25 people.

Additional information and activities about the semi-annual reading room: Twice each year, the Library of Congress opens its magnificent Main Reading Room to share information about how the public can access the Library’s resources year-round. The Main Reading Room will be open to the public on the federal Columbus Day holiday, Monday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Main Reading Room is located on the first floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

The Jefferson Building will open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In lieu of the normal tour schedule, docents will be available to talk with visitors about the Jefferson Building, its history, art and architecture and the Library’s collections and exhibitions between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Reference librarians will be on hand to demonstrate services, offer instruction on obtaining a reader-registration card and answer questions. They will highlight Halloween-related items from the general collections as well as preview an upcoming pop-up exhibit. They will also be available to demonstrate the Library’s online resources and discuss access to the Library’s vast on-site collections and electronic resources, including services and collections for use in family history research. No other reference services will be available, and all other Library of Congress reading rooms and buildings will be closed. Photography is allowed; however, visitors may not use selfie sticks, mono-, bi- or tripods.

The Library’s Young Readers Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with activity stations and programming for visitors. Children and teens are invited to bring their own astronaut and outer-space props – helmets, antennae, futuristic outfits – and engage in learning about space exploration, astronomy and even astrobiology as they explore the treasures in the Library’s collections. Visitors can have fun with trivia games, engage in space-related crafts and enjoy the center’s collection of books, games and puzzles, puppets and more. Young people under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Exhibition tours will be available to visitors on the second floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building. All tours begin at the exhibition entrances. Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I, which examines the upheaval of world war as Americans confronted it at home and abroad, will be available at both 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Exploring the Early Americas provides insight into indigenous cultures, the drama of the encounters between Native Americans and European explorers and settlers, and the pivotal changes caused by the meeting of the American and European worlds. The tour will begin at 11:30 a.m. Additionally, an interactive exhibit, which explores the story of a World War I soldier and the items he carried will be available on the second floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.