The Triangle Coalition facilitates and manages the Einstein Fellowship Program, as well as provides memorable professional development experiences for the fellows. Our visit to the Library of Congress in September was one of the best “field trips” I’ve ever experienced. We were so fortunate to have the head of the Science Reference Section, Constance Carter, and Joyce Howland, the Reference Collections Librarian to meet and direct our tour. To our surprise, each fellow found several books on the table next to our nametags that were specific to our interests. These wonderful ladies had read our bios and located books in the library that they thought we would like to peruse. The impromptu conversation and the stories from these two delightful women with their many years of experience, their love for books, and their love for this extraordinary Library made our tour extra special. The ornate Italian Renaissance style architecture, history, and the vast and rich assortment of resources is such an amazing treasure in our Nation’s Capitol. Two of the greatest treasures in the Library of Congress are the Gutenberg Bible and the Giant Bible of Mainz, which were made in Mainz, Germany, in the mid 1450’s. Both are rare quality- one was the first to be printed with movable metal type, and the other was handwritten in manuscript. While at the Library of Congress, we also had an excellent and informative lunchtime speaker, Gene Feldman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, “Observing the Living Oceans from Space.”
A View of the Main Reading Room from the Visitor Gallery
The Library of Congress, one of the world’s largest repositories of books, films, and printed materials is housed in the Adams, Jefferson, and Madison buildings on Capitol Hill. It truly is more than just a library. It houses a collection of more than 28 million catalogued books, moveable exhibits, archived manuscripts, an on-line library and websites, and other printed materials in 470 languages available to the public, researchers, educators, and legislators. ( www.loc.gov)
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (www.loc.gov/nls), and the U.S. Copyright Office (www.loc.gov/copyright) are also here. The use of the library in person requires identification from anyone over high school age. The digital library and other resources are extensive and can be found online. The resources at the Library of Congress are varied. An on-line reference service, “Ask a librarian” is available at www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/
The eclectic materials at the Library of Congress are diverse and include such materials as Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a handwritten copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, the work of the Wright Brothers and Thurgood Marshall, the earliest copyrighted film, and even the earliest story and drawings from the original “Spider Man”. The Library has the largest rare book collection in North America, along with maps, prints, photographs, films, sound recordings, and sheet music. It also has a performing arts center (many concerts may be heard on radio or at www.loc.gov/today. ) Genealogical resources can be located at the website, www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/
The Library of Congress started out as a small library established for the use of Congress when President John Adams signed a bill to transfer the seat of the government from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, in 1800. When the new Capitol was set on fire in 1814 by British troops, the books burned in the fire . Thomas Jefferson offered his extensive personal collection of books that he had collected for 50 years. Congress appropriated $23,950 for 6,487 books.. Unfortunately, in 1851, a fire destroyed many of the books. Today, the remaining books and replacement copies may be found in the Thomas Jefferson’s Library exhibit on the 2nd floor of the Jefferson building. This room was one of the highlights of my visit. It was easy to understand Thomas Jefferson’s words in 1815, “I cannot live without books”.
Teachers may access lesson plans, resources, and materials through programs at www.loc.gov/teachers. The Library also offers science reference services, webcasts, recent science and technology books, health and medical information, prints and photographs, and selected Internet Resources for teachers. Science Reference Guides for Latinos in Math and Science, Biographies of Women Scientists for Girls and Young Women; Girls and Science Education: How to Engage Girls in Science, and Resources for Kids, Young Adults, and Teachers are also available.
While at the Library of Congress, we met with Kris Pruzin, Digital Reference Specialist, who talked to the fellows about the digital collections and Jennifer Harbster, Science Reference Specialist, who told us about “Every Day Mysteries” – Fun Facts from the Library of Congress. “Every Day Mysteries is a place to find out answers to such questions as why pepper makes you sneeze or who invented the toothbrush. Jennifer consults experts to answer questions for K-12 written in easy –to- understand language. http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/
For Teacher Materials and Student Activities: http://myloc.gov
For Kids and Families: http://www.loc.gov/families/
For Visitors: http://www.loc.gov/visit/
Quick Reference Guide to the Library of Congress Web Site: http://www.loc.gov
I left this day with a library card to come back to visit, as well as an excitement and awe for the massive amount of resources available. This is a snapshot moment that I will remember in my life. I will remember this tour and the wonderful staff.
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