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Category: Exhibitions

Douglas Brinkely and Carla Hayden, both seated, speak on stage, with an American flag in the background

“Books That Shaped America” Series Starts

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Some of the most important works by Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Frederick Douglass, Willa Cather, Zora Neale Hurston and Cesar Chavez will be the focus of a new television series being produced by C-SPAN and the Library. The 10-part series — “Books That Shaped America” — starts on Sept. 18 and will examine 10 books …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

The Library Reimagined, with You in Mind

Posted by: Mark Hartsell

"A Library for You" is the Library's multi-year initiative to connect readers and patrons to our collections in new ways. These new galleries, exhibits and showcases will present some of the Library's most stunning items, whether they are recent or thousands of years old. These include Lincoln's handwritten first draft of the Gettysburg Address, fragments of the ancient Greek epic the "Iliad," cuneiform tablets that are among the oldest examples of writing, pre-Columbian artifacts, Rosa Parks' papers and watercolors by Diego Rivera. They'll begin to open in 2024.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

My Job: Katie Klenkel, Connecting Visitors to the World’s Largest Library

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Describe your work at the Library. I’m the chief of the Visitor Engagement Office. I oversee a team of people — both staff and volunteers — who welcome thousands of visitors to the Library’s public spaces and exhibitions each day. In addition to acting as front-line customer service, we also help visitors connect to the …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

“Not an Ostrich” Exhibit Now at the Library

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

"Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America's Library," an exhibit featuring more than 400 photographs from the Library's collections, is now open in the Jefferson Building and can be viewed online. It debuted in 2018 at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. The show is a visual journey through American culture and history.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

The Case that “Gutted” Rosa Parks

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Rosa Parks, one of the most consequential Americans of the 20th century, was born on Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her activism was galvanized decades before the Montgomery bus boycott by the sexualized violence of whites against Blacks in her native Alabama. This activism is featured in this short documentary by the Library of Congress, which holds her papers.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

A Protester Who Changed America: Rosa Parks

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Rosa Parks launched one of the most influential protests in American history, chronicled at the Library and featured in the exhibit, "Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words." You can explore it online, even while the Library is closed due to COVID-19. The Parks papers and exhibit are part of the Library's role in preserving and presenting the lives of revolutionary American changemakers.