The following is a guest post by Ramon Samuel, a contracts team lead currently working in the Literary Initiatives Office as part of the Library of Congress Leadership Development Program.
The big news today: the Library will open its “Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress” exhibit in the Thomas Jefferson Building. I’m happy to report that next week the Literary Initiatives Office will join in the celebration with our Live! at the Library event: “‘A True-Life National Treasure,’ on Film and at the Library.”
What if the famed film franchise “National Treasure” drew upon real figures and events?! On Thursday, June 20, join authors and “National Treasure” mega-fans Aubrey R. Paris and Emily M. Black as they discuss their book “National Treasure Hunt: One Step Short of Crazy” and reveal how the fantastical could actually be true at the Library of Congress.
In this book, franchise experts and hosts of the “National Treasure Hunt” podcast Aubrey R. Paris and Emily M. Black set the record straight, taking a scene-by-scene approach to prove that National Treasure, like protagonist Benjamin Franklin Gates, is not crazy, but rather one step short. Their analyses unearth lesser-known stories from history while considering the ethics of character decisions, assessing comparisons to similar film franchises, interpreting key deleted scenes, and revealing behind-the-scenes secrets from filming.
Get to know the treasure-seeking authors!

Aubrey R. Paris is a foreign policy advisor who has worked on priorities ranging from the nexus of gender equality and climate change to emerging technologies. For the “National Treasure Hunt” podcast she specializes in assessments of history, science, and film production while leading creative direction. Paris received her Ph.D. in Chemistry and Materials Science from Princeton University (2019), M.A. in Chemistry from Princeton University (2017), and B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Ursinus College (2015).

Emily M. Black is an adjunct professor and researcher whose work has focused on the neurobiology of traumatic stress and substance abuse. She provides musical assessments, ethical discussions, and pop culture analyses for the “National Treasure Hunt” podcast and serves as sound engineer for the podcast. Black received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Drexel University College of Medicine (2021), B.S. in Neuroscience, and B.A. in Music from Ursinus College (2015).
The event will include a Q&A session for guests and fans alike to ask their burning questions about the film franchise and the Library’s treasures found within. Guests will also have an opportunity to purchase a copy of “National Treasure Hunt: One Step Short of Crazy” and get it signed by the authors. We hope to see you there, and maybe you’ll uncover a hidden treasure at the Library!
Comments (4)
i would like to follow this blog
Great! Just go here: https://www.loc.gov/subscribe#poetry
Hi! Is there a recording of this event if we weren’t able to watch live?
There will be, at https://www.loc.gov/collections/event-videos/.