Join us for Family Days at the Library: Celebrate Halloween on October 19th!

On Saturday, October 19^th, the Informal Learning Office continues a series of monthly, in-person family programs. We look forward to welcoming you to this special opportunity to enjoy creative activities while learning more about America’s national library.

If you’re in the area, stop by the Thomas Jefferson Building to enjoy a Halloween kick-off. Activities during the drop-in program (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) are designed for kids and their families, but all ages are welcome. The event is free of charge; however, you will need to obtain free building passes. Registering in advance is the best way to guarantee entry at a time of your choosing, although a limited number of walk-up tickets are available daily. Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at 202-707-6464 or by emailing [email protected].

This Family Day, we are enjoying the anticipation of spooky season and celebrating Halloween a little early. During this month’s program, families can use Library images to make and decorate mini paper lanterns. Flameless tealights will be available to illuminate the lanterns and add seasonal cheer. While you’re working on your craft, read some historic newspapers sharing the history of Halloween and explore other collections materials in facsimile. Before you head out, don’t forget to take a picture in front of our eerie Library backdrop, custom-made for this event by our creative colleague Dianne Choie. We’ll provide props to add to the fun! Costumes are encouraged.

Join In from Home

If you can’t attend the October 19^th program in person, you can still join in the fun. Keep reading for additional resources to explore Halloween-related Library of Congress collections from home.

Historic newspapers are a good starting place for research into the fun and funny history of Halloween. Start with this Halloween Research Guide from Chronicling America, the Library’s extensive collection of digitized newspapers. Then, check out these articles from late 19^th and early 20^th century newspapers in Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia describing Halloween traditions and celebrations.

To continue your research, dig into the American Folklife Center’s Halloween & Día de Muertos Resources Research Guide before exploring their blog posts on the history of Halloween and the special music of the holiday.  Make sure not to miss the “Today in History” post for October 31^st, which includes many additional resources and research tips on the topic. You might be interested in also exploring these family-friendly blog posts on Halloween puzzles and Halloween recipes.

If you’re more interested in exploring visual material, check out the Library’s Free to Use and Reuse Autumn and Halloween image set, or this blog post on horror comics. Please note that not all the material in the comics may be suitable for younger children. Searching seasonal terms such as “Halloween,” “witch,” “trick or treating,” and “pumpkins” in the pictorial collections will also reveal a variety of photos and illustrations.

We hope to see you in person on October 19^th! Whether you can join us or not, we hope this small sample of Halloween resources inspires you to explore the collection, use Library resources at home, and share your discoveries with others.