Did you know that an estimated 40% of the Library of Congress books and journals are science and business materials? The significance of this can be traced back to our founding father, Thomas Jefferson, who sold his personal library to Congress in 1815 for $23,950. His collection contained over 500 volumes in the sciences, with an even larger number of business-related titles.
Do you want to learn more about the Library’s science and business collections and services? Please join us in our virtual booth, “Collections: Science, Technology, and Business,” at the 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival, September 25-27. You can locate us in the “Exploring the Library of Congress” link at the top of the National Book Festival homepage. We have a lot to offer the budding scientist or entrepreneur, as well as authors, historians, and educators–in fact, anyone who loves learning about science and business.
We welcome you to stop by our booth to view a video that will introduce you to the Library’s rich and diverse collections in science, technology and business . You can learn about an assortment of our latest acquisitions, the technical reports and standards unit, what is inside a baseball, culinary history, military and naval science, African Americans in business, the womens’ labor movement, our NASA lecture series, and the Small Business Hub.
Our science and business librarians are looking forward to answering your questions about our collections and services. We’ll be available in our virtual booth on September 26th and 27th, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Look for the chat or Q&A panel on the right side of the screen. We’ll also be asking you questions too, so take a peek at our polls to see how much you know about science and business topics.
Once the Science and Business Reading Room reopens to researchers, we hope you’ll come visit us in person, where we can help you dive into the collections first-hand. A short video hosted at our booth, “Using the Science and Business Reading Room,” shows you what you might experience during your visit.
But wait, there is more…..
Be sure to click on the Handouts section in our booth where you will find our business and science research guides and blog posts that will connect you to the festival’s themes of Fearless Women and Hearing Black Voices. We also are serving up history with our food-related collections- check out information about the Community Cookbooks and the Presidential Food research guide.
We hope you will join us in discovering and engaging with the Library of Congress science, technology and business collections. See you there!
For updates and more information, follow the National Book Festival blog or the Library’s Events Twitter account. And if you want more stories on Science and Business topics, subscribe to Inside Adams — it’s free!