The Library of Congress 17th annual National Book Festival kicks off at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 2 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Law Library of Congress staff are delighted once again to have an opportunity to discuss our legal collection and services, and share a number of family-friendly activities with festival attendees.
The Law Library will have a table in the “Library of Congress Town Square,” located on the lower level of the Center, where you will see some familiar and new faces, including In Custodia Legis bloggers: Robert, Jennifer, Hanibal, Donna and Margaret.
Throughout the day, various members of the staff will be available to offer information on their areas expertise. Robert will be available to discuss ways you can engage with the Law Library through Facebook and Twitter, and demonstrate how to use Congress.gov, along with other digital resources. Jennifer will offer insights about our vast legal collection, and Margaret, along with fellow Senior Legal Reference Librarians Shameema and Emily, will share how our Public Services Division can assist you with legal research inquiries in-person or through Ask a Librarian. Hanibal will discuss how our foreign law specialists provide foreign, comparative and international law research to Members of Congress, government agencies, and the public.
Kimberly, of our External Relations Office, will be available to provide information regarding special events including our upcoming Constitution Day event. Furthermore, you will have a chance to meet new staff members Anu and Janeen!
At 12:50 p.m., Donna will lead a family-friendly interactive “Mock Trial.” And in case you were wondering, yes, we will give away our popular gavel pencils! We will also provide some new activities particularly tailored for K-12 students including word search puzzles, Sudoku-style puzzles, and a coloring page featuring the “Government” mural by Elihu Vedder!
Please note that a number of authors presenting at the festival are lawyers or lawyers by training including legal thriller author Scott Turow, and children’s authors: Reshma Saujani, Ellen Oh, and Wendy Wan-Long Shang.
We hope to see you on Saturday for a fun-filled day of author talks and activities!