The Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress Opens its Doors to the Public

On October 14, 2019, the Library of Congress is holding its semi-annual Main Reading Room open house. Starting at 10:00 a.m., attendees can tour the Main Reading Room, which is usually closed to the general public for touring, and learn about many of the divisions of the Library of Congress. Representatives from the Law Library of Congress, Science, Technology & Business Division, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, U.S. Copyright Office, Serial and Government Publications Division, and Local History & Genealogy will be displaying collection materials and discussing their resources. The Main Reading Room is located on the first floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, D.C. Make sure to stop by the Law Library display at the center desk where you can look at part of our children’s book collection featuring U.S. Supreme Court justices, and get one of our very popular gavel pencils.

The rest of the Thomas Jefferson Building will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., where docents will be available starting at 9:30 a.m. to talk to visitors about the architecture, history, and art of the building, as well as the Library’s collections and the exhibitions. For families attending the event, the Young Readers Center features a large collection of children’s books and activities for kids of all ages, and will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.