The Library of Congress hosted the 16th annual National Book Festival last Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. Thousands of book-lovers came to get books signed, check out exhibits, play with their kids and get close to some of the world’s most popular authors. This year was a year of several firsts. Not only did new Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden attend as her first official event, bestowing honors on authors Stephen King and Marilynne Robinson, among other activities, but this year’s festival marked the first time a presentation was staged in the convention center’s 2,500-seat auditorium, the biggest venue in event history. And, for the first time, a festival event was streamed live on Facebook, to some 200,000 viewers.
In the coming weeks, the Library will be posting videos from the festival presentations. In the meantime, here is a sampling of photos from the event to enjoy.