Top of page

Category: Capitol Hill

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Library in the News: November 2015 Edition

Posted by: Erin Allen

Willie Nelson was the talk of the town as the Library celebrated his work and career during a concert in November, as he received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. “When Willie took the stage to accept the Gershwin prize, you could see the pride on his face,” wrote Brendan Kownacki for Hollywood on the …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Going to Extremes: The Greatest Wedding Cake on Earth?

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is an article written by Audrey Fischer, managing editor of the Library of Congress Magazine, and featured in the November/December 2015 issue. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) The Library’s food collections include once-edible artifacts. On Feb. 10, 1863, an event occurred that caused a media sensation and distracted the …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Library Bestows Gershwin Prize on Willie Nelson

Posted by: Mark Hartsell

Whenever Willie Nelson’s bus rolls into town, actor and host Don Johnson said, you know you’re in for a good time, a big party. Wednesday night at DAR Constitution Hall was no exception. The Library of Congress awarded its Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to Nelson on Wednesday with a musical party featuring more than …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

A Legacy of Librarians

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following story, written by Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole, is featured in the November/December 2015 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, LCM. You can read the issue in its entirety here.) Thirteen Librarians of Congress helped shape a legislative, national and international library. Today the Library of Congress is truly a …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Inquiring Minds: VHP Marks 15 Years Preserving Veterans’ Stories

Posted by: Mark Hartsell

A missing Air Crew Report, author Dennis Okerstrom says, provides plenty of facts about losses in air combat: type of aircraft, names and ranks of crew members, a flight plan. Those facts can’t, however, reveal war’s human dimension – what it’s like to actually get shot down in combat. “It cannot begin to convey the …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Opening Day … For the Library

Posted by: Erin Allen

Until 1897, the Library of Congress was housed in the U.S. Capitol Building itself. Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford (1864–97) was the first to propose that the Library be moved to a dedicated building. He also was instrumental in establishing the copyright law of 1870, which placed the Copyright Office in the Library and …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Pics of the Week: #LibraryOpenHouse

Posted by: Erin Allen

The Library of Congress once again opened the doors to its magnificent Main Reading Room on Monday for a special open house, held twice each year. More than 6,100 visitors enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the Library’s services, resources and collections, speak with reference librarians and even go inside the decks to view the …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Going Inside the Library on Instagram

Posted by: Gayle Osterberg

The visual richness of the Library of Congress never ceases to amaze me – from the extraordinary architecture of its Thomas Jefferson Building, to the diverse public programs, to the collections themselves. Many Americans will never have the opportunity to visit the Library in person, so we are always looking for ways to share the Library …