“Live at the Library” to Welcome Evening Visitors, Special Guests on Thursdays
May Events to Feature Tracy K. Smith, Joy Williams and Programs Honoring
Memorial Day, Lincoln Memorial Centennial
The Library of Congress will create a new evening visitor experience featuring extended public hours on Thursday evenings and regular live programming as part of a new ongoing series, Live at the Library.
Free timed-entry passes for Live at the Library are available at loc.gov/visit. Advanced registration is required for some individual programs noted below.
“The nation’s library is a treasure chest, and we’re happy to welcome everyone on Thursday evenings for a new way to engage and experience the wide variety of cultural programs and collections here,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
Beginning May 5, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions will be open for extended hours on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and food available for purchase in the Great Hall overlooking the Capitol and the Thomas Jefferson Building’s beautiful architecture while immersing themselves in the Library’s exhibits, collections and programs. The series will regularly feature special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.
“We’re thrilled to extend our public hours each Thursday evening,” said Shari Rosenstein Werb, director of the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement. “We invite you to bring your friends and colleagues and enjoy refreshments while exploring the Library and its programming.”
Live at the Library Highlights for May
May 5: Explore the Library and its collections, including the new photography exhibition, “Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library,” as well as the exhibition, “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words,” before it closes at the end of May. In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, watch the film “Selena,” a 2021 National Film Registry selection, in the Coolidge Auditorium at 6 p.m., and enjoy music from the National Recording Registry in the Great Hall.
May 12: Former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith and composer Gregory Spears discuss their new opera “Castor and Patience” in a performance of excerpts at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. The new opera will have its world premiere in July at Cincinnati Opera. Free tickets are available here. Stay for the Gershwin Prize Dance Party at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall, featuring hits from the 2022 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize honoree Lionel Richie. Free tickets are available here.
May 19: Join the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction honoree Joy Williams for a lecture and conversation at 7 p.m. in LJ-119. Free tickets are available here. You can also explore top treasures from Library collections in honor of the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in the Great Hall.
May 26: Honor Memorial Day with programming from Library experts. Enjoy live music from Operation Song, featuring songwriter Bob Regan. Explore stories of U.S. military service with collections from the Veterans History Project and the Prints and Photographs Division. Learn best practices for capturing oral histories from veterans in a free workshop.
Find the latest details on the Library’s calendar of events at loc.gov/events, and subscribe to the Library’s Upcoming Events email list. Future events will be announced on a monthly basis.
Live at the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress by engaging and inspiring visitors with the Library’s wide-ranging collections documenting American culture and creativity.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
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Media Contacts: Leah Knobel, lknobel@loc.gov, Brett Zongker, bzongker@loc.gov
PR 22-032
04-21-2022
ISSN 0731-3527