Attend a Regency Ball and Celebrate Women’s History Month During Live! At the Library in March
Visitors are invited to celebrate the opening of the new Library of Congress exhibition “The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution” during a Regency Ball during Live! At the Library on March 27. Attendees are encouraged to wear period costumes or U.S. and U.K.-inspired outfits. The program will include an English folk dance workshop, British-themed DJ sets, photo opportunities, a walkthrough of the “Two Georges” gallery and more.
Celebrate Women’s History Month as well with two author talks during Live! At the Library. On March 6, Martha S. Jones joins a conversation to discuss her newest book, “Trouble of Color,” a lyrical, deeply felt meditation on the most fundamental matters of identity, belonging and family. On March 13, enjoy a book conversation with author Rebecca Rego Barry who will discuss her most recent book researched at the Library of Congress, "The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author."
During Live! At the Library on Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the beautiful Great Hall overlooking the Capitol while visiting the Library’s exhibitions and programs.
Visitors are also invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces.
Ticketing
For events during Live! At The Library, please use the event registration ticketing link found next to the event below or at loc.gov/live. This ticket grants access to the program as well as the Library’s exhibitions and the happy hour portion of the evening.
Programming Highlights for March
March 6: Experience a special Café Concert on the Mezzanine with World Music Collective. This performance will focus on women composers from around the world who bring together the diverse cultures represented throughout the Library's vast collections. Register for tickets.
March 6: Join us for an evening with Martha S. Jones as she explores the complexities of Black identity through her new book, “The Trouble of Color”. Register for tickets.
March 13: Join us on the Mezzanine for a Café Concert that will showcase the rhythms of Downtown Tumbao. Visitors will be able to experience the captivating fusion of Afro-Caribbean beats with Jazz, Bossa Nova, Swing and Bolero. Register for tickets.
March 13: Rebecca Rego Barry will discuss her most recent book researched at the Library of Congress, "The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author." Register for tickets.
March 20: Celebrate the start of spring and experience the magical music of Scotland and Ireland with the Seán Heely Celtic Band. This Café Concert will be led by Seán Heely, a U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and an award-winning Irish fiddler, singer and harpist in the folk and Gaelic traditions. Register for tickets.
March 27: The Library of Congress will commemorate the opening of its new exhibition “The Two Georges” with a Queen Charlotte and Martha Washington inspired Regency Ball. Visitors are encouraged to dress up in period clothing. Register for tickets.
Exhibitions On View
- A new exhibition, “The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution,” explores the lives and legacies of George Washington and King George III of Britain, adversaries during America’s war for independence. The Library of Congress brings their papers together for the first time to reveal the real men behind the myths. Exhibition opens March 28.
- “Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress,” the inaugural exhibition in the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery, draws from the Library’s rich Americana and international holdings in more than 450 languages and a variety of formats created across time and continents. “Collecting Memories” marks the ways and the means cultures preserve memory.
- Take a trip through a re-created version of Thomas Jefferson’s Library, which assembles 6,487 volumes that founded the Library of Congress, and learn how one of America’s greatest thinkers was inspired through the world of books.
- American writer, poet, illustrator, and set designer Edward Gorey is best known for his macabre illustrations. This display celebrates the one-hundredth anniversary of his birth with selections from the Library’s two major Edward Gorey collections: the Glen Emil Gorey Collection and the Edward Bradford Gorey Collection. This agile display will be on view until March 12.
- The Black History Month theme for 2025 is “African Americans and Labor.” This display highlights different facets of Black labor in the United States from the colonial period through the 1960s. This agile display will be on view until March 12.
Live! At the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new ways during extended evening hours from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday nights. The series regularly features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.
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 Contact: Elaina Finkelstein, efinkelstein@loc.gov
PR 25-014
2/20/2025
ISSN 0731-3527