Circus Arts, Science and Poet Laureate Visit Live! At the Library in April
A Conversation with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, Discovery Night and Hawai'i Island's Kohala Mountain Boys Celebrate Hawaiian Music
Visitors are invited on April 10 to celebrate the donation of circus arts materials to the national library as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® circus performers visit the Library of Congress. On April 3, visitors of all ages are invited to join a night of science experiments led by Library’s Preservation experts.
Also during Discovery Night, nonfiction writers Carl Zimmer, Mindy Weisberger and Rebecca Lemov will discuss their new books about the history of oxygen, zombifying parasitic insects and the hidden history of hyper-persuasion.
On April 17, Ada Limón will give a lecture on the art of poetry to conclude her historic two-term, three-year appointment as U.S. Poet Laureate. Visitors will be invited to a book signing following the conversation.
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 April
April 3: Join us for Discovery Night with nonfiction writers Carl Zimmer, Mindy Weisberger and Rebecca Lemov to talk about their latest books at 6:30 p.m. After the conversation, visitors are invited to experience book-themed science experiments with Library of Congress Preservation experts. Register for this event.
April 10: Families are invited to celebrate the Library’s acquisition of circus arts materials as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® circus performers bring acts from “The Greatest Show On Earth” to the Library of Congress Great Hall. This event will begin at 7 p.m. Register for this event.
April 10: Listen to the beautiful music of Hawai'i Island's Kohala Mountain Boys. Led by Boots Lupenui, The Kohala Mountain Boys are committed to uncovering and preserving musical treasures that helped to define the moku of Kohala on Hawai‘i Island. This event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Register for this event.
April 17: To conclude her historic two-term, three-year appointment as U.S. Poet Laureate, Ada Limón will give a lecture on the art of poetry at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. A book signing will follow. Register for this event.
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.
- "A National Treasure: The Library of Congress" celebrates the history of the Thomas Jefferson Building, which opened to the public on November 1, 1897. Designed in an Italian Renaissance style, this building features the works of more than forty American sculptors and painters. It was also the first building in Washington, D.C., designed with electric lighting. The state-of-the-art facility was built to accommodate the Library of Congress’s burgeoning collections.
- In celebration of National Poetry Month in April, The Library of Congress presents a display devoted to Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning poet Mary Oliver (1935–2019). Oliver had a close affinity with the outdoors from childhood. Her work is deeply rooted in her keen observations of birds and other animals, plants, light, and waterways. During her lifetime, she published more than twenty-five books of essays and poetry. This agile display will be on view from April 3 through May 21.
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 25-020
3/20/2025
ISSN 0731-3527