Explore Library Collections, Reading Rooms During Live at the Library in August
Late Night Series to Feature Celebration of Audiobooks
The new Thursday evening series Live at the Library will offer a special opportunity for visitors to explore the Library of Congress’ reading rooms, collections and exhibitions in August. Visitors are also invited to a special celebration of audiobooks and the Library’s recorded sound collections.
Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the Thomas Jefferson Building. Visit loc.gov/visit to reserve your pass for Live at the Library.
On Thursday evenings the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the Great Hall overlooking the Capitol and the building’s beautiful architecture while immersing themselves in the Library’s exhibits, collections and programs.
Visitors can walk onto the floor of the Library’s magnificent Main Reading Room on Thursday evenings during Live at the Library from 5 to 8 p.m. Normally reserved for credentialed researchers, this special opportunity offers a rare glimpse inside one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces. In addition to the Main Reading Room, select divisions will open their reading rooms for open houses each week from 5 to 7 p.m.
On Aug. 25, visitors are invited to a special evening celebrating the history of audiobooks. Starting at 5 p.m. in the Great Hall, explore a pop-up exhibit from the National Library Service from the Blind and Print Disabled, the producers of the first talking books. Join for the discussion
“Voices in the Stacks: Celebrating the Audiobook at the Library of Congress” in the Coolidge Auditorium at 7 p.m., featuring professional narrators Anne Marie Damman, Joy Jones, Michael Kramer and others reading from works. The Library will also host a public symposium from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day on the past, present and future of audiobooks.
Programming Highlights for August
Aug. 4: Inside the Thomas Jefferson Building, explore the gems in the Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room from 5 to 7 p.m. Outside on the lawn, enjoy a performance from the R&B group Sudden M Pac at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium.
Aug. 11: Inside the Thomas Jefferson Building, visit the American Folklife Center from 5 to 7 p.m. Outside on the lawn, enjoy a sundown screening of "Wall-E" (2008). *This Summer Movies on the Lawn screening has been postponed from Aug. 4*
Aug. 18: Join an open house with the Prints and Photographs Division from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Great Hall. Curators will discuss the collection of photographs featured in the new exhibition Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library, which draws on the more than 15 million photographs in the Library’s collections.
Aug. 25: Attend Voices in the Stacks: Celebrating the Audiobook at the Library of Congress at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium, featuring authors and professional narrators reading from works related to the Library and its collections. Explore a pop-up exhibit from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled in the Great Hall from 5 to 7 p.m.
Find the latest event details at loc.gov/live, 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 that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new formats during extended evening hours on Thursday night. 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 Contacts: Leah Knobel, lknobel@loc.gov | Brett Zongker, bzongker@loc.gov
PR 22-066
07-21-2022
ISSN 0731-3527