Live! at the Library to Feature Gershwin Prize Honoree Bernie Taupin
Celebrate Women’s History Month During Trivia Night and Author Talks
Gershwin Prize honoree Bernie Taupin will sit down with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden for a special conversation during Live! at the Library on March 21. The Library also will celebrate Women’s History Month with events highlighting women figures in historical texts and novels. Also, challenge your knowledge and discover how the Library preserves and celebrates the diverse stories and accomplishments of women during the Library’s pop-up trivia event.
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 Library’s beautiful architecture while visiting the Library’s exhibitions, collections and programs.
Visitors are 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. Please note that due to strong interest and limited capacity, those with timed-entry passes are not guaranteed access.
Ticketing
For special events during Live! at the Library, please use the event registration ticketing link found next to the event or at loc.gov/live. This ticket grants access to the special event as well as the Library’s exhibitions and the happy hour portion of the evening.
For entry into the Library only for happy hour, an extended view of our exhibitions or to experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library, a regular timed-entry pass can be obtained at loc.gov/visit.
Visitors only need one of these two tickets to enter during Live! at the Library.
Programming Highlights for March
March 14: Sō Percussion partners with breath artist and composer Dominic “Shodekeh” Talifero for a performance of his piece “Vodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice!” and others. Register for tickets.
March 14: In honor of Women’s History Month, join novelists Victoria Christopher Murray, Joshunda Sanders and Ruth P. Watson as they discuss their characters’ stories and how they came to write about them.Register for tickets.
March 14: Interested in uncovering Library of Congress treasures about women's history? Drop in for 'Who Knew? Pop-Up Trivia' in commemoration of Women's History Month. Free timed-entry tickets for this event.
March 21: Join us for a conversation with 2024 Gershwin Honoree Bernie Taupin. Enjoy a pop-up display of collections related to the Gershwin Prize honorees from 5-7 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion. Register for tickets.
March 28: Art historian Marc Michael Epstein draws on a masterpiece of medieval Jewish art to explore the image of women in the medieval world. Register for tickets.
Exhibitions On View
• “Join In: Voluntary Associations in America,” explores America’s history as a “nation of joiners” through voluntary organizations and our longstanding impulse to join together for common purposes, while also acknowledging these groups have sometimes reflected society’s exclusions, discriminations and divisions. The exhibition is on display in the South Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building. “Join In” was recently extended through July 6, 2024.
• “Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library” represents a sampling of the more than 15 million photographs held by the Library, ranging from the early days of photography to today. Located in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building, visitors will see the “first selfie,” which is thought to be the earliest known American photographic self-portrait, and view important pictures of Harriet Tubman, the Wright brothers and more.
• Learn more about the lives and work of the Gershwin brothers in “Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin” on the Ground Floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building. This permanent exhibition pays tribute to the much-loved musical duo with handwritten and printed music, lyric sheets, letters, photographs, paintings, and drawings from the Library’s Gershwin Collection.
• Herblock Gallery: “Herblock Looks at 1973” celebrates the work of editorial cartoonist Herbert L. Block — better known as “Herblock” — with an ongoing display of 10 original drawings that look back at the world 50 years before, drawn from the Library’s extensive Herbert L. Block Collection. This display will be ongoing through March 2024 and is located in the Graphic Arts Gallery on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building.
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 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.
###
Media Contact: Elaina Finkelstein, efinkelstein@loc.gov
Press Photos: newsroom.loc.gov
PR 24-019
2-22-2024
ISSN 0731-3527