Libby Larsen is a composer committed to the idea of modern music that is accessible to a broad audience. And although she earned her doctorate in composition, she makes her living solely on commissioned works […] Read more

The Library of Congress was established by an act of Congress in 1800 when President John Adams signed a bill providing for the transfer of the of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. It was housed in the new Capitol until August 1814, when invading British troops set […] Read more

The Library of Congress was established by an act of Congress in 1800 when President John Adams signed a bill providing for the transfer of the of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. It was housed in the new Capitol until August 1814, when invading British troops set […] Read more

Welcome to the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. You have just come in through the west ground level entrance, under the granite archway. Start your visit here, at the Visitor’s Center, where volunteers and automated information kiosks will help to answer your questions. On this level you’ll also find the Sales Shop, […] Read more

Welcome to the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. You have just come in through the west ground level entrance, under the granite archway. Start your visit here, at the Visitor’s Center, where volunteers and automated information kiosks will help to answer your questions. On this level you’ll also find the Sales Shop, […] Read more

Our knowledge of ourselves and the world around us grows only through the accumulation of countless bits of information, laid down like bricks as a foundation for wisdom. Libraries are the intellectual brickyards of our civilization, fundamental to our survival and growth. This is the largest library in the world. More than 84 million items […] Read more

Our knowledge of ourselves and the world around us grows only through the accumulation of countless bits of information, laid down like bricks as a foundation for wisdom. Libraries are the intellectual brickyards of our civilization, fundamental to our survival and growth. This is the largest library in the world. More than 84 million items […] Read more

Life isn’t just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and movies…what we’ve seen, heard, felt…anger, joy and sorrow…these are the things I will pass on. That’s what I live for. We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy […] Read more

Just as Einstein changed the way we understand time and space, and Freud changed the way we understand the workings of the human psyche, Charles Darwin changed forever the way we look at natural forms. The shapes of bodies, of finches’ beaks and fishes’ fins, were not fixed at some moment of creation; rather, forms […] Read more