If you can’t go to the Library of Congress, the Library of Congress might be coming to a parking lot near you. The Gateway to Knowledge tour kicks off on Saturday at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.. From there the 18-wheel truck will move on to other locations along the east cost, midwest and south. The truck will be on tour for a year.
What’s in the truck besides two LOC docents? Facsimiles of some of the Library’s greatest treasures (you didn’t think they’d send the real things driving around the country in a truck did you? I know, I was disappointed too). The facsimiles include a Gutenberg Bible, the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s hand with edits by Ben Franklin and John Adams, the original 1962 drawings of Spider-Man, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and more. The exhibit also features a history of the Library of Congress and tantalizing teases about what treasures it holds, just enough to make you start planning a trip to go see the real things in person.
The whole tour has not been planned out yet and I hope they might make it up here to Minnesota. I’ve never been to D.C. before but I hope to go someday. When I do get to go, you can bet that I will be visiting the Library of Congress. Heck, I will probably plan to spend the whole day there and then at the end of my stay in D.C. stop by just one last time. I will also have to bring towels so I don’t get in trouble for drooling all over everything. And who knows? Maybe one day I will find myself working there. Wouldn’t that be something!
And while I am on the Library of Congress, they have a program called Poetry 180. 180 poems selected by former Poet Laureate Billy Collins. The program is to get high school students interested in poetry but that doesn’t mean adults can’t read them too. You can subscribe through RSS but I get a poem each day in my email box. I somehow found a news signup page at the LOC a few days ago and so now I get poetry and other LOC news as well as National Science Foundation News. If you are interested in getting email updates or just to see what you can get, all you need to so is set up a free subscription account. Enjoy!
Why not go to D.C. for the Rally for Sanity and take in the LOC (and Smithsonian) while you’re there?
What a cool idea! And a fun job for those docents. I wonder how they picked them for the job? Librarian skills, perfect HGV driver’s licence, ability to foil highwaymen?
Sylvia, oh that is so tempting! It would be a real hoot to go to either the John Stewart or Colbert rally. If it weren’t the middle of my school quarter I’d seriously consider it.
Litlove, I wondered how the docents got chosen too. A tour like that would require a varied skillset and driving that huge truck would probably be fun, at least for a little while.
DC is great fun. I was able to visit several times when my sister lived there. Along with the LOC there are free museums–you have to like that. I went on a tour of the LOC but we didn’t get to go into the actual library part (since only members of Congress get to use it–and probably other more special guests, which didn’t include me!), but there was a window you could look out of and look down onto the floor of it. Very cool indeed. I wanted a real behind the scenes look (see all their book stacks), but it was still fun. I will have to see of the bus is coming to my town.
You must go to DC and see the originals. The National History Museum has an amazing collection as well.
Harumph. Not the West. Pfft. But then again, I’ve been there, and right after 9/11 so I had a nice uninterrupted peruse of anything I liked.
great idea. . .why not in D. C.?it’s fun really:)
I’ll meet you in DC. I’ll even meet you in DC at the LC. What fun it would be to experience that city with someone who’s never been. A warning, though: once you are inside the LC, time disappears. You walk in when the doors open, and within seconds, you are being told it’s closing time (which reminds me, it’s been a very long time since I’ve done that. Or has it merely been a few seconds out here on the outside?).
I wish it was coming to the west coast, I would love to see even copies of those documents and books! My family went on vacation to DC at the beginning of the summer, but I was never able to convince my family (all very much anti-readers) to visit the Library on Congress. Next time I’m in DC I’ve already decided I will spend at least an entire day there to make up for my first visit!
That sounds great! I’ve been to DC, but didn’t make it to the L of C. What’s wrong with me??
Danielle, free museums are always good. Too bad there is a closed area, but that is understandable and too bad the tour doesn’t take you at least briefly into the stacks. That would be really interesting.
Carrie, one day I will see the originals. And thanks for the tip about the Natural History Museum!
Healy, I’ll make it to DC one of these days!
Emily, ooo time disappears inside the LOC? That’s ok by me! And is that an offer to be a tour guide? I might have to take you up on it one day if it is!
Keisha, it’s odd that it isn’t going to the west coast. Maybe it has budget constraints or something. And what a bummer you couldn’t convince your family to go to the LOC while you were there!
Dorothy, you’ve been to DC but not the LOC? You must have had some sort of anti-library shield up either that you have a lot of willpower!