Tomorrow for the first time in 18 years the bronze doors leading to the Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building will open to the public and the Library of Congress Experience will begin.The LOC Experience is the marriage of some of the treasures of the world's largest library with the latest interactive technology. These new technologies "will make the Library of Congress and its collections more dynamic and accessible than ever."The "new exhibitions enhanced by interactive technology will offer a chance to experience rare and unique items, such as the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Gutenberg...
Emory University Unleashes The Danowski Poetry Collection
Emory University kicked off National Poetry Month with a bang. They had three Pulitzer Prize winning poets (Mark Strand, W.D. Snodgrass and Richard Wilbur) headlining a conference titled “A Fine Excess: A Three-Day Celebration of Poetry.” It was during this event that Emory took the wraps off what some say is the most important collection of English-language poetry in the world. It was the first public display of the fruits of the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library which they acquired in 2004. The 75,000 rare books, posters, periodicals and recordings that make up the collection is "a nearly complete record of...
Book Neglect : Russian Style
Images from an abandoned library somewhere in Russia.Are there are too many books in the world?Unless this is a Friends of the Library reject pile something has gone terribly wrong.A few more images at English RussiaThanks to The Millions for the lead
A Bicycle Library
Fort Collins, Colorado now has a bicycle lending library.The FC Bike Library is a "free service for residents, students, and visitors to Fort Collins. Members can borrow a bike for as short as one hour or for as long as a week (7days). FC Bike Library members also enjoy a variety of bicycles and bike trailers for children and cargo as well as tandems and tag-a-longs for older children."There are currently two locations and 50 bikes to choose from.Now this is an idea with legs.FC Bike Library websiteArticle at Denver's Channel 7 News
The Ghost Hunters Visit the Library
Jacques J. Benoit, the library custodian at the Clapp Memorial Library in Belchertown, Massachusetts , has being seeing some "strange, unexplained happenings at the library for the past nine years.""At first it was disturbing...It still makes me uneasy at times" says Benoit.What exactly did Benoit witness?-He said he has heard loud noises, like the sound of a bookshelf falling over and then checked and found no bookshelves fallen.-He has heard quiet noises, like the sound of someone flipping through the pages of a book or shuffling through a magazine, and found nobody there.-He had seen a woman walking up the...