Library of Congress

Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, half-length portrait, standing, facing front, holding her pet raccoon Rebecca. Published between 1921 and 1923. National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

A fan favorite Thanksgiving story from the Library: In 1926, Mississippi supporters of President Coolidge sent him a raccoon to kill & serve for Thanksgiving dinner. The Coolidges adopted her, instead.👇
https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/01/when-rebecca-the-raccoon-ruled-the-white-house/?loclr=blsky

Surrender of Cornwallis: at York-Town Va. Oct. 1781. Print shows Major General O'Hara, surrounded by French and American soldiers handing his sword in surrender to General Lincoln. Currier & Ives lithograph. Published by N. Currier, c1846. From the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

History buffs, we’ve got an activity to occupy your digestion downtime this holiday season. Our crowdsourced transcription program, By The People, presents new documents for transcription in collaboration with @PBS and "The American Revolution," a new Ken Burns series. crowd.loc.gov/topics/ameri...

This is a good question for our Ask A Librarian service! ask.loc.gov

A Thanksgiving week treat from the Library of Congress to you: A close-up look at what many culinary historians see as the "first" American cookbook, Amelia Simmons’ "American Cookery."
www.loc.gov/item/9612696...

Joy Harjo, 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, June 6, 2019. Harjo is is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Something we love to revisit during Native American Heritage Month: 23rd Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s signature project that celebrates the poetry of contemporary Native American poets.

www.loc.gov/programs/poe...

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Welcome to our three-part series on book rebinding, where Library of Congress advanced book conservation interns Brittany and Devon will take you through all the steps of rebinding a book from the Library's Thomas Jefferson Library Collection. Stay tuned for parts two and three!

U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze to Launch Laureateship with Inaugural Reading, Translation Programs U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze to Launch Laureateship with Inaugural Reading, Translation Programs Sze to Appear at Queens College in New York City, at the Library of Congress and in Santa Fe, New...

NEWS: U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze will open his tenure in December with a workshop and reading at Queens College in New York, followed by his inaugural reading at the Library of Congress on Dec. 11. newsroom.loc.gov/news/u.s.-po...

In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 162 years ago today, President Lincoln gave one of the most famous speeches in American history, extolling the sacrifices of the men who died in the battle there. There are five known manuscript copies of the Gettysburg Address. The Library of Congress has two of those.

Railroad map of America shows train routes and time zones. Burlington Route. Rand McNally and Company; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, 1892. Railroad Maps, 1828 to 1900. Geography & Map Division.

Prior to adopting SRT, trains traveling east or west had a difficult time maintaining coherent schedules and smooth operations. The new time zones were each an hour wide, simplifying the schedules and virtually everything else in increasingly industrialized America. www.loc.gov/item/today-i...

On this day in 1883, precisely at noon, North American railroads switched to a new standard time system for rail operations, which they called Standard Railway Time (SRT). Almost immediately, many American cities enacted ordinances, thus resulting in the creation of time “zones.” 🧵

A 1920s vehicle outfitted with bookshelves on the side sits among trees, a large building and some other cars. A sign affixed to it reads: "County Library We Want One." Two women look at the book collection. Image: Rockville Fair, [Maryland], 1928. Photo by National Photo Company. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Rockwood (vicinity), Tenn., 1935-40(?)-- A Tennessee Valley Authority worker looking over books in a tool box, a part of the libraries brought to the men on projects in remote areas--He is a workman on a reservoir clearance operation. Image: Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Gaston County Bookmobile, Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina. Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer. Image: Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Access to reading wasn't always as easy as it is today. Photos from the Library's Prints and Photographs Division illustrate how libraries on wheels used to get books to rural readers. https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2025/09/books-on-the-move-bookmobiles-mobile-libraries-and-more/?loclr=blsky

Library of Congress buildings are now open to the public, researchers and staff.

Fall foliage lights up at sunset in front of the Library's Jefferson Building, November 22, 2019. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Due to Congressional action, Federal Government operations resumed on Thursday, November 13. Library of Congress buildings will open at noon to the public and researchers and staff. Visit www.loc.gov for additional information.

A sign reads: "NOTICE: In the event of a temporary shutdown of the federal government, due to a lapse in funding, all Library of Congress buildings will be CLOSED to the public until further notice. Services and resources for researchers will NOT be available online or in-person until funding is restored. Staff will not have access to office email, voicemail messages or social media accounts during this time. For updates please monitor the news media, check www.loc.gov, or call 202-707-5000."

NOTICE: During a temporary shutdown of the federal government, all Library of Congress buildings are CLOSED to the public and social media accounts are not active. In the meantime, please enjoy our content archive.

Advisory: Possible Federal Government Shutdown In the event of a temporary shutdown of the federal government effective 12:01 a.m.  Wednesday, Oct. 1, all Library of Congress buildings will be CLOSED to the public and researchers.

NOTICE: In the event of a temporary shutdown of the federal government, all Library of Congress buildings will be CLOSED to the public and researchers. All public events will be cancelled. newsroom.loc.gov/news/advisor...

Rewriting Shakespeare Later printings reveal an alternate ending for ‘Romeo and Juliet.’

Magazine Monday: An alternate ending for "Romeo and Juliet"? The Library's Rare Book Division holds at least seven printings by an 18th century director who dared to rewrite the Bard.
https://lcm.loc.gov/issue/september-october-2025/rewriting-shakespeare/?loclr=blsky

Rosa Parks "featherlite" pancakes recipe. Sift together 1 C flour, 2 T B. Powder, 1/2 t salt, 2 T sugar. Mix 1 egg, 1 1/4 C Milk, 1/3 C peanut butter melted, 1 T shorting or oil. Combine with dry ingredients. Cook at 275° on griddle.

Once more, due to popular demand, we share Rosa Parks’ pancake recipe in honor of 🥞 #NationalPancakeDay. Jotted down on an envelope, it came to the Library with the rest of her papers, a gift made possible by the generosity of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation in 2016. www.loc.gov/collections/...

Library To Host Monthly Fall and Winter Family Days Library To Host Monthly Fall and Winter Family Days Themes Include Comics, Giving Thanks, Winter Holidays and Washington’s Birthday. The Library of Congress will host monthly Family Days on select...

Discover, learn, and create at the Library of Congress! Our monthly Family Days this fall and winter feature exhibits and hands-on activities—free and open to all ages.

newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...

A detached Star Trek comic cover in the repair process. Lily Tyndall, April 5th, 2022, Preservation Directorate.

It's National Comic Book Day! Did you know the Library has one of the nation's largest collections of comic books? Unlike the heroes depicted on their pages, not all of the volumes are in great shape. Here's how Library technicians care for the collection. blogs.loc.gov/preservation...

Photograph shows an African American high school girl being educated via television during the period that the Little Rock schools were closed to avoid integration. September 1958. Thomas O'Halloran, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Two teachers teaching a class which is being broadcast by KATV 7 television, after high schools were closed to prevent integration, Little Rock, Arkansas. September 1958. Thomas O'Halloran, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Photograph shows three pajama-clad white girls being educated via television during the period that the Little Rock schools were closed to avoid integration. Thomas O'Halloran, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

On this day in 1957, U.S. Army troops escorted the Little Rock Nine to Central High School in Arkansas. Less well known—in August 1958 all the city's high schools were closed for a year to resist integration. Students learned through televised lessons, as shown in these photos.

The Library of Congress has three buildings on Capitol Hill but that’s STILL not enough space to store all of the collection items in the world’s largest library. Here's a look at one of the off-site Library storage facilities in Fort Meade, Maryland.

The Genius of Sondheim Library acquires the papers of the composer and lyricist who reinvented musical theater.

Magazine Monday: The papers of the man who reinvented musical theater now are in the Library of Congress. Read more about it in the current issue of the Library of Congress Magazine. lcm.loc.gov/issue/septem...

Welcome to the world of “inclusions,” an ecosystem known to archivists the world over in which they come across all sorts of things readers have purposefully or inadvertently left between a book’s pages. Recently at the Library, the objet du jour was... a snakeskin. 🐍 blogs.loc.gov/loc/2025/09/...

Live! At the Library Presents Kate McKinnon and Poet Laureate Arthur Sze in October Live! At the Library Presents Kate McKinnon and Poet Laureate Arthur Sze in October Horror Book Night on Oct. 23 to Feature Catherine Dang, Cassandra Khaw and Josh Malerman, along with Halloween...

Check out what's happening Live! at the Library in October. newsroom.loc.gov/news/live--a...

It's Constitution Day! The Constitution's current home is the National Archives, but it used to be housed here at the Library.
For the first time ever, through Oct. 1, the National Archives has the U.S. Constitution & all 27 amendments on display. Head to visit.archives.gov to learn more!

Library of Congress Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Tejas Roots Music and Tambuco Percussion Ensemble Library of Congress Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Tejas Roots Music and Tambuco Percussion Ensemble As Part of Celebrations, 50 Audio Recordings to be Added to the PALABRA Archive The...

The Library is honoring Hispanic Heritage Month with music, literature, volunteer opportunities, and more! newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...

Library of Congress Names Arthur Sze the Nation's 25th U.S. Poet Laureate The Library of Congress today announced the appointment of Arthur Sze as the nation’s 25th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2025-2026.

NEWS: The Library of Congress is announcing the appointment of Arthur Sze as the nation’s 25th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2025-2026. Sze will begin his laureateship with a reading of his work on Thursday, Oct. 9 at the Library. newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...

The Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, November 21, 2017. Photo by Shawn Miller.

September is Library Card Sign-up Month. It's easy to get one from the Library of Congress!

Here's how: www.loc.gov/research-cen...

View of Lower Manhattan from the Manhattan Bridge, September 11, 2001. The skyline is shrouded in smoke.

View of Lower Manhattan from the Manhattan Bridge, 2010. Taken at 3 a.m., this photograph shows the Tribute in Light, an art installation near the World Trade Center site commemorating the 9/11 attacks. Two columns of blue light, representing the Twin Towers, reach from the skyline into the sky.

View south from the Manhattan Bridge along Madison St., Chinatown, Manhattan. March 2021. One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the skyline.

Vergara's archive includes a photograph taken from this spot on September 11, 2001. It also documents the Tribute in Light memorial and the progress of One World Trade Center's construction. guides.loc.gov/vergara-coll...