January 26, 2016 Library to Host Events in Celebration of National Cherry Blossom Festival

The Library of Congress will again participate in Washington’s annual celebration of its gift of cherry trees from Japan with two events during the 2016 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

A lecture by Paul Dolinsky, chief of the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) for the National Park Service, will discuss the Witness Tree Protection Program. Japanese Culture Day will feature hands-on activities for children. The events will take place in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. Both events are free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed.

The Library will also display selected items from its collections pertaining to the cherry blossoms and other memorable trees and landscapes from April 4 through July 1 in the Thomas Jefferson Building in association with the National Cherry Blossom Festival and National Park Service Centennial anniversary.

Japanese Culture Day
Saturday, March 26, 2016, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This program, presented by the Library’s Asian Division and the Center for the Book, introduces children and adults to Japanese culture through hands-on origami artwork creation, trying on kimonos and other activities. Cherry Blossom princesses from the last few years will instruct children in the art of tiara-making. At 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., will present “Japan-In-A-Suitcase,” a program about Japanese life and culture, including Japanese cuisine. Following each of these presentations, Tsuyoshi Takemori of DC Yamato-juku Karate Club will demonstrate karate. The Library’s Young Readers Center will provide an opportunity for children to explore the center’s library of current and classic books. Location: Young Readers Center (LJ G29), Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building

Lecture by Paul Dolinsky, National Park Service
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, noon to 1 p.m.

Paul Dolinsky will discuss the National Park Service’s Witness Tree Protection Program for trees whose history is intertwined with the American experience. He will also illustrate the unique combinations of botany and culture that have been documented for the Historic American Landscapes Survey. The program will be presented by the Library’s Asian Division and its Prints and Photographs Division. Location: Whittall Pavilion, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building

The National Cherry Blossom Festival will be held March 20 through April 17, 2016. For more information, visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org External.

The Asian Division of the Library of Congress holds more than 3 million books, periodicals, newspapers, electronic media and a large number of manuscripts from Asia. The collection is the most comprehensive source of Asian-language materials outside of Asia, and covers the area ranging from Japan, China, Korea, Mongolia and the South Asian subcontinent to Southeast Asia. For more information, visit loc.gov/rr/asian/.

The Prints and Photographs Division holds nearly 15 million photographs, drawings and prints from the 15th century to the present day. International in scope, these visual collections represent a uniquely rich array of human experience, knowledge, creativity and achievement, touching on almost every realm of endeavor: science, art, invention, government and political struggle, and the recording of history. For more information, visit loc.gov/rr/print/.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at loc.gov.