May 4, 2017 Library Amps Up Summer with Pop-Up Exhibits

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced that the Library will host a series of pop-up displays in its Thomas Jefferson Building to showcase a wider variety of its vast collections.

The pop-ups will feature items related to current events or connect with something happening locally.

“I am so thrilled to announce pop-ups at the Library of Congress,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “We have so many wonderful treasures here and love sharing them. Our major exhibitions are wonderful, but these pop-ups will allow us to have a wider variety of items for visitors to see.”

The Library in January displayed for two weeks items related to presidential inaugurations, to coincide with the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

“Thousands of people came to see President Washington’s inaugural address, the pearls Mary Todd Lincoln wore to President Lincoln’s inauguration and other treasures,” Hayden said. “It was wonderful to see visitors connecting the Library’s collections with what was happening in Washington. I want to do more of that, and this summer we have two more great pop-ups for visitors.”

First up is Pride in the Library, which will feature items from the Library’s extensive LGBTQ+ collections and run June 8-10, presented in association with Capital Pride and LC-GLOBE during D.C. Pride Week.

The second is Library of Awesome, featuring items from the Library’s comic- book collections June 14-17 in conjunction with Awesome-Con, Washington’s annual convention of comics, cosplay and pop culture. The Library of Awesome is made possible by gifts to the Library of Congress Fund.

Both pop-ups will be held in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, S.E. Both events are free and open to the public. Additional details, including hours and special presentations, will be announced in the coming weeks.

The pop-ups are the latest in a series of steps by Hayden to make America’s library and its treasures more accessible on-site. Since her swearing-in last September, Hayden has opened the Librarian’s Ceremonial Office to visitors and expanded hours at the Young Readers Center to include Saturdays.

Those interested in supporting free programs at the Library can contact devofc@loc.gov.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States - and extensive materials from around the world - both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.  Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.