April 22, 1997 Same-Day/Advance Tickets To Be Available for "American Treasures of the Library of Congress"

Same-day and advance tickets will be available for the "American Treasures of the Library of Congress" exhibition. Highlights of this major permanent exhibition include the first extant book printed in America, the earliest known baseball card, the contents of Lincoln's pockets on the night of his assassination and a photograph of the Wright brothers' first flight taken at the instant of takeoff.

Due to the high number of visitors expected, same-day, timed-entry tickets will be available free beginning May 1. The tickets may be obtained from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Visitors' Information Desk inside the ground-floor entrance of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E. The exhibition is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Sundays and federal holidays. It is located in the Southwest Gallery and Pavilion, on the mezzanine level of the Jefferson Building. The exhibition is made possible by a grant from the Xerox Foundation.

Advance tickets for the exhibition may be obtained only from Ticketmaster. At Ticketmaster outlets, including Hecht's department stores in the Washington-Baltimore area, tickets have been available since April 14 for a $2 service charge. Ticketmaster phone charge tickets are $2.75 plus a $1.25 handling fee per order. To charge tickets by phone, call (202) 432-SEAT in Washington, D.C.; (410) 481-SEAT in Baltimore; and (703) 573-SEAT in Virginia. Out of state callers may dial (800) 551-SEAT toll-free.

All groups of 10 or more are requested to call the Visitor Services Office at (202) 707-2630 to arrange a tour. For recorded information about the exhibition, call (202) 707-3834.

Free tours are available of the 100-year-old Thomas Jefferson Building, which also opens to the public on May 1 in its fully restored state after 12 years of renovation. The Italian Renaissance-style Jefferson Building was called "the most beautiful public building in America" when it opened in 1897. No tickets are required for building tours, which begin at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Visitors' Information Desk. The exhibition and areas of the building are barrier free and accessible to the disabled.