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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 7d

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.

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."

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 8d

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...

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.

newsroom.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 9d

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

Rewriting Shakespeare

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

lcm.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 12d

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/...

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.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 13d

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...

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...

newsroom.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 13d

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...

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

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 14d

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.

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.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 15d

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.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 16d

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...

The Genius of Sondheim

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

lcm.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 19d

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/...

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 20d

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

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...

newsroom.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 21d

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!

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 22d

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

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...

newsroom.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 23d

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...

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.

newsroom.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 26d

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...

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

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 27d

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...

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.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 27d

The Library is home to the photographic archive of Camilo José Vergara, whose photography documents how America’s cities have changed through the years. One spot he's photographed again and again: Lower Manhattan as seen from the Manhattan Bridge. 🧵

View of Lower Manhattan from the Manhattan Bridge, November 1979. The Twin Towers stand among the rest of the skyline

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 28d

Attention, educators! As you build out your curriculum for the school year ahead, the Library of Congress is here for you with teaching tools, professional learning, and powerful primary sources for your classroom. Check out loc.gov/teachers to learn more.

Poster promoting reading and library use, showing children near bookshelves. It reads: "September. Back to Work Back to School Back to Books." Chicago : Illinois WPA Art Project, [1940]. Work Projects Administration Poster Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 29d

Yup. History is weird, y'all.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 29d

Roosevelt refused to kill the bear, deeming it unsportsmanlike. Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman (whose papers are held at the Library) satirized the event & soon a NYC shop owner began selling stuffed "Teddy's Bears." The bear cub character became Berryman's signature.

A 1904 Berryman cartoon that likely comments on President Theodore Roosevelt's role in dedicating the Louisiana Purchase Exposition buildings and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in St. Louis. The illustration depicts him and Berryman's signature bear celebrating with the St. Louis skyline in the background. Roosevelt is holding a scroll that reads "Freedom of the City" and is signed by the mayor. The bear is holding a set of keys.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 29d

It's National Teddy Bear Day 🧸. You may know teddy bears are named after President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, but do you know why? It started on a 1902 bear hunting trip, on which Roosevelt had trouble finding a bear, so his assistants found one for him & tied it to a tree. 🧵

A 1906 Berryman cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt, in hunting gear, petting two turkeys that have been tied to pegs in the ground. The President says, "I'm on!" The turkeys say, "Discovered." The cartoonist's signature small bear looks on. A sign on a tree reads "Posted! Pine Knot Preserve." In November 1906, President Roosevelt went hunting at his lodge, Pine Knot, hoping to shoot a wild turkey for the first time. His neighbors played a joke on him, turning a flock of domestic turkeys into the area, but the President discovered the trick. The joke was inspired by the famous occasion when the President refused to shoot a small bear that had been tied to a tree. Berryman published a cartoon the next day in the Washington Post, showing Roosevelt defending the bear. The cartoon became the stuff of legend, the teddy bear was born, and Berryman used the small bear in his cartoons throughout his career.

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · Sep 8

NEWS: On this International Literacy Day, 24 organizations working to expand literacy and promote reading have been awarded 2025 Library of Congress Literacy Awards. newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...

Library of Congress Announces 2025 Literacy Awards

Library of Congress Announces 2025 Literacy AwardsRecipients of Top Prizes Include Literacy Partners, Literacy Mid-South, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities' Prime Time Family Reading Program...

newsroom.loc.gov

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · Sep 7

The National Book Festival always goes by way too fast! We had a great day and we hope you did, too.

Please take our survey and tell us how we did: nationalbookfestivalsurvey.com

#NatBookFest

Poets Laureate Tracy K. Smith, Ada Limón and Joy Harjo on stage at the National Book Festival

A National Book Festival volunteer laughs while rolling up a poster

A wide shot of the large crowd at the 2025 National Book Festival

Mac Barnett and Geena Davis on stage at the National Book Festival

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · Sep 6

We love you book nerds. 🥹 #NatBookFest #fitcheck

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Library of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · Sep 6

We love you book nerds. 🥹 #NatBookFest #fitcheck

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