With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Q: Why is the Library of Congress considered the national library of the United States?
A: Our nation’s founders recognized the link between knowledge and democracy centuries before social media and technology would transform distribution channels of knowledge and information in the 21st century. Established in 1800, the Library of Congress started with a $5,000 appropriation for books when the federal government relocated to Washington, D.C. Today it serves as the research arm of Congress and offers reference services, creative collections and programs for Congress and the American people. Known as the world’s greatest repository of human creativity, its vast collection grows daily, with now more than 167 million items that includes books, audio recordings, manuscripts, maps, photographs, sheet music and other materials. The Library of Congress is home to the U.S. Copyright Office and the Law Library of Congress, spanning three buildings on Capitol Hill: the Thomas Jefferson Building, the John Adams Building and the James Madison Building. A robust digital preservation program is making more materials available online, opening a portal of knowledge and information for hundreds of millions of online visitors to digest and explore.
The Library of Congress marks its 218th birthday on April 24, 2018. Coincidentally, the 60th anniversary of National Library Week also is observed during the month of April. As repositories of learning and scholarship, the nation’s vast network of libraries in our schools, communities and academia provide people of all ages infinite resources of inspiration and creativity at their fingertips and serve as a gathering place to read, research, connect and communicate.
Q: Does the Library of Congress offer specific resources for K-12 teachers?
A: Yes. As our founders understood centuries ago, sharing ideas and knowledge strengthen self-government and civic life. As a research arm of the people’s branch, the Library of Congress seeks to expand access to its universal collection of human creativity and discovery, especially for future generations. Specific to educators, the Library of Congress has developed professional development resources and primary source-based lesson plans for educators to incorporate into their classrooms. Teachers are invited to explore the library’s digital collections to enrich curriculums with engaging, original content that challenges students to develop critical thinking and interpretative skills. As the school year winds down, teachers looking to refresh and expand their lesson plans may turn to the Library of Congress for inspiration. “Teaching with the Library of Congress” invites educators to explore ideas through webinars and workshops that will help them design effective K-12 instruction. A federal grant program is offered by region to help school districts and other education organizations create lesson plans using primary resources. Learn more here. In Iowa, four grantees currently are using funds through the Teaching with Primary Sources program. Another recently announced grant opportunity is available for educational organizations to create mobile apps for classroom use regarding Congress and civic participation for a K-12 target audience. The submission deadline for this federal grant is April 30, 2018. Learn more here. Since 2000, the Library of Congress also offers a Teacher in Residence program that brings one teacher on staff for one year for a unique professional development experience. The next round of applications for this program will start in 2019. Fostering interest in government and civic life is an issue I work to promote among young people every chance I get. I regularly conduct Q&A sessions with school students in Iowa and carve out time to meet with students who come to Washington, D.C. Earlier this month, I hosted a youth summit in Cedar Rapids called Federal Judiciary 101 to open dialogue with the next generation about representative government, civic life and our federal justice system.
Q: How can teachers learn more about classroom resources available from the Library of Congress?
A: The most convenient way is available 24-hours a day online through the Library of Congress website at http://www.loc.gov. Teachers may access resources free-of-charge for hands-on discovery and primary source content for classroom enrichment at its portal for educators. The Library of Congress encourages teachers to integrate its incredible collection of books, manuscripts, maps, sheet music and tens of millions of curated and searchable items to enrich classroom instruction spanning history, performing arts, government, poetry and literature, religion and science and technology. Teachers may view a shortcuts tutorial to access primary sources here and check out primary sources by state here. In addition to its Today in History archive, other compelling resources include the recent addition of more than 8,000 items of the Benjamin Franklin Papers, including his drawing of bifocals; updated and expanded digitized collection of the Abraham Lincoln Papers, including the contents of his pockets on the night of his assassination; and 16,000 pieces of the Alexander Hamilton Papers. As America’s national library and cultural clearinghouse, the Library of Congress has something for everyone to discover the beauty, blessings, and bounty of human creativity, expression and endeavor.
In addition, educators and students now will have another enriching resource made widely available for the first time online. In 2012, the Library of Congress launched an updated version of its free online tool to research and track legislative information and browse the daily digest of floor proceedings called the Congressional Record at http://www.Congress.gov. Opening the legislative process for public consumption enhances an informed citizenry. Congress in March approved public access to Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports, allowing for thousands of yearly reports and analyses to be published online. Later this year and going forward, citizens will have free, online access to the objective, non-partisan CRS reports that span a broad range of policy issues, from government spending to health care programs and the impact of trade agreements. This is another win for transparency and accountability to foster an educated citizenry integral to our system of self-government.