Library of Congress After Hours

One of the many things I love about working on the Hill is the constant perks of having a congressional staff ID. A couple of weeks ago, Riley found out about a private event for congressional staff and Members at the Library of Congress-- an after-hours scavenger hunt! We put together a team of SPS interns plus Aria (a good friend of mine whom I work with) and RSVP'ed the heck out of that invitation.

We headed over right after work on Tuesday, so we were able to get the whole group together and in the door by 7:00. There we were informed that there we would need to collect eight clues in order to enter the raffle at the end of the night (though I confess, I still don't know what it was for). We started off with one that sent us to the Main Reading Room-- you know, the one you normally need a reader's card (or my work ID) to get into.

The doors were open and books were spread out all over the desks. While the room usually has a silence so thick you feel awkward breathing, it was filled with the hubbub of a hundred people all searching for their next clue (they were hidden in the book pages). As the docent informed us, the Library of Congress has tons of surplus books that they'll send to any public library in need-- something to keep in mind next time you lament the lack of books at your local library! Also, photos are normally strictly prohibited in the Reading Room because of the numerous researchers who have not consented to being photographed. However, since it was after hours and there were no researchers, we were encouraged to take as many photos as we liked!

That clue sent us over to the exhibit on courtroom drawings. I didn't realize it, but the Library of Congress owns the largest collection of these sketches in the world! They had just a few on display, including ones from high-profile trials like that of Jack Ruby. Our task was to find a sketch we like and have a member of our group draw us posing like its subjects.

Left to right: Francisco, Riley, me, Lisa, Aria, Sam

Mary Ann proudly posing with her work

Our next stop was the Thomas Jefferson Collection, which houses the very first items owned by the Library of Congress. It contains what is left of Thomas Jefferson's personal library (which he donated to the LOC upon its creating) as well as some replacements-- unfortunately made necessary by the various fires the library has faced over the years.

Jefferson's books plus a bonus Mary Ann

To get our next clue we had to correctly pick three out of four Thomas Jefferson quotes from a lineup of about ten. Turns out we suck at that, and the first try we didn't get any! (Although a few of us quickly started calculating the probability of that happening and shaking our heads.) After a couple more attempts, we finally made it through.

The rest of the clues were every bit as entertaining and exciting. We rummaged through a WWI soldier's trunk of belongings, identified the professions of putti scattered throughout the building, played Library of Congress trivia against other teams, and matched each Librarian of Congress to the president that appointed him or her (without Google, by the way), mingling with congressmen and their families all the while.

We finished about thirty seconds before closing time and just barely managed to get our names in the raffle. Then it was off to Union Station for a very late dinner!