Before we dive in to the actual first day of the American Library Association Conference, what seems as alot of information already received from the ALA Annual PreConference, I felt it necessary to actually tour/visit the inside of the Library of Congress, not recalling that I actually ever had? Kind of ironic but what a collection of exhibits to see!

Lofty ceilings and ornate architecture cemented my beliefe in the celebration of literacy, education, and knowledge as represented by the U.S. government.

This easily reminded me of the daily views you would see in any Mexican/European city of architecture to celebrate so much in the form of accomplishments on a variety of levels, all surrounding the pursuit of knowledge and my interest in what librarianship brings to the masses.

The images honestly do not do justice to the lofty views of the Reading room, then taking in the inside and out images – everything was astounding and exciting to see first-hand.

Images I did not take, but worth the look – absolutely, were Jefferson’s Library collection, Mapping and Growing a Collection, The Not an Ostrich Photo exhibit (the American images captured here were 100% captivating to say the LEAST), Discovering the LOC’s extensive graphic novel and Comic collection (largest in the world I believe?), coming across George Gershwin’s exhibition and celebration of music,it was overwhelming and yet rewarding to see so many extensive views of collections, and ultimately tied to the ALA Annual Conference.

The sprinking of exhibits that ranges from states joining what would be known as the United States, to the anniversary of the Watergate Scandal, to the Emancipation Proclamation to Juneteenth and what that means to U.S history, all are given a voice.

I could not think of a better way to kick off the feeling of such a valuable conference than starting from within.

The lofty views did not disappoint with every detail symbolic of knowledge.