A Visit from the Librarian of Congress!
Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress, visited the Main Grand Rapids Public Library on September 20, 2007. Dr. Billington toured our renovated building, viewed some of our prize items in our Grand Rapids History and Special Collections area, and spoke with staff on the resources the Library of Congress is making available to the entire world through their digitization project.
Dr. Billington was quite taken with our archival holdings, in particular the photos of the Detroit Tigers which form part of our Robinson Studio collection and the letters and documents we have from such notables as Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, and Alexander Calder. He also admired our Furniture Design collection, one of the largest in the country.
Elizabeth Ridgeway, director of educational outreach at the Library of Congress, accompanied Dr. Billington and presented an overview of the more than 7.5 million digital items from over 100 collections the Library of Congress has made available to the world through their website. These letters, photographs, oral histories, and other primary sources bring history alive and put a personal face on historical figures great and small.
The Grand Rapids Public Library is honored to have hosted a visit from such distinguished librarians!