My Library of Congress Adventure (part 1)
I’ve just spent the past ten weeks working at the Library of Congress as a Junior Fellow Summer Intern. Now that I’m back, I thought I’d share a little about my experience.
The Junior Fellow program brought 50 interns to the library and set us up in one of the many divisions which make up the Library of Congress. My assignment was with the Prints and Photographs Division. My task for the ten weeks -- to sort, organize, and index the unprocessed postcard collection.
First of all, if you haven’t been to the Library of Congress, be sure to make it your first stop if you’re ever in the District of Columbia. The LC has three buildings at the top of Capitol Hill, the Jefferson, Adams, and Madison—you can’t miss them. The Jefferson building is absolutely stunning, filled with marble, frescoes, and an awe-inspiring reading room. I, however, worked in the Madison building, the least sexy of the LC buildings.
Although the Madison building isn’t much to look at, there are tons and tons of really interesting items stored away in boxes throughout miles of shelving -- like postcards, for example. I'll tell you all about that in my next entry.