Other Library of Congress National Book Festivals
Related Resources at the Library
The Library of Congress 2001 National Book Festival
The first National Book Festival, held September 8 on the grounds of the Library of Congress and the U.S. Capitol, was such a success that it became an annual event. People from across the Washington metropolitan area as well as across the country came to celebrate reading and books. In addition to describing the activities for 2001, this site features recordings of many of the authors and illustrators as well as stars of the National Basketball Association and Women's National Basketball Association who took part in activities for young people.
View the 2001 National Book Festival poster.
Presentations at the 2001 National Book Festival
Copyright Consultations
Information Specialists from the U.S. Copyright Office will be available to answer questions on how to register books, poetry, music, and other forms of original authorship.
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress provides free braille and recorded books and magazines, catalogs and bibliographies, music scores, and music-instruction material free to eligible blind and physically handicapped persons. Talking-book players and accessories necessary to use the cassettes and records are also provided without cost. Staff will demonstrate Web-Braille, a free, new Internet service that provides, in an electronic format, many NLS-produced braille books and braille magazines for eligible blind and physically handicapped persons.
Conservation Clinic
- examination, assessment and advice on conserving books, scrapbooks, family albums, photographs, and papers
- demonstrations of conservation techniques - e.g. book binding, gold tooling on leather, care of photographs
- examples of protective enclosures for books and photographs
- handouts: informational pamphlets of preservation and conservation techniques and on the Library's program, and sources for additional information, including locating a conservator in your area
Exhibitions
- "American Treasures of the Library of Congress"
- "World Treasures of the Library of Congress"
- "Here to Stay: The Legacy of George & Ira Gershwin"
- "Bob Hope and American Variety"
- "A Petal from the Rose: Illustrations by Elizabeth Shippen Green"
- "Jefferson's Library"
Area Studies Reading Rooms
The roots of most Americans can be traced to places outside the United States. The Library's four Area Studies reading rooms, in the Thomas Jefferson Building, are dedicated to the study of these regions. The architecturally exquisite reading rooms are: Asian, African & Middle Eastern, European, and Hispanic.
During the National Book Festival, you will see demonstrations of the art of writing in the languages and scripts of the world. Also on display will be works by prize-winning international authors.
This is an opportunity to meet staff members, see displays, get your name in a beautiful script, learn about the collections, and experience the beauty of these reading rooms.
Main Reading Room
The Main Reading Room will be open for tours all day during the Festival. See the beautiful domed ceiling, stretching 160 feet above the floor, along with sculpture, stained glass, and statuary depicting great figures and themes of civilized life and thought.
Musical Performances
Monumental Brass Quintet
The Monumental Brass Quintet is a renowned ensemble that has won the Rafael Mendez Brass Quintet Competition.
Mariachi Los Amigos
Mariachi Los Amigos is a seven-piece band under the direction of Daniel Sheehy.
The Wright Touch
The Wright Touch is an ensemble under the direction of David Wright of Wright Music & Production. The ensemble performs jazz works, Broadway favorites and other popular musical selections and will play music from the swing era during the National Book Festival.
Fynesound
Fynesound performs an intriguing mix of Scottish/Irish music and dance. The group features instrumentalists John and Sharon Knowles, a husband-and-wife team who perform on Scottish/Irish harp and fiddle/concertina. The Knowleses have recently released the CD "Ferry Cottage." The group also features Scottish dancer Warring Cushing, a competitive Highland dancer who has won many medals and honors in the United States and Scotland. Fynesound will present a show called "Celona Brogar: Music of the Feet."
Broadcreek Dixieland Band
The Broadcreek Dixieland Band is a traditional Dixieland ensemble -- clad in candy-striped vests, arm garters, and other traditional garb -- that performs musical pieces in an authentic New Orleans style.
Jinny Marsh's Hot Kugel Klezmer Band
The Hot Kugel Klezmer band was founded by Jinny Marsh in 2000. Marsh has sought after and cooked up the best klezmer talent available to play fiddle, clarinet, trombone, piano, bass and drums. Add Marsh's incredible vocals and you have the perfect recipe for a versatile band that brings a refreshingly unique and exciting sound to the klezmer tradition.
Barretones Bluegrass Band
The group guarantees a foot-stompin', hand-clappin' experience, with music from the states of the Appalachian Trail.
Special Thanks
Thank you to the staff and volunteers that worked on the National Book Festival. No event of this magnitude can take place without the full-time efforts of many people, supplemented by staff and volunteers from the community who donate their time on evenings and weekends.