By PAM RUSSEL
In the middle of a hectic week debating the Balanced Budget Amendment, the Senate took the time to spend a congenial evening at the Library amid the restored murals of the Jefferson Building's Northwest Gallery and Pavilion depicting war and peace, art and music, and science and literature.
The occasion was the Jan. 31 reception and dinner at the Library honoring the new members of the Senate. It was hosted by Dr. Billington and co-hosted by Majority Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) and Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D- S.D.). The evening was made possible by a contribution from Madison Council member Marshall Coyne.
Before sitting down to dinner, senators and other guests spent more than an hour viewing Library treasures, from documents created at the birth of the federal government to Internet-accessible collections in digitized format.
They were shown the Library's copy of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence, an early Jeffersonian draft of parliamentary procedures and items from the Lincoln collection, among other items on display documenting key events in the history of Congress. Guests moved from monitor to monitor to watch demonstrations of the Library's on- line initiatives.
Another attraction that evening was the renovated Jefferson Building itself. In his remarks during dinner, Dr. Billington explained the iconography of murals in the Northwest Pavilion depicting the arts and sciences, and the ceiling with the artist's rendering of "Ambition." After the dinner, a group of guests also toured the space being finished for the new African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room.
Sens. Dole and Daschle addressed the attendees. Sen. Dole first introduced the spouses of the new members of the Senate and thanked them for all their support. Then he paid tribute to the institution of the Senate, ending with a quote by Hubert H. Humphrey: "The Senate is a place filled with goodwill and good intentions, and if the road to hell is paved with them, then it's a pretty good detour."
Sen. Daschle related the admonition of a constituent of his that the Senate be a place of hope and that senators remember the needs and dreams of the people who elected them.
Sens. Dole and Daschle both commended the work of the Library and the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in support of Congress.
Daniel Mulhollan, director of CRS, briefly described the many kinds of research and analytical assistance available to Congress through CRS.
Dr. Billington closed the evening with a reminder of the ways in which the Library serves the members of Congress and their constituents. He described the public-private partnership that the Library is fostering to bring some of its most interesting American collections to local schools and public libraries across America, through the National Digital Library effort.
"Ever more people need ever more access to an ever-increasing body of what our Constitution calls the useful arts and sciences," Dr. Billington said. "The librarians who work here for Congress and the nation's people are gatekeepers to knowledge, and something more: when you have custody of the papers of Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln and the Copyright deposits of all America's creativity, you are dreamkeepers as well."
Pam Russell is a legislative attorney in the Congressional Relations Office.