By GUY LAMOLINARA
A reception the night of Feb. 15 in the splendor of the newly renovated Jefferson Building was the high point in a series of programs offered by the Library in association with the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association.
The Feb. 15-17 programs and presentations gave LC staff the opportunity to shine before their fellow professionals from around the country. Visitors were treated to architectural tours of the Jefferson Building and other places in the Library, as well as to tours of many of the institution's unique collections.
On Saturday evening, in the Great Hall, Main Reading Room and Northwest Curtain and Pavilion, the visitors were "enchanted by the building as well as by the warm reception they received from the staff," said Roberta Stevens, who coordinated the Library's ALA activities, both on Capitol Hill and at the Washington Convention Center.
According to Ms. Stevens, what made the three days such a success was "the degree of cooperation and the degree of pride that staff showed in their work and the institution were evident to all."
The nearly 3,000 visitors were obviously delighted by the beauty of the restored Jefferson spaces and for the chance to enter the Main Reading Room directly from the Great Hall. "This is like coming to Mecca," said one librarian from California as she entered the reading room after waiting in a line that stretched almost to the center of the Great Hall. Another visitor told an LC staffer how lucky he was to be able to work in such a beautiful place. That staffer replied that even he had never before had the chance to pass from the Great Hall directly to the Main Reading Room -- an entrance that has been barricaded during renovations since 1987.
Winston Tabb, associate librarian for Library Services, called the staff's performance "a big accomplishment for the Library."
Planning took several months, beginning in fall 1996, when a series of programs was established to provide an overview of some of the Library's major endeavors. A Web site was set up to publicize the events, and the Information Bulletin repeatedly published a list of the offerings. "Even the early Sunday morning sessions were well attended," said Ms. Stevens.
Among the presentations, staff provided demonstrations of THOMAS, LOCIS and GLIN (Global Legal Information Network). Visitors could also view the digitization of historical materials for the National Digital Library Program, get an in-depth look at the NDL Program, and learn how the Library has developed its growing electronic exhibitions. The Learning Page, targeted at K-12 students and teachers who use the Library's digital collections, was also the subject of a session.
Area studies specialists told of their plans for the remarkable collections they oversee and the new quarters for their divisions. Representatives from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) gave a virtual tour of their Taylor Street facility and showed how adaptive technology can be used by persons with disabilities to access the Internet.
Several sessions were devoted to aspects of cataloging: the Cataloging in Publication Division presented its pilot electronic program, and catalogers told how they used technology to improve productivity.
The Copyright Office showed off its electronic pilot, called CORDS (Copyright Electronic Registration, Recordation and Deposit System), and the Cataloging Distribution Service gave an overview of its newest products.
Staff of the special collections divisions also had their turn. The Geography and Map Division brought out a selection of cartographic treasures and demonstrated the latest technology from the Center for Geographic Information. The Music Division discussed some of its most important collections, as did the Manuscript Division. The Prints and Photographs Division focused on its technical services and its digital image base, containing more than 100,000 images.
The Rare Book and Special Collections Division held an open house that included a look at Thomas Jefferson's library, the seed from which the present collections of the Library grew; rare artists' books; and illustrated volumes from the Rosenwald Room.
The Preservation Directorate highlighted several aspects of its work, such as research and testing, conserving library materials and caring for collections.
Meanwhile, at the Washington Convention Center, LC staff worked the Library's three exhibition booths -- a large space that featured the NDL Program (including the Learning Page), THOMAS, the Cataloging Distribution Service, the Center for the Book, LOCIS, the Copyright Office, and the LC/Ameritech National Digital Library Competition, as well as the FLICC/Fedlink and NLS booths.
The free American Memory posters featuring a composite portrait of Abraham Lincoln made from 1,100 Mathew Brady photographs were a big draw. And the chance to shop was also an irresistible lure. The Sales Shop took in more than $28,000 during the weekend -- at the convention center, the Madison Building and a shop set up in the Great Hall for the reception.
Despite the success of the three days of events, the Library will not have long to savor its success. As Mr. Tabb said, this was merely a "dress rehearsal" for 1998. That year, in late June, the ALA will hold its Annual Conference in Washington and the number of attendees will likely be about twice as many.
Employing the theme "Kids Can't Wait ... Library Advocacy Now!" Mary Somerville, ALA president, opened the Feb. 15 President's Program, held across the street from the Washington Convention Center, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
An example of what children can accomplish when using the Information Superhighway was conveyed in the person of Vincent Dawkins, a fifth-grader from Baltimore. He is a participant in the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Whole New World Program. "I have a license to drive the Information Superhighway," he told the audience. "On the Internet, I can go anywhere. The Whole New World Program gave me something to do on Saturday other than watching TV and playing video games."
Vincent was followed by Susan Ness, a member of the Federal Communications Commission. Ms. Ness worked on the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which requires Internet providers to offer discounted access to libraries and schools. Using the Internet, she said, "students can flip through the electronic card catalog even when the library is closed. But I need not tell you that library resources are woefully limited.
"Just a year ago, President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act [in the Library of Congress's Main Reading Room]." But the bill does not require the provision of computers and software.
Richard R. Riley, secretary of education, followed Ms. Ness and stressed the need for parents' commitment to their children's education. "Schools can't do it alone. There needs to be strong parental involvement," he said.
While emphasizing the major role parents have to play, Mr. Riley also noted the importance of libraries in the educational framework. "Libraries offer boundless opportunities for knowledge," he said. "Librarians are educators in the very best sense of the word. Libraries provide a place where parents and children can learn together."