The Library is a sanctuary for the rare, the unique, the unexpected and the mundane, reflecting the full range of human experience.

Our staff members -- world experts in their fields -- assemble exhibitions that display these treasures at the Library as well as online.

From Sigmund Freud to Dagwood Bumstead, Thomas Jefferson to Bob Hope, ancient civilization to modern philosophy, these exhibitions are as varied as the collections of the Library itself.

American Treasures of the Library of Congress is the institution's first permanent exhibition; more than 300 items are on view at any one time, and these items are periodically changed, making this an exhibition that is worth seeing many times. It is one among the many other exhibitions the Library mounts each year.

Also on permanent display at the Library are two of the most prized books from our collections, both from the 15th century: a Gutenberg Bible, one of only three perfect copies on vellum in the world, and the Giant Bible of Mainz, a magnificent example of an illuminated manuscript.

Other permanent exhibitions are devoted to cartoon and caricature, to the life and work of George and Ira Gershwin, to Bob Hope and to other famous entertainers.