A presentation by 2014 IPS Library of Congress Fellow James West

1. Library of Congress (LoC)
AHRC IPS alumni presentation
James West
University of Manchester

2. 1. Library
• Brief overview of LoC
• Research environment
• Research perks
2. Support
• Personal experience
• General support
• Research community
3. Housing
• Personal experience
• Experiences of other Fellows

3. 1. Library
• Brief overview of LoC
• Research environment
• Research perks
2. Support
• Personal experience
• General support
• Research community
3. Housing
• Personal experience
• Experiences of other Fellows

4. • Established in 1800
• Much of original collection destroyed by British during the War of
1812.
• Collection moved to Thomas Jefferson Building in 1897
• Joined by the John Adams Building in 1939 and the James Madison
Building in 1976.
• Self-described ‘largest library in the world’
• 150+ million physical items in collection
• 1.5+ million onsite visitors per year
• Yearly budget of nearly $600 million

5. Thomas Jefferson Building

6. John W. Kluge Center

7. Fellow Cubicle inside Kluge Center

8. Main Reading Room, Jefferson Building

9. 1. Library
• Brief overview of LoC
• Research environment
• Research perks
2. Support
• Personal experience
• General support
• Research community
3. Housing
• Personal experience
• Experiences of other Fellows

10. 1. Library
• Brief overview of LoC
• Research environment
• Research perks
2. Support
• Personal experience
• General support
• Research community
3. Housing
• Personal experience
• Experiences of other Fellows