With the opening of its ongoing Exploring the Early Americas exhibit today, the Library of Congress marks the beginning of a transformation that by the Summer of 2008 will “merge cutting-edge technology with the knowledge and inspiration embodied in the Library’s unparalleled collections and curators.”

The exhibit features some of the 3,000 items representing the "beginning" of America (that is, the beginning of European documented America), that Jay I. Kislak has been collecting for more than 50 years and recently donated to the Library. Its highlights include two maps of early America, a 1762 farm diary belonging to George Washington, two printings of the Christopher Columbus letter reporting on his late 15th century discoveries, the Conquest of Mexico paintings which depict Hernando Cortés’ conquest of Mexico on eight massive canvases, and "Bucaneers of America" an eyewitness account of 17th century pirates.

The true jewels of the exhibit are the maps, both drawn by Martin Waldseemüller, and thanks to numerous preservation and light protection techniques, the ones we see are the original versions.

The 1507 World Map is the first document to both use the term "America" and depict the continent—shown as just a slice of its Eastern edge—separating two distinct (Atlantic and Pacific) Oceans. The second Kisler calls “the beginning of globalization” and is Waldseemüller’s 1516 Carta Marina (Navigators’ Chart). Kisler said this map was probably the most important of the two, as it included previously guarded route information from English, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish explorers.

The maps stand at the back of the display hall as essentially the exhibit’s ending statement. Seeing them side by side, you can compare the differences a decade made to Waldseemüller and their sheer size—considering they were drawn when quality paper was not the easiest to come by—creates an impression worthy of the exhibit’s scope.

You can access deeper information on the maps and other items in the exhibit (such as the Tortuguero Box, a 7th century Mayan artifact) with interactive touch-screen guides. Besides differing viewing angles and zoom, the interactive guides provide other features like video segments from experts and the ability to translate pieces of texts into English or Spanish.

These interactive guides will eventually be placed all over the building, so that besides information on items in Exploring the Early Americas, visitors will also be able to access in-depth information through interactive exhibits like Creating the United States and Thomas Jefferson’s Library, and will include information on architectural and sculptural aspects of the Thomas Jefferson Building itself.

Library directors are hoping to have the transformation finished near April 2008, along with an underground tunnel that will connect it to the long-awaited Capitol Visitors Center.