Peter TerVeer, the Library of Congress staffer who was fired last week after several years of harassment from his supervisors because he is gay, said he would return to his office if given the opportunity and the situation were improved. more ›

Peter TerVeer, who was fired from his job at the Library of Congress last week, says he faced a workplace culture of constant harassment from his supervisors after they learned he is gay. more ›

DCist readers who work in the area around the Capitol South Metro station tell us that a "huge cloud" of pepper spray was released there around 8:25 a.m. this morning. That cloud apparently wafted down the street and had some adverse affects on workers getting to their offices. more ›

The ever popular National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress and now in its eleventh year, has plans to expand to two days this year. On Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25, the festival will be on the National Mall with author talks, book signings, kids activities, and – given that this year's theme is "celebrating the joys of reading aloud" – lots and lots of readings. more ›

Do you remember what it was like when Twitter didn't exist? Think about it: without the social messaging system, we would have never been able to really experience the capture of the hawk which has been perching and hovering over the Library of Congress' reading room for the past few days, at least not as it unfolded in real time. The hawk, which has apparently been dubbed "Jefferson," was hungry enough to finally take the bait which several different agencies had been leaving out in attempts to capture him, and, according to appropriately-named Post reporter Elizabeth Flock, is "emaciated and thirsty but otherwise in good condition." more ›

That hawk that was found in the Library of Congress' reading room last week? Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia have been trying to get it out for the last few days using baited cages. But according to NBC4, the hawk is clever to the scheme, flying in to take just enough of the frozen quail on offer but not triggering the cage's trapping mechanism. more ›

Yeah, Washington, it's cold out there. In fact, it's the coldest day of winter so far - the high today is supposed to be 27, and then think of the biting wind. Unfortunately it's not supposed to be any better tomorrow, or Monday for that matter. So please stay warm. more ›

The Library of Congress was partially evacuated around 9:10 a.m. today, after a fire alarm went off in a computer room inside the building. D.C. Fire and EMS reports that there was no fire found, but that emergency personnel are testing people for potential exposure to halogen inhalation. No injuries have been reported. Traffic in the immediate area around the Library has been closed to vehicles. DCist contributor Elisabeth Grant captured these images as she walked near the buildings at 1st and 2nd Streets and Independence and C Street SE. Elisabeth reports that Library workers told her that the disruption was "just a fire drill." UPDATE (10:40 a.m.): The Madison Building, which had been evacuated, has now been reopened. more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. more ›

It's two days from now, September 26. Do you know where John Irving is? more ›

Since its formation in 1999, the Quatuor Ébène has taken the classical music world by storm, winning top prizes at the ARD Competition in Munich and other prestigious awards. Last night, this young string quartet -- who came together as students at the conservatory in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb to the west of Paris -- gave what will likely be the high point during this season of free concerts at the Library of Congress. The excellence of their performance makes me doubly regret having missed their previous appearances in Washington, last year at La Maison Française and in 2006 at the Corcoran, as well as a jazz concert in 2006, with a duo of saxophone and accordion, at the Library of Congress. more ›

The last time Stevie Wonder played in town, his venue was the Lincoln Memorial. Before that, it was the Verizon Center. But last night, the room was considerably smaller, and the music exponentially more unique. At the Library of Congress's Coolidge Auditorium, the overachieving 58-year-old pop/R&B legend, Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer, Kennedy Center Honoree, and 25-time Grammy-winner led a reduced orchestra in the world-premiere performance of Sketches of a Life, a classical suite that's been in the works for more than half of his. more ›

As you know, we at DCist are already huge fans of Flickr, the photo sharing site, and were excited to hear earlier this year when they launched a new pilot project called The Commons. Flickr paired with museums and organizations that held public photographic archives, like the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. Each of them have their own Flickr stream and periodically update from their treasure chest of history. more ›

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The National Book Festival, which has become a flagship event for area bibliophiles, just announced its 2008 author line-up. more ›

To return The Library of Congress to its 19th century glory, Congress appropriated funds to restore and renovate the Thomas Jefferson Building starting in 1985. more ›

Did you know that there was a Library of Congress Police Force? Neither did we, but turns out they won't actually exist for much longer anyway. The Post says a merger between the LOC force and the U.S. Capitol Police has finally been approved after years of trying to hammer out an agreement between the two law enforcement agencies. more ›

We have something a little different for you in Photo of the Day today. A few readers pointed out to us yesterday that the Library of Congress now has their very own Flickr page, and they've been uploading all kinds of fantastic images from their archives as a way to share them easily with the public. more ›

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... more ›

We were taken aback by this beautiful photo by Samer Farha in the DCist Flickr pool this morning. After only a quick glance at the tag "Library of Congress," I was trying to place this building somewhere in the city, but then realized this is a shot of the gorgeous architecture of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, out in Culpeper, Va. Tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains, both American and international film, television, and... more ›

MONDAY >> The Library of Congress Mary Pickford Theatre in the James Madison Building kicks off 5 weeks worth of free Monday night rock and pop films with a rare showing of the 1966 documentary, The Big T.N.T. Show. David "Man from Uncle" McCallum hosts Ray Charles, Petula Clark, the Lovin' Spoonful, Bo Diddley, Joan Baez, the Ronettes, Roger Miller, the Byrds, Donovan, the Seeds, the Modern Folk Quartet, and Ike and Tina Turner taped... more ›

If you are looking for a musical way to celebrate Veterans Day, the Washington Chorus will perform its annual Tribute and Reflection concert this afternoon (November 11, 3 p.m.), in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall (tickets: $15 to $55). Their program includes Joseph Haydn's martial Mass in Time of War. Although there are not that many classical music concerts in the early part of the week, the schedule for next weekend is about as full... more ›

It was a good weekend for historically informed performance: after a stunning concert of the Bachs by Café Zimmermann at the Library of Congress, it was out to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Sunday night for a recital by the British duo of Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr. In charming prefatory remarks, Manze labeled the selection of one Schubert and three Mozart sonatas as "some of our favorites." A look back over their... more ›

Authors Matthew Gilmore and Andrew Brodie Smith dug through a wealth of treasures at the Library of Congress and in the D.C. public libraries to produce Historic Photos of Washington, D.C.. Gilmore and Smith will be at Candida's World of Books tonight to sign their weighty book. Though certainly an attractive book for anyone with a coffee table, Historic Photos is also a gem for local history buffs, with nearly 200 photos that span... more ›

The Washington Post reports that a recent survey of materials at the Library of Congress shows that 13 percent of the institution's collection is unaccounted for. And here we thought the D.C. Public Library system had problems. The results of the review, which will be presented before a congressional hearing today, showed that 17 percent of materials requested through the library's retrieval system could not be found. Four percent was subsequently located on nearby shelves... more ›

On Monday night, the Library of Congress series of free concerts hosted the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, on their latest North American tour. The score of musicians from Prague, playing without a conductor, got a rough start on the opening work, Antonio Rosetti's Sinfonia in G Minor. Still, it was a welcome discovery from the ensemble's homeland (it turns out that Rosetti was born in Bohemia as Franz Anton Rössler), with fast and sinuous outer... more ›

In England, being named poet laureate is a lot like being named to the U.S. Supreme Court: once there, you're there for life. More importantly, you're expected to be the living, breathing embodiment of a tradition, of an institution constructed entirely of words, texts, precedent. And, though you aren't expected to wear robes when performing your job, you are expected to pen occasional verses on the birth of a royal or on the opening of... more ›

Once again, we would like to take a brief moment to thank this week's advertisers on DCist. Bookfest 2007 at the Library of Congress, starting tomorrow! Book parties are the new...book party. Zipcar, because they're just so darn convenient. Fierce People, a movie with more dysfunctional people than we know what to do with. Who Hates Whom, the new book from Bob Harris. Thunderstruck, the bestseller now in paperback. Busted Tees, which has a $12... more ›

Drum roll please...here's a list of advertisers this week on DCist. Bookfest 2007 at the Library of Congress, which starts in 8 days! Books and Laura Bush! It's party time. Zipcar, because those highways are there for you to use them! War on PBS, because when you put Ken Burns and the word war together, you get a multi-show series on PBS. Look Me In the Eye, in bookstores on September 25th. Busted Tees, which... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Repertory: The Great Punch-Out: A Hard Hitting Week of Boxing at the Pickford Theater Those of you with an interest in the pugilistic arts may want to camp out at the Library of Congress next week. The library is doing a series of boxing features, shorts, and classic fights that lasts all week long. There's a... more ›