What comes to your mind when you think about children’s books?

A few years ago, I took a Children’s Literature class in which my classmates and I visited our local public library to see how children’s books have changed over time. We took turns looking at and analyzing patterns in contemporary children’s books. We mostly examined picture books, around 30-50 pages long, that either introduced the alphabet to younger readers or highlighted topics and themes such as family, friendship, community, and nature for slightly older children. I had a great time looking at locally published books, the most popular picture books across decades, books I read as a child, and books that were completely new to me.

Earlier this year, as I learned how to use the Library of Congress’ website during my Teaching with Primary Sources internship, I found the Children’s Book Selections Collection. Remembering my Children’s Literature class, I was excited to explore examples of children’s literature from the past. At first, I was drawn in by the classical texts like the New England Primer. As I continued exploring the collection, I began to encounter books that challenged my idea of what a “children’s book” could be.

The first book that caught my attention was The Rocket Book by Peter Newell. In it, a young boy living on the first floor of an apartment building accidentally sets off his toy rocket. The rocket creates a hole through each floor of the building. What is interesting about this book is that each of its pages has a hole in the middle, which acts as a physical representation of the rocket’s ascent and also grounds the rest of the illustrations of surprised individuals. I was amazed at this interpretation of a story beyond illustrations, one that travels into the book’s construction, and I decided to look for other books in the collection with similar effects.

The next example I found was The Slant Book, also written by Peter Newell. This book is shaped like a parallelogram and printed to look as if its pages are slanted. The shape of these pages physically reflect the story of a boy who wreaks havoc on his small town. The town is on a steep hill, and the boy’s uncontrollable go-cart can’t stop rolling down the hill’s slope. While reading this book, I felt that its complex design encouraged readers to interact through multiple senses. Using touch and sight to understand the text’s full context was something I hadn’t experienced when reading children’s books before The Slant Book.

Realizing that children’s books could be interactive led me to find other examples from the collection including Mother Goose Finger Plays by Irene M. Cullison and The Twelve Magic Changelings by M.A. Glen. Mother Goose Finger Plays begins like a traditional nursery rhyme collection, but next to each line of verse is a photograph of hand motions related to the rhyme. Individuals can make these hand motions to accompany their reading. The Twelve Magic Changelings has an interactive component to go alongside nursery rhymes. It is composed solely of paper doll templates that individuals can cut out, fold, and paste to create figures of popular characters like Humpty Dumpty and Mary and her little lamb.

The last interactive book I found was Gobolinks, or Shadow Pictures for Young and Old by Ruth M. Stuart and Albert B. Paine. In this book abstract inkblots fill the pages and are complemented by poems that imagine what types of creatures the inkblots might represent. These three books felt even more unique to me because they invite the readers to create and engage while reading. With movement, crafting figures, or drawing their own artwork, these books are designed to inspire the reader with each page of the books themselves.

These books’ focus on the physical nature of reading helped me realize how active reading can be. They invite young readers to engage with the pages in addition to reading the text. That helps immerse their minds in the literary experience in a unique way and lets a wide range of learners grow their own love of reading.

Inspired by these five experiential books, but especially Gobolinks, or Shadow Pictures for Young and Old, I invite you and the children in your life to create your own character using the materials and steps listed below.

Materials:

• Paper
• Paint
• Brush
• Writing Utensil (pen, pencil, or marker)

Instructions:

1. Take a piece of paper and fold it in half vertically (hotdog style).
2. Unfold the paper and place small blobs of paint onto one side of the paper.
3. Fold the paper back in half vertically and press so the paint distributes evenly.
4. Open the paper and let the paint dry.
5. Create a character using this paint blot. Imagine what the character looks like. Try drawing on top of the paint blot to bring your character to life.
6. Create a story for your new character. What is their name? What do they do for fun?

If you try the activity at home, let us know how it turned out in the comments!

Our experiential gallery for children, families, and student groups—The Source: Creative Research Studio—is opening in 2026. As part of preparation for launching programs in the the new learning center, we announced an opportunity last year for local schools to participate in a pilot program to test and refine our offerings for student groups in grades 3-12. Last year staff facilitated 17 pilot workshop sessions with hundreds of public and private school students from across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. We also hosted out-of-town tour groups and classes from Ohio, New Jersey, and Maine.

To build The Source, we’ve collaborated with a Youth Advisory Council, teachers and education specialists, and collections specialists from across the Library to select primary sources from the Library’s collection to make hands-on reproductions of. Our pilot school programs use some of these primary sources in interactive experiences designed and developed to appeal to student interest and satisfy educators’ learning goals.  Some topics that students explore in programs include early film, historic maps and posters, the Civil Rights Movement, and more. Our student workshops provide the opportunity to: 

• Explore the Library’s collections through primary source analysis 

• Participate in a creative hands-on activity 

• Have a guided experience in the library’s historic Thomas Jefferson Building 

 How did we do in our year of piloting? As part of our evaluation as we refine these programs for full launch, educators were asked to describe our workshops in three words or phrases. Some of the words they used included engaging, creative, educational, inspiring, powerful, historical, accessible, child-centered, and community-building. 

Educators were also encouraged to evaluate our facilitation, the quality of presentation materials such as primary sources, handouts, and museum objects, length of workshop and other program elements. Feedback from educators and students has been encouraging! When asked, over 85% of participating educators shared satisfaction with the presenter’s facilitation, quality of presentation materials, and how the program aligned with their curriculum. 

 When prompted to share why they would recommend our workshops to others one teacher responded:  “Our students are as addicted to their phones and video games as the average American child. They generally think history is boring. And yet, the workshop presented history as meaningful, impactful, and created by young people. Those elements really resonated with them and kept their attention during the entire visit. This was one of the rare times during indoor instruction where their phones could not compete with the educational material being offered.” 

If you’d like to meet our facilitators in person and learn more about our workshops, there will be some opportunities for local teachers to do so this fall. Look for us at Tapas for Teachers, a free event sponsored by Ford’s Theater and the DC History Center on Thursday, September 25th from 5:00-7:00pm. The event will take place in the new Frances and Craig Lindner Center for Culture and Leadership located at 512 10th Street NW, directly across the street from Ford’s Theatre. Visit https://fords.org/event/tapas-for-teachers/ for more information and to register. 

On October 11, we’ll be at The Open Door: Skill-Building Day at the Library of Congress. This event  is a hands-on day of experiential learning hosted by Library staff in the Veterans History Project, D.C. humanities institutions and veteran-focused organizations. Users will learn how to collect, preserve, and share community voices through two oral history workshops, as well as attend a humanities resource fair focused on local developmental opportunities and resources. Visitors can sign up for oral history workshops at 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., and attend a resource fair between 12:00-2:00 p.m. where our facilitators will be tabling with other Library partners.  

 We are thrilled to be extending our pilot workshop program through this upcoming Fall.  If you have a group of 10-55 students in grades 3-12 and would like to visit the Library of Congress in-person, we invite you to become part of our test audience, free of charge. Please send an email to learn@loc.gov with information about your group and we’ll share program options and available dates.  

This year, we’re celebrating the 15^th anniversary of a certain popular British baking program. Inspired by this anniversary, we dug into the wealth of material the Library of Congress holds relating to baking. What might a baking competition look like if it were made up of only items from our collection? Read on for images from the Prints & Photographs Division, photos and videos from the American Folklife Center, and even recipes you can try at home from books in our General Collection.

Up first is the Signature Challenge. Today the bakers will be showing off their skills in making bread, just like the Virginians pictured below. Remember that the judges will be looking for the highest quality texture and flavor in these loaves. Bakers, are you ready? On your marks, get set…bake!

Have you ever made bread from scratch? There are several important steps involving different ingredients like flour and yeast. Here we see Delfina Zatica getting into it with her dough! She was photographed as part of an American Folklife Center project documenting ranching culture in Northern Nevada. “Knead” I say more?

It’s interesting to see all the different techniques that come out during the competition, isn’t it? What’s familiar and what’s less familiar in these images of bakers? What do you think it was like to bake bread before we had modern appliances?

And now it’s time for the judging! Isn’t it wonderful to see our bakers’ work out on display?

Oh dear, the loaf pictured below appears to be rather dry and hard. Can’t win them all, right? It does seem that this judge could have been a bit kinder with his critique, though.

What kind of bread do you like to eat? What kind of bread would you like to make if you could choose? There are some recipe ideas in this March 1962 edition of The Frontier newspaper in Nebraska. “Chunk o’ Cheese Bread” sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

While our judges are deliberating, check out this video about a contemporary bread baker. This short documentary is about Jose Vargas, a baker in Baltimore, MD who runs Vargas Bakery with his wife, children, and siblings.

Let’s pause the proceedings for a word from our sponsor. A baker knows that any bake is only as good as its ingredients. For delicious breads, cakes, and cookies, you need the finest available flour. Take a look at the advertisement below. What do you think viewers in the 1920s would find interesting about this commercial? Would it convince you to buy their product, even with no sound?

We’re back from our break! Let’s continue our baking show celebration! Because it’s a special celebration, we’re jumping right to the Showstopper Challenge. This time, the bakers are tasked with creating a cake that has not only outstanding flavor, but also an appearance that will surprise and delight our judges. Let’s see how they do!

Isn’t it lovely to see how the bakers help one another? Bakers of all ages learn by helping and watching one another work. Have you ever baked or prepared other foods with family or friends? What is your favorite recipe to make? Cookbooks can offer good guidance for ingredients and measurements as well as techniques and skills. The 1926 book “One Hundred Four Prize Radio Recipes with Twenty-Four Radio Home-Maker’s Talks” by chef and radio host Ida Cogswell Bailey Allen collects recipes from women across America who were part of Allen’s National Radio Home-Maker’s Club. If you’re interested in baking your own delicious cakes, she offers the following advice:

Here comes my favorite part, assembling the cake layers and adding icing. The photo below shows a woman frosting a cake using glass cookware. This photo was published by the Office of War Information (OWI) during World War II, when metal was in high demand by the military. The OWI might have staged and taken this photo to convince viewers to use glass over metal when cooking! What sort of supplies do you use when baking?

These bakers are putting the finishing touches on quite the impressive cake topper. Can you identify what they’re using to dress up their cake? How would you decorate your Showstopper cake if you had the time and materials?

To see some expert cake-icing, take a look at this short video of Patricia Ann Glover at Joe Gambino’s Bakery in Louisiana. Can you believe how quickly she works?

Bakers, time’s up! Please bring your cakes to the judging table. Let’s take in this gorgeous dessert display!

My goodness, but we do have some impressive cakes in competition today! This cake in the shape of a ship is astounding. How do you think it was put together?

This Christmas cake is fit for a president and nothing short of spectacular. Can you see all the details in its decoration?

While it might not be as flashy as the others, I must admit a fondness for this itty-bitty birthday cake that’s perfect for two little kittens. What flavor do you think this pair would prefer?

You be the judge: what breads and cakes are your favorite? What would you bake if you were part of this competition? If you want some inspiration, here’s a selection from the digitized baking cookbooks that the Library of Congress has available online:

• Perfection in Baking, 1899
• Best Recipes for Baking, 1907
• Book of American Baking, 1910
• Cooking and Baking on Shipboard, 1945

If you want to try baking some of these recipes yourself, these “Cooking Up History” blog posts offer guidance and tips:

• A Library Baking Adventure
• Holiday Baking with a Retro Twist

The Everyday Mysteries blog delved into some of the science behind baking:

• Can you make a better cookie?

If seeing that flour advertisement whetted your appetite for more ads, take a look at this deep dive on baking powder advertising cards:

• Aunt Sally Baking Powder

Whether you’re a baker, a baked goods consumer, or just a fan of things happening in the kitchen, we hope you enjoy lots of happy baking!

While learning about the Library, the interns dove into the collections it holds. They explored the digital and physical items, were taught how best to search for primary sources online, and how to request materials in person. They also previewed items that will be on display in the The Source: Creative Research Studio for Kids, the Library’s new education center. Below, these interns shared what they found in the Library’s collections and how it these items that focus on entertainment and leisure spoke to them. Through videos, music, and photos these collections sparked a connection with the Library’s High School interns.

Music as Entertainment

“This is the first recording of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”, from 1924. I first heard “Rhapsody in Blue” on vinyl at my friend’s house. From the first long clarinet trill, to the grand trumpet finale, I was lost in the music. It opened my ears and my eyes not only to the world of jazz but classical music as a whole!

When “Rhapsody in Blue” first debuted in 1924, it made George Gershwin an international sensation.  “Rhapsody in Blue” was unprecedented in that it utilized African-American jazz motifs Gershwin encountered in 1920’s New York and masterfully blended it with what he knew about European music.

This first recording of “Rhapsody in Blue” is incredible because George Gershwin himself is the one playing accompaniment on piano! Can you hear him throughout the piece as it is being played? How does the music make you feel?

In works like “Rhapsody in Blue”, “An American in Paris”, and later his opera “Porgy and Bess”, Gershwin was able to create a distinctly American sound and elevate it to audiences worldwide. What types of music do you think embody American sound now?”

– Anthony Zhao

“When I looked at the original sheet music for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” I was surprised by how much of the song we no longer hear. Today, most fans (including myself), only know the chorus— “Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd” —but the full song from 1908 is much longer and tells a vivid story that’s often forgotten. The verses introduce Katie Casey, a young woman who loves baseball so much that she begs her date to take her to the game instead of the theater. In 1908, this was seen as bizarre because, at the time, sports like baseball were seen as part of the male realm, rather than the female one. In the sheet music version in the Library of Congress collection, she is described as “baseball mad”, someone who “had the fever and had it bad.” That part of the song is rarely heard today, but it adds depth to what has become a ballpark tradition. Even if you have heard of Katie Casey, you might not know this fictional character was based on a real-life baseball fan. Some historians speculate she was based on the song-writer’s girlfriend! As you explore this sheet music further, think about the rest of the song and how you have experienced baseball games. What would your version of a baseball song include?”

– Cacelie Gooden

“I’ve always wanted to attend a music festival—there’s something that seems so magical about gathering to enjoy performances and connect with others over a shared love of music. Browsing through the items featured in the Source gave me an unexpected opportunity to peer into the experiences that music festivals provide.

In “Fan Fair, Nashville,” photographer JD Sloan captures dozens of children at the 1973 Fan Fair, a country music festival held in Nashville, Tennessee. The moment I saw this photo, I immediately wondered whose performance they were watching. Although I was unable to find the full lineup from that year, Fan Fair has hosted countless country music legends. With huge artists like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn present, it’s notable that Sloan trains his camera on the children in the audience. What do you think makes everyday subjects such as these just as valuable to photograph?

Fan Fair is actually still held today under the name CMA Fest! What would your dream music festival lineup be? To get started, explore the country music performances available on the Library of Congress’ website, including this 2010 recording, which features some country artists I listen to today. It’s a wonderful reminder of how the American tradition of country music has endured, its legacy preserved by photographs like Sloan’s—images that allow kids like me to see themselves in faces captured more than fifty years ago.”

– Jade Liu

Leisure Activities and Food

“Whether it was a trip to the ice cream shop with my grandfather or a fro-yo run with friends, I could never turn down a frozen treat, especially during the summer. With the amount of custard I was eating, I started to have some questions. What was in it? Where did it come from? How was it made? I began to research and came across some older recipes, but I wanted something more recent. I was thrilled to find my answer during my internship, where I learned about it in the Source! “The Story of Ice Cream”, was produced in 1940 by the Breyer Ice Cream Company, a name I recognized from the frozen aisle of the grocery store. This film took me straight through the process, From the science of processing cream to the freezing and packaging of the finished product (5:22). What shocked me the most was how the narrator made it seem so healthy: calling it “nutritious” and highlighting the fresh fruit used for flavor at (2:30). I’d never heard that in a modern ice cream commercial!  Although the way we think about ice cream has clearly changed over the years, this film helped me understand my favorite summer treat! Want to see more ice cream throughout history? Check out this collection of ice cream pics throughout the decades.”

– Cameron Jones

“As a DC resident, this odd scene caught my eye when browsing collection items to be included in The Source. The photo is titled The Perilous Ride by the Platt Brothers and the name does an apt job at describing my thoughts when seeing a man ride down steps on an 1880s era “American Star” bicycle. However, these are not any old steps: they are none other than the front steps of the US Capitol Building! This 1884 image was taken to document the rider, Will Robertson, completing a stunt that would have been borderline impossible with the common bike model at the time, the penny-farthing. The penny-farthing looks like a backwards American Star, just with the large wheel in the front and the small wheel in the back which made it considerably harder to control. However the history of the bicycle goes back much further than this photo. The first bicycles were in Germany around the 1820s. As they surged into popularity in the decades following, bikes evolved into all different kinds of sizes and shapes that look nothing like the modern bicycle we see and ride today . This image, and the history behind it, was fascinating to me because I have grown up surrounded by bicycles. My dad’s great-uncle had a bicycle museum full of contraptions that looked like the one in the picture, and my older brother is passionate about cycling, leaving me intrigued by all-things bicycle. So, I urge you to join me and get outside on a bike ride, though preferably not down the steps of any government buildings if you can help it!”

– Maria Joyce-Johnson

These teens found the many ways that fun can be found in the collections materials featured in The Source. Throughout this summer, the High School Interns identified items from the Library that featured literature, poetry, and art as well as personal journeys that inspired them. Take your own look through the Library’s collections and see what you can find. What speaks to you? What can you do with the Library?

On Saturday, September 6 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.the Library of Congress will bring together readers of all ages for the 2025 National Book Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center This year’s theme, Uniting Book Lovers for 25 Years, honors the festival’s quarter-century legacy of celebrating great books, their authors and you—the kids, families, and adults who read them. The festival is open to the public, free of charge, and requires no advance registration.

In addition to sessions that give young people access to their favorite best-selling authors, Library of Congress staff and partners have a full day of family fun for young readers planned. These activities include the Roadmap to Reading sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Story District, and the STEM District. Library of Congress specialists including the Minerva’s Kaleidoscope team of the Informal Learning Office will participate in running “Make, Learn and Create” activities, and visitors of all ages can learn more at the Library Pavillion.

There are also some panels that we’re looking forward to. Picture book lovers of all ages will enjoy hearing from a variety of authors including first-time picture book authors, award-winning actors, and lifelong picture book champions.  During his term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Mac Barnett has championed picture books as a quintessential American art form. He will be in conversation with actor Geena Davis on the Festival Main Stage at 1:00 p.m. Additional picture book panel offerings will include “Dragons and Dark Creatures: Scary or Friendly?” featuring Christy Mandin (“Mille Fleur Saves the Night”) and Devin Elle Kurtz (“The Bakery Dragon”) at 10:15 a.m., and Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio on Their New Picture Book, “The Invisible Parade” at 3:30 p.m.

Middle-grade readers will hear from an impressive array of authors as well. Suspense and horror fans won’t want to miss “It’s Gonna Get Scary in Here” featuring horror and suspense authors Paul Tremblay (“Another”) and Tiffany D. Jackson (“Blood in the Water”) at 2:45 p.m. Then, at 3:30 p.m. Katherine Applegate will introduces her new book “Pocket Bear”. Newbery Medal winners and “frenemies” Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft will bring their rivalry to the festival as they discuss their graphic novel “J vs. K” at 4:15 p.m. Finally, families can hear from R.L. Stine on the Main Stage as he celebrates 30 years in children’s literature and his Latest Chilling Stories at 7:00 p.m.

There are panels for young adult readers who love science fiction too! Readers can start their day by going out of this world with Ransom Riggs and Caroline O’Donoghue at the “Weird Times in Other Worldly Novels” at 9:30 a.m.  Then, fans of speculative mystery and thrillers will want to attend the “What You Need in the Game of Life” panel with Channelle Desamours at 11:00 a.m. Desamours is a science teacher who is the debut author of “Needy Little Things”. She’ll be speaking with Marisha Pessl, best-selling author of the novel “Darkly”. Finally, fans of “The Legendborn” series can catch Tracy Deonn with the latest book in her series at 6:30 p.m.

Presentation sessions won’t be the only way that your family can engage at the National Book Festival. Look for contributors to this blog in “Make, Learn and Create with the Library” in Hall D. We will be leading a fun family map-making activity. You will also find many of us on stage with the authors. Dianne Choie will moderate “Super by Chance, Hero by Choice” with Leah Johnson and Chris Raschka at 12:30 p.m. And I will be moderating “Kindness is a Bridge to Friendship” with Kiese Laymon and Debbie Levy.

Story District stage will also host several of the featured authors for read- aloud sessions in a more informal setting. Raúl the Third will read at 10:15 a.m., Renée Watson will appear at 3:30 p.m., and Mac Barnett will appear at 4:15 p.m. In between these authors and other featured readers, check out Illustrator Draw-Offs with Devin Elle Kurtz at 2:00 p.m. and Gale Galligan at 5:00 p.m. Check out the full schedule here!

If you’re into science, families can also enjoy STEM-focused activities in STEM District. In addition to interactive activities, there’s a full day of kid-friendly science presentations scheduled, sponsored by General Motors. Presenters include the Library of Congress Preservation Research and Testing Division, entomologist and author Eleanor Spicer Rice, OurFarm DC, the Community-Word Project, the Virginia Space Flight Academy, bestselling author Kate Messner, Black Girls Code, and more!

And do you have budding authors and illustrators in your family? Let’s Draw! with Children’s Illustrator Jorge Cham at 9:30 a.m. will be the first offering in a day of hands-on workshops, a new offering to the Festival this year. Then, stick around for Let’s Build a Story! Writing Workshop for Kids at 10:15 a.m., facilitated by our partners at 826DC.

Have you been enjoying posts from our teen interns this summer? Teen volunteers will also play a role in this year’s Festival. They will work the Story District and STEM District convention floors, as well as assisting youth stages across the Festival as well as the workshops.

Read about highlights and fond memories from past festivals on the library’s Bookmarked Blog, and review full line-up and schedule to best plan your day. Need more info? Learn more at this link to Festival Information, including information about the Accessibility & Information station and ASL interpreting and CART services. We encourage you and your family to plan for an awesome celebration of the National Book Festival’s 25^th year. We’ll see you there!

How do you remember your high school experience? As a 2020 high school graduate, I often reflect on the novelty of my last few months of high school, which included social distancing and virtual classes, and wonder how other people look back on their years in high school. This summer, as part of the Junior Fellowship program at the Library of Congress, I served as a program assistant for the Library’s High School Summer Internship Program. This year’s internship cohort consisted of 14 teenagers who helped develop content for an upcoming experiential learning center at the Library called, “The Source: Creative Research Studio for Kids”. As I learned more about the teenagers and how their high school experiences have been similar to and different from mine, I wondered about what high school was like in the past, and how it has changed over time.

Classes

I began by looking for information in the Library’s collections about high school classes in the past. Many topics and subjects have been standard in high schools over the years. The following image from 1899 shows a group of high school students performing experiments in chemistry class. Do you remember doing any science experiments in high school? What was your favorite one?

There is also evidence of math having been taught in high schools for many years. Check out this image of Abraham Lincoln’s sum sheets from high school! Do you remember doing any similar exercises in your math classes? Or do you notice anything about this sum sheet that seems different from the math worksheets you did in high school?

Additionally, many high schools throughout time have offered classes in topics that are useful in non-academic sectors of life. Take a look at this 1899 photo of a group of students learning to cook. Did your high school offer a cooking class?

Consider the following 1911 photo of a group of students learning to sew. Do you notice any similarities between the students in this photo and the previous image of the cooking class? Based on the time period these photos were taken, why do you think those similarities may be present?

In my high school, home economics classes were offered as electives and were not required courses for graduation. Were any home economics classes offered at your high school? Do you remember if they were electives or if they were required to graduate? If you took a home economics class, what was your experience like?

Speaking of electives, some students choose to take elective courses that allow them to develop their interest in specific topics. Electives, such as art classes, invite students to express their creativity through multiple mediums. Take a look at this photo of two talented student artists. I’m inspired by the hard work and imagination that their projects reflect!

Other electives, such as engineering and STEM-focused classes, allow students to dive deeper into specialized topics. The following photo, as well as the previous one, are part of a 2024 photography project in the Library’s collection that celebrates the work of students and educators from seven high schools across the United States.

Think about the classes you took during high school. Which was your favorite? Did you take any unique electives in high school?

Personal Development

In addition to the lessons learned through coursework, high school is also a time of significant personal growth for many teenagers.

Service hours have become a common way for high schoolers to give back to their communities. Many of the teen interns this summer have mentioned their previous volunteer experience, which has led me to fondly remember the service hours I completed through extra-curricular groups such as the National Honor Society. Below, you can see a group of high schoolers giving back to their community by participating in a school park cleanup.

Did you perform any service hours in high school? What kinds of volunteer activities did you do?

Traditions

Teenagers have the opportunity to participate in many traditions throughout their years in high school. For example, school dances are a fantastic opportunity for students to dress-up, socialize, and unwind with their peers!

This photo from Greenbelt, Maryland in 1942 shows students at a senior prom. How do the outfits in this picture compare to those worn at your school’s prom? Do you have any pictures from your school dances? What about the decorations? How do they compare to your school dances?

Additionally, high school graduation serves as the culmination of a student’s years of high school education. As a 2020 high school graduate, my graduation ceremony was far from typical, consisting of a drive-through procession and a virtual ceremony. However, it was still an opportunity for my peers and I to celebrate our achievements and our future plans. Check out this recording of Pomp and Circumstance, the song traditionally played as high school graduates enter their graduation ceremony.

Do you remember this song being played at your high school graduation? Do you remember how you felt at that moment?

No matter when you attended high school, it can be a very impactful time in a young person’s life. We hope you enjoyed reminiscing on your own high school experiences, as well as considering how the high school experience has changed over the years. If you’d like to see more resources related to high schools throughout time, check out the “Additional Resources” section below!

Activities

1. Look at a family member’s yearbook from high school. How do the pictures in your family member’s yearbook compare to the historical pictures included in this blog? Talk with your family member(s) about any similarities or differences you see.
2. It has become a tradition to decorate graduation caps, but that hasn’t always been the case. Check out these historical images of Ruth Lucas and Helen Keller in their graduation regalia. Now imagine how you would decorate your own graduation cap! Take a square piece of paper (approximately 9 x 9 inches) and create a sketch of how you would decorate your cap.

Additional Resources

1. Check out this blog about the different activities teenagers have participated in over time.
2. Watch this 1914 video of students leaving their coeducational school on the last day of classes.
3. Try cooking some of these historical recipes from the Library’s collection. Do you think these recipes would be included in the lessons for a home economics class in the 1920s?
4. Read about the work of this summer’s High School Interns as they explored personal journeys, literature, poetry, and art they found at the Library of Congress.

An earlier version of this blog included incorrect credits for images from EDUimages by All4Ed.

Last week we featured a blog post highlighting some of the connections these interns had to the Library’s collections and the personal journeys they saw reflected at the Library. Follow along as four more high school interns preview The Source: Creative Research Studio for Kids, the Library’s new education center. These interns explored creative works including poetry, writing, and prints which are held in the Library’s collections. The works that resonated with them included including performances, drafts of creative writing, and artistic renderings of things that remind them of their own childhoods. Follow along to see how they made connections to the Library of Congress.

Poetry in Performance

“The works I’ve read for school are the undeniable “American greats”: everything from Twain to Whitman. Each author I’ve come across has shaped American literature, weaving the past into prose. Because of this legacy, I’d never given much thought to contemporary American poetry. As I searched for historical pieces, I stumbled upon a modern-day American poet, weaving our present into her prose.

In This Place (An American Lyric) is a poem written and performed by Amanda Gorman at Tracy K. Smith’s inauguration as the 22nd Poet Laureate. Her poem focuses on the future of our country and how people across different cities can use their voice to spark change. Gorman writes that there’s “a poet in every American, who sees that our poem penned, doesn’t mean our poem’s end,” (09:37).

Being so young, history often feels like it’s already over. History fills up libraries and reading rooms with stories of lives already lived. However, I think it’s important to remember, as Gorman points out, that history is still being made. We are all poets, discoverers, and changemakers. Our lives have only just begun.

Do you agree with Gorman’s statement that there’s “a poet in every American?”  What makes someone a poet? And how can words be a powerful way to spark change?  As you consider these questions, you can learn  more about Amanda Gorman’s poetry in this past blog post from the Library.”

– Kira Kettler

Works in Progress

“How long does it take to achieve perfection? I furiously searched for this answer as I tried and tried again to reach this elusive standard—all to no avail. Walt Whitman was known for his constant revisions and “O Captain, My Captain” was no exception. In 1888, decades after its 1865 publication, Whitman received a book that used outdated lines from his poem and he handwrote corrections for the publisher. These edits make me wonder: is a literary work ever complete or always evolving? Is perfection even possible? His annotations let researchers uncover changes in his style across time. Interestingly, this poem, which is his most popular, is also the most traditional. Admittedly, my first time hearing the poem was while watching the film Dead Poets Society when students stand on their desks and declare “O Captain, My Captain!” as a final tribute to their beloved (yet controversial) teacher. The captain Whitman refers to in this poem represents President Abraham Lincoln, a fallen “captain” whose death prevents him from witnessing his Civil War victory. This contrast, between victory and loss, reminds me of the familiar bittersweet feeling many of us still relate to. Who, in your own life, is a “Captain?” How did they inspire you? Tell the “Captain” in your life how they have inspired you so they can experience their own victory in life.”

– Barkha Bishnoi

“’A man must crawl/Before he can walk” Langston Hughes wrote this line in his 1941 poem “Ballad of Booker T.” The Library has five drafts of this poem written in May and June of 1941. Hughes himself demonstrated this metaphor of crawling before walking through the edits he made on his own writing, from draft to final product. He wrote this poem about Booker T. Washington. Washington was born enslaved, and later created the Tuskegee Institute and the National Negro Business League to educate and bring about political empowerment for Black Americans. In this poem about Washington, Hughes shows how substantially a poem can change in drafts and revisions, from removing small words such as “is” and “may” to altering entire groups of lines. One of the early alterations I noticed was adding a repeat of the lines “Let down your buckets/Where you are” to the end of the poem. In each draft, a similar theme repeats, one of Booker T. Washington as a man who worked hard to bring education to African Americans. For example, the change in the lines “In your own backyard/There could be a star” to “Your fate is here/And not afar,” still delivers a similar feeling of closeness. To me, changing “backyard” to “not afar” shows the closeness of the community Washington was trying to build. These alterations do not seem to attempt to change the meaning of the section but rather display the meaning in a different way. Similar to how we think about the alterations in Hughes’ writing, how can you reflect upon writing you have done in the past? What can the changes you have made reveal about your process?”

– Curtis Berzofsky

Woodblock Art

“Seeing Yamashita chō hibiya Soto sakurada, a Japanese woodblock carving by the influential ukiyo-e artist Hiroshige Andō, instantly reminds me of the windy days I’ve spent flying kites. In my Florida hometown, these aerial art pieces can often be found trailing through the sky, with their designs serving as symbols of the diverse coastal culture underneath them. Upon further inspection, Ando’s depiction of the scenery around Edo Castle in Tokyo, Japan made me wonder more about what it was like to grow up during the height of the Japanese empire in the late 19th century. From the vantage point of a kite, what did everyday life look like? Considering the towering Mount Fuji in the background, Ando’s piece captures not only recreation activities, but also some of the buildings and scenery associated with Japan. If you had to create a drawing of your hometown, what are some items you would include? If there was a kite that represented your city, what kind of designs would be on it?”

– Sam Evans

These teens found their own connections with the Library’s featured collections from The Source. Explore the Library further to find your own inspiration in the poetry, art, and literature. What inspires you in the collections? Follow along as we feature our final Summer High School intern’s explorations in the upcoming weeks.  

Activities during the drop-in program (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) are primarily designed for kids and their families but all ages are welcome — so please do come along. Dress to support your favorite team to fully enter into the spirit of the day! The event is free of charge, but you will need to get free building tickets to enter the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. A limited number of tickets are available on the day, but registering in advance is the best way to guarantee entry at your preferred time. Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at 202-707-6363 or by emailing ADA@loc.gov.

The day’s lineup includes a full array of fun activities for everyone to enjoy as they round the Family Day bases. Once you’ve had a chance to survey the field, your first stop will be to pick up materials to create your own baseball card. At second base, you’ll personalize your design with details such as your player nickname and position, your favorite walk-up song and more. Make your way to third and check out a display that shows just a fraction of the many baseball materials held by the Library spanning the earliest days of the sport to the modern game. At home plate you’ll pose for a picture to add to your baseball card. Young participants in program activities will receive a special Family Day giveaway (while supplies last).

We’re excited to host some special Family Day guests from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mascots from D.C.’s own Washington Nationals baseball team will be available for photo ops as they trade their usual surroundings of the Nationals Park baseball stadium for the majestic setting of the Jefferson Building.

If you’re not able to attend on August 9^th, you won’t have struck out. You can indulge your love of the game by exploring the many digitized baseball resources available at loc.gov. Here are a few suggestions:

• Check out the extensive collections of baseball cards and early baseball publications.
• For pictures of players from any period, go to the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. You’ll find images of Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, Willy Mays, Nolan Ryan, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and many more famous names.
• The online exhibition Baseball Americana provides a comprehensive look at the history and development of the game and those who played it. If you’re at Nationals Park this summer, you can see items from Library collections exhibited on the concourse behind home plate.

• By Popular Demand: Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights, 1860s-1960s tells the story of the player who broke the major league color line in 1947 by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. A section on early baseball includes many pictures from the 1860s to the 1920s.
• Scouting reports in the Branch Rickey Papers provide additional insights into the player, manager, executive and Hall of Famer who signed Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers.
• Learn about the trailblazing career of acclaimed Puerto Rican player Roberto Clemente.
• Original baseball films provide a visual historical perspective. The one below from 1926 packs a lot of information into ten minutes. It documents a game between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees – and features Yankees superstar Babe Ruth. In addition to footage of the game itself, it features scenes of the dugout and warmups, a rain delay, and crowds outside the stadium. Slow motion footage shows pitching and batting action, including Babe Ruth’s swing and the “last of the underhand pitchers”, Carl Mays.

• If you’ve seen the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, included in the Library’s National Film Registry, you’re aware of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). From 1943 to 1954, this league kept baseball going when military drafts in World War II led to a shortage of male players. Pictures in the Prints and Photographs Division show women who played even earlier, like these ones from 1919 and 1920. Searching the Library’s digitized newspaper collections provides a contemporary written take on women’s baseball, like this article from 1937 reporting on a game between the Married Women (!) and the Blazers, and a 1948 piece on how an AAGPBL scout assessed female players’ abilities. As you read, you’ll notice how much the way we describe female athletes and their skills has changed over the years.

• There are so many interesting blog posts about different aspects of baseball that it’s difficult to highlight just a few. Their range shows how widely the sport is represented in the collections — and how much our colleagues enjoy writing about it. There are fascinating and quirky facts galore about baseball music, scandals, stadium maps, and how baseballs are constructed. Baseball history shows up in pieces on the Washington Senators team, the game’s early years, and the origins of Little League. A description of the Washington Senators 1924 World Series win includes wonderful newsreel footage of their success. Adversity and challenges are described in these posts about the Negro Leagues, and the Japanese American community’s experience of baseball in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and later, in internment camps. 

We hope this small selection of resources available at the Library will expand your baseball knowledge and provide interesting research opportunities. If you are in Washington D.C. on August 9, we look forward to celebrating the sport with you, whether you’re a diehard baseball fan or are simply curious to learn more about the national game. Play ball!

As the interns learned about the Library’s collections, they also discovered items that sparked their own interests. Follow along as five of these interns preview The Source: Creative Research Studio for Kids, the Library’s new education center, by sharing about collections items that resonated with them. The interns below found their own connections to personal journeys that are preserved in the Library’s collections, in photos, films, audio recordings, and more.

Immigration Journeys

“I can almost imagine myself sitting in that classroom in 1982, where students talked to each other in a mix of Khmer and English, with the chalkboard filled with painstaking script. This photo at the Khmer Village School from the Ethnic Heritage and Language Schools Collection in Houston caught my eye not just because I am Khmer, but because it speaks a tale I know. It shows a group of Cambodian American children in the front of a classroom. Even though it seems like just any regular classroom, it signifies something more. These children were likely refugee kids, learning and finding normalcy again after their families had fled the Khmer Rouge. I wondered what they would be studying that day…English? Khmer history? Both? At this school, while the children learned Khmer to stay connected to their heritage, many of their parents were learning English in adjacent classrooms, bridging generations through language. The chalkboard, the students’ smiles, and their postures bring me back to my own school days, but with the added weight of cultural survival and the need to hold onto identity in a new world. Seeing their faces made me reflect on my own story and how important it is to feel seen and heard in the classroom. Does this classroom photo remind you of your own time in school? What feels familiar to you in their expressions, their setting, or the atmosphere? Take a moment to imagine what their day might have looked like and what lessons they carried with them beyond the classroom.”

-Ethan Ty

“Can you imagine packing your entire life into a suitcase, saying goodbye to the streets you grew up in, and trading every familiarity for the unknown — all for the promise of a new beginning in a distant land? Over 12 million American immigrants who passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1956 lived out this experience. For many, Ellis Island was more than just a port of entry into the United States; it was the “Golden Door,” as Emma Lazarus’s coins in her poem “The New Colossus,” to possibility. In this photo, a young boy stands on Ellis Island, pointing towards the Statue of Liberty — a patriotic symbol that greeted millions of immigrants on their way to the immigration station. Though we only see the backs of this family, what do you imagine their faces reveal? Awe? Anxiety? Hope? These are timeless emotions — ones that thread through so many immigrant stories. While my parents immigrated to the U.S. long after Ellis Island closed, their journey was shaped by similar tides. With less than two hundred dollars in their pockets, my parents left China, driven by the hopes that carried so many before: access to education, economic stability, and a chance to build a better life they could call their own. Can you find a collection item that captures an aspect of your own lived or inherited, familial experience? What memories or stories come to mind?”

-Claire Tang

Veteran Stories

Vietnam Remembers, Mark Ryan Black Collection (Veterans History Project, Library of Congress)

“Why is learning history important? While everyone has different reasons, mine is to learn and preserve stories from the past that would otherwise be forgotten. As a docent on a naval battleship, I interviewed veterans to create a new exhibit showing their experiences. My experience working with veteran stories drew me to the Veterans History Project, specifically the recordings of Mark Ryan Black from his time serving in Vietnam. This is an example of oral histories effectively preserving stories from the past. In the recording, I was shocked not only by Black’s emotionally raw account of his service, but the humanity he wrote with as well. Descriptions of the deaths of fellow soldiers (12:46) were accompanied with comparatively trivial matters like building a bachelor pad (10:56), or celebrating a birthday with banana cake and grape frosting sent from home (10:34). What stuck with me most, though, was how his observations about food, family, and life away from Vietnam made the conflict more real than any textbook. His words remind us that while history is often learned through generalizations, the nuances that come from the study of individuals and everyday details make the personal impact of this education much more powerful.  However, the most impactful way to experience these stories is from someone in your own life. If you are 15 years old or older, create your own Veterans History Project recording by interviewing a veteran you know!”

-Ryan Chiou

“This picture of 18-year-old Phyllis Ann Marxson Clark working on a B-17F navy bomber’s transparent nose in Long Beach, California captivated me with its quiet strength. The photograph reflects the stories of thousands of women who entered industrial jobs during World War II and is considered part of the iconic “Rosie the Riveter” era. A distinct visual contradiction drew me in: Phyllis’s graceful posture set against the industrial machinery, her red nail polish clashing with a bandage wrapped around her finger. To me, this detail highlights the tension between the harshness of her labor and her desire to maintain a sense of femininity and identity amid the societal shifts, new roles, and expectations brought on by wartime. However, these elements provoke more questions than answers for me: What is this woman’s story? What meaning did she associate with her work? Did she have to leave it behind after the war ended and reenter a world that no longer believed her skills were necessary? This photo is a powerful reminder that wars aren’t just fought on battlefields. They’re shaped by the steady movements and quiet dedication of workers like her.

To learn more about women like Phyllis, explore this helpful “Rosie the Riveter” research guide or watch this video on the lives of women workers during WWII.”

-Emmy Poteralski

Survival Through Hardship

Government Camp Song from Shafter FSA Camp, August 8, 1941. (American Folklife Center, Library of Congress)

“Every summer, hundreds and thousands of American kids gather together at camps. From American Legion Boys and Girls States to local YMCA’s, these camps leave their mark on our youth. When I first heard about the piece I selected, I thought it was written at a summer camp. I found out instead that it was written at a Farm Security Administration (FSA) camp: a place where migrant farm workers lived during the Great Depression. This song was written by two young girls with gleeful voices, but the song is not about happy experiences. Instead, the singers cope with their own reality, which is something I’ve observed about songs from the Civil Rights Movement. That is the reason that I picked the song. Everyone—no matter race, gender, religion, or sexuality—knows what it feels like to find something that comforts them in times of despair. As a rising senior, my comfort is watching movies because they give me hope. Hope is the greatest tool that we have, as it reminds us that this too shall pass. In your own trying times, I ask you to find something that comforts you, whether it is from the Library of Congress or somewhere else.”

-Dylan Lewis

These teens discovered meaningful connections in Library material featured in The Source. What connections can you discover in the Library’s collections? Follow along as we share more of the Summer High School interns’ explorations into the Library’s collection over the next few weeks.

Activities during the drop-in program (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) are primarily designed for kids and their families but all ages are welcome—so please join us however old you are! The event is free of charge, although you will need free building tickets to enter the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. A limited number of tickets are available on the day, but registering in advance is the best way to guarantee entry at your preferred time. Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at 202-707-6363 or by emailing ADA@loc.gov.

Visitors will enjoy a variety of presentations, hands-on activities, and crafts while discovering the services NLS offers for the public. Stop by the “tech petting zoo,” explore tactile representations of the Thomas Jefferson Building, and complete a braille activity sheet. Learn how international materials are made available for patrons and chat with representatives from NLS to learn more about their work. Attend narrator demonstrations at 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, and 2:00 PM to learn how these skilled performers turn text into audiobooks.

Join in From Home

Whether you can make it onsite or not, you can still learn more about this important division of the Library. Started as a reading room for the blind in 1897, today’s National Library Service is a free, national program that provides braille and recorded material to people across the country. In preparation for this month’s Family Day program, ILO staff interviewed NLS staff Dawn Ursula-Rachal and Mark Layman. Keep reading to learn more about NLS and the work that goes on behind the scenes!

Question: Can you describe NLS in your own words?

Dawn Ursula-Rachal: NLS stands for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.  We provide books, magazines, and music scores in talking-book/audio and braille formats.  There’s a national network of cooperating libraries that circulate these materials, postage-free!  Most materials are available on instant download, and did I mention that our services are absolutely free?!  If someone has temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical, perceptual, or reading disability that makes using regular print difficult, they can reach out to their state or locality’s NLS network library and start receiving this wonderful service.  We even have currency reader devices. I encourage everyone to go to www.loc.gov/nls for more information.

Mark Layman: There’s not much I could add to Dawn’s description, but here’s what some of our patrons have told us: “This was a lifesaver for my mother-in-law who suffered from macular degeneration.” … “[The NLS talking-book player] was the door to knowledge for my daughter when she was little.” … “When I could no longer read due to my eye disease, it was really difficult. I am so grateful to NLS.” Patrons often say our audio and braille books are their lifeline, a way to stay engaged with the world. It’s so rewarding knowing the impact we have on their lives.

Question: How did you join NLS, and what do you do here?

Dawn Ursula-Rachal: NLS was hiring Narrator/Monitor/Reviewers for their in-house talking-book production studio, the Media Lab.  The application process included submitting recordings of myself narrating both fiction and non-fiction, a panel interview, and then a cold reading in one of the recording booths working with the Studio Head.  I’ve been here since 2013, and I narrate all types of materials, but I also work as an audio engineer (or monitor) for other narrators when they’re behind the microphone, and I review the recorded material of my colleagues.  Our work also includes special projects and collaboration with other departments and divisions within NLS and across the Library.  The American Foundation for the Blind created the first recorded books (what we now call audiobooks) for the Library of Congress/NLS in 1934, and the Media Lab continues that spirit of innovation.

Mark Layman: The Library is my second career, after 25-plus years as a newspaper reporter and editor. The migration of news and advertising from print to the internet decimated newspapers, and I was laid off from my last newspaper job in 2009. Later that year I was hired as a writer/editor in what’s now called the Communications and Outreach Section at NLS.

A big part of the job is telling the public and potential patrons about NLS, which we do through our web­site, social media, newsletter, outreach campaigns, promotional materials and in person at confer­ences, exhibits and other events. We produce bimonthly pub­lications that highlight new audio and braille books in the collection. And we edit NLS’ communica­tions with the network of our cooperating libraries and the broader Library of Congress community. Over the years I’ve had a hand in all those things.

Question: What kind of research do you do for your job?

Dawn Ursula-Rachal: What a great question!  This is one of the most interesting and varied parts of my job.  I must be able to pronounce correctly every word I read aloud and understand its meaning in context of the material.  I’ve researched words in such diverse areas as flower botany, mathematical equations, medical diagnoses, recipe ingredients, and pharmaceutical drug names.  I’ve researched accents for fictional texts written in English and had to pronounce words as a person from France, Germany, and some places that aren’t real!  There’s tons of research because we write a lot of image descriptions.  Many times you look at an image and you know what it is, but when you have to describe it, you realize how much you assume you know, then realize how much you don’t.  “That’s a bug” becomes, what kind of bug, what are those hairs on its leg called, isn’t there a specific term for the part of it that’s being magnified in the picture? One of the most challenging descriptions I wrote recently was for an illustration of the electromagnetic spectrum.  It’s a good thing the Science and Business Library is two floors above me!

Mark Layman: I have to keep up with all aspects of the program—the development of new products like our Braille eReader and next-generation audiobook player, updates to our public-facing and internal operating systems, policy changes that impact the network of our cooperating libraries, and so on. So I’m always talking to people throughout NLS, asking how it’s going, what’s the latest—all with the goal of eventually communicating that information to our various stakeholders. I also dig through old newsletters and other NLS publications to unearth information from our past—the NLS program began in 1931—that puts our current work in perspective.

Question: What is one thing you’d like people to know about NLS/your job?

Dawn Ursula-Rachal: About NLS – what an incredibly indispensable service we provide.  Although there are many people who benefit from this service, I want people to know we still need to spread the word!  There are more people out there who don’t know we’re here for them.  As for what I’d like people to know about my job, it’s that my colleagues and I bring a combination of technical expertise, experience, talent, and an irreplaceable humanity to the art of storytelling and are dedicated to ensuring access for all individuals to consume as much knowledge as they can.  Thank you for this opportunity to share with you!

Mark Layman: When you work for a newspaper, you know that sometimes a story is going to rile people up or cause someone pain. That’s just the nature of news: it’s not always good. Sometimes you’re OK with that—let the chips fall where they may—and sometimes it keeps you awake at night. But at NLS, we’re all about helping people—making their lives better, more meaningful, more enjoyable. It’s all good. And I like that very much.

We hope you join us in person on July 19^th, but if you can’t make it we hope you’ve enjoyed learning about this important Library service. Check out NLS’s Resources for Children and Summer Reading Program for additional information and activities.