Library of Congress Junior Fellows Display Collection Treasures

July 27, 2016—The Library of Congress Junior Fellows Summer Interns today presented more than 100 rare and unique items from 17 Library divisions. The display provides the opportunity for fellows to discuss the historic significance of the collection items they have researched and processed during their 10-week internships. Examples include:

• An Olmec ceramic figurine (900-1200 BCE), the oldest item in the Jay I. Kislak Collection
• An 18th-century royal tax decree with the seal of King Ferdinand VI of Spain
• A copyright deposit box from 1873, which included a collection of maps by oceanographer and cartographer Matthew Fontaine Maury
• A wood engraving print, "Bird’s eye view of Liverpool, as seen from a balloon, 1885"
• An 1886 journal written by William T. Hornaday, a conservationist and founder of the Bronx Zoo
• "The American Citizen," a 1916 naturalization guide for Yiddish-speaking immigrants (features an inscription to President Woodrow Wilson)
• A watercolor paintings of costume designs for the 1938 New Orleans production of "One Third of a Nation"
• A guest book used from 1955-1986 by the Woman’s National Democratic Club, which includes signatures from former U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan, Lady Bird Johnson, Carol Channing, W. Averell and Pamela C. Harriman, Liz Carpenter, Lynda Robb, Alistair Cooke, Dean Rusk and Jack Anderson
• Audio clips from interviews conducted in 1957 and 1981 with American composer Leonard Bernstein
• A 1966 recording of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda reading "Alturas de Macchu Picchu" and a 2013 recording of Hispanic-American poet Richard Blanco reading "América."
• An 1880 Russian-language natural-history encyclopedia with full-color relief images

Working under the direction of Library curators and specialists in various divisions, 38 Junior Fellows—selected from more than 800 applicants across the country—explored the institution’s unparalleled collections and resources. They were exposed to a broad spectrum of library work: research, copyright, preservation, reference, access, standards, information management and digital initiatives.

The Junior Fellows Program is made possible through the generosity of the late Mrs. Jefferson Patterson and the Knowledge Navigators Trust Fund. A lead gift from H. F. (Gerry) Lenfest, former chairman of the Library’s James Madison Council private-sector advisory group, established the Knowledge Navigators Trust Fund with major support provided by members of the council. For more information about the Junior Fellows Program, visit loc.gov/hr/jrfellows/.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States—and extensive materials from around the world—both on site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov, and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.