Library of Congress Work Anniversary

Around this time in August eighteen years ago I started my second career as a program analyst at the Library of Congress in the infrastructure support services. If you had asked me if I would ever work at the Library or live in Washington DC I would have thought you were nuts. After thirty years in health care in the Midwest, we decided to move to DC if I could find a job. We bought a tiny condo near our family on Capitol Hill that would be used for visits but we never thought we would ever LIVE in 500 square feet. So I started looking for employment that was within walking distance and submitted resumes to the Architect of the Capitol and the Library. It was a very tedious process but eventually paid off with a phone interview, and then an in person interview. I worked at the Library for ten years! I still don’t believe it. We still drive in to town to attend programs. It gives us an excuse to see the beautiful Jefferson Building where I walked on every afternoon break on my way to the Capitol visitor center through the underground tunnels. Looking back it was a great experience - but while I was working there I didn’t always feel that way. So every August I remember that first day of work. It’s strange how things turn out. 

Elton John and Bernie Taupin Gershwin Prize

I worked at the Library of Congress for ten years. It’s the reason we moved to Capitol Hill from the Midwest. One of the great side benefits of working at such a unique place was the people you might happen to run in to. My husband and I had an opportunity to attend the Gershwin Prize concerts for Willie Nelson and Billy Joel. Neither of these artists are our favorites, but they needed to fill the auditorium at the DAR concert hall and I got two free lottery tickets. They were memorable events as there were many other famous artists attending to pay homage to the recipients. I retired several years ago now. But I wish I was still working just to attend the Elton John and Bernie Taupin event this year. Elton John is one of our favorite musicians. I remember hearing his first song in high school and then so many more after that, marking significant milestones in my life. So this week we watched the recorded performance of the Gershwin event. Both my husband and I were teary eyed and emotional just listening to the beautiful music performed by such wonderful artists. The venue was familiar and I felt like I was a part of it. When I look back on the fact that I actually worked at the library I am still amazed. And to this day every time we visit I can’t believe it. 

Library of Congress Program Tame and the Wild

We signed up for the Library of Congress program over two weeks ago. We love going in to town and popping in for an hour regardless what the subject matter is. Then we tested positive for Covid. Though we feel better, we aren’t good enough to handle the excursion now. Rather than miss it, we joined the presentation via zoom. But it’s just not the same. Since I worked at the library for ten years, my husband and I prefer visiting the Jefferson building and taking in the sights and sounds. The presentation by Marcy Norton was good and the subject matter was interesting. Anything about animals gets my attention. Why are some animals meant to be eaten while others are meant to be loved? Anyway, I set up the program on my iPad and mirrored it to Apple TV. It all went without a hitch. We also missed another program the day before. It was disappointing because we haven’t been for a while and are limited because we won’t go in to town at night. When we lived on Capitol Hill this was never an issue. That’s one reason we miss our old neighborhood. But at least we still have an option. 

Ali Boozari Persian Book Design Program at the Library of Congress

Sometimes when you sign up for something beforehand you don’t always feel like going when the day arrives. So when the Library of Congress Persian Book lecture scheduled for Monday at four in the afternoon arrived, we were feeling lees motivated to drive in to town. But I refused to submit to that feeling and am so glad we decided to go in after all. We haven’t been in for a program for quite some time and I thought we could also see the Christmas tree in the great hall. Unfortunately the Jefferson Building is technically closed on Monday, but we were able to get in as I had an email invitation. The hallway to the beautiful meeting room still gets our attention. The presentation was good and the rare books were even more interesting. But the best part was that we got to see our old friend Hirad from the Middle Eastern Section - who I knew while working in the Library.  And then we stopped after the program to say hello to Ali Boozari - who is a resident fellow at the Kluge Center - doing research on the collections - and teaches at Tehran University. My husband graduated from Tehran University and we had a short but lovely conversation with him. The speaker’s father is also from the same city as my husband up north by the Caspian Sea. I’m just sorry we didn’t have more time to spend with him as it’s such a great opportunity to meet people from Iran, share stories, and speak a common language. He will be returning next month after a year here in DC. I would have loved to hear more about his experiences both here and there. I have been fortunate to have visited Iran twice and still have a nephew and his family there. So we were so glad we went to the program. It was just past sunset when we walked back to the car. It reminded us of the thirteen years we lived on Capitol Hill. I miss it for these reasons. 

Library of Congress Anniversary

It is very hard to believe that we have been living in the DC region for seventeen years. And it’s even weirder how we got here to begin with. We never dreamed that the 500 square foot tiny condo would become our home. And that only happened after I got a job at the Library of Congress that was within walking distance to work - just two blocks away. It was also nice that our son, DIL and grandson lived right down the street and my brother, SIL and sister all lived here too. So this day and this month mark the anniversary of my first day of work at the Library of Congress. I worked in the Madison Building for ten years. My job had nothing to do with the thirty years in health care, but the skills required matched what I had been doing in the corporate office - performance measures and productivity. Now it’s been a few years since I retired, but I really appreciate the federal benefits - especially health care. I will never forget the first day I started work. Imagine starting all over again in a completely different environment. I much prefer visiting the library as a retiree than working in it. We still go in for programs. Now our son, DIL and grandson have moved to central Virginia and my sister moved to Florida. Things aren’t what they used to be - in more ways than one could have imagined. 

The Beautiful Library of Congress Jefferson Building

They say it is the most beautiful building in Washington DC. And I have to agree. Although my base station was the Madison Building, I walked over to the Library of Congress Jefferson Building almost daily over my ten years as a federal employee there. What was even better is that we lived on Capitol Hill and my commute was jus three blocks away. So I was able to come home for lunch and enjoy my husband’s company. I retired a few years ago and we have since moved to northern Virginia, but last week we drove in to town to attend a program - something we still love to do. And every time we go, we are constantly amazed at how lovely this place is. And it doesn’t matter what time of the year. Right now it’s very busy with tourists and visitors. At Christmas the decorations are so pretty. There are wonderful views of the Capitol building from the great hall. There are also many exhibits to see. But we enjoy coming in for a program here and there and to spend some time beforehand just strolling around. I still can’t believe I actually worked there.  

Library of Congress Program

Before I retired from the Library of Congress I signed up for the newsletter emails that highlight the programs that are offered. We attended many of them when we lived on Capitol Hill over thirteen years. Some of them were offered in the afternoon and many were also in the evening. Since we moved to northern Virginia we still like to drive in to town if the time is right. It hardly matters what the subject is. We just like getting out of the house for these outings and may learn a thing or two. So this week we went in to see Tamika Nunley in a conversation about enslaved women and justice in early Virginia. The program was held in the beautiful Jefferson building. We used to enter through the Madison building and walk the tunnels, but since the pandemic I’m not sure that is an option. So we wait with the lines getting in to the Jefferson building. You now need a pass to get in to the building - but we don’t get one because we have an email verification that we signed up for the program. But that doesn’t always mean there isn’t any confusion. We usually spend a few minutes walking about the Great Hall before we head to the program. It was well attended and very interesting. Unfortunately we get caught up in rush hour traffic on the way home since the program ended at five in the afternoon. That was an additional hour! Luckily we didn’t mind because we don’t have to do it every day and we knew it would happen. So for now we will continue to drive in. It’s usually worth it.