Going Inside the Library on Instagram

(The following is a post by Gayle Osterberg, director of communications for the Library of Congress.)

The visual richness of the Library of Congress never ceases to amaze me – from the extraordinary architecture of its Thomas Jefferson Building, to the diverse public programs, to the collections themselves.

Many Americans will never have the opportunity to visit the Library in person, so we are always looking for ways to share the Library with them – from digitized online collections to web videos of Library programs.

What better way to give people a snapshot of the institution than through a social media community devoted to images – Instagram! It is a great way to provide a glimpse of contemporary life at the world’s largest library, from exhibitions to concerts, with the occasional historic image thrown in for good measure. Find us on Instagram at @librarycongress.

This Monday, the Library opens its Main Reading Room for our traditional Columbus Day Open House — a chance for individuals who aren’t researchers to come into the historic room, take pictures and learn a little more about how they can use the library themselves on a regular basis.

It is a great time to follow the Library on Instagram. If you haven’t been to our Main Reading Room, it is a feast for the eyes – and the camera. Our own photographer, the very talented Shawn Miller, will be capturing and posting images.

It is also a great time to visit the Library and post your own photos using the hashtag #LibraryOpenHouse. We’ll pick three of our favorites from the day to feature on this blog next Wednesday.

Instagram is just the most recent way to connect with the Library on social media. We have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and iTunesU – all in an effort to throw open the doors even wider.