Library of Congress Opens Young Readers Center and New Online Resources

Illustration: 

The U.S. Library of Congress, for the first time ever, now has a department reserved just for teen and children’s literature. Because the library’s Thomas Jefferson Building never had a space for this audience, the opening of the new Young Readers Center on Oct. 23 is exciting.

Located on the building’s ground floor, the Center features access to kid-friendly Web sites, public programs, new books, and even a media room where they can view webcasts of young adult and children’s authors.

At the event, librarian James Billington told young people that those at the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution “want you and other young readers to have a place where you can gain an introduction to the wonders of your nation’s library.”

An online component for children and teens will also be available. The Young Peoples Center will work with the Center for the Book to create fun and interesting material for www.read.gov. In addition to offering all the aforementioned webcasts and online books, the site will feature an episodic story. An official news release for the Library of Congress explains:

A highlight of the site is the exclusive episodic story called "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure," a joint project with the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance (www.thencbla.org). Every two weeks a new episode and illustration will appear. Some of the nation’s best authors and illustrators for young people are contributing their work to this project.

The new center and Web site will be a great resource for all of the nation’s teens and children.

If you visit the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., let us know what you think of this new center! Leave us a comment below, or contact us through either Facebook or Twitter.