Several weeks ago, I registered for the Genealogy Orientation Class at the Library of Congress. After I registered, Mary Catherine said that she wanted to work on genealogy, so I brought her along on my first visit to the library.
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and presents a massive amount of genealogy materials. We went into the library with no expectations and no plan. Prior to the class, the instructor saw us exploring the library and showed us how to use the databases. Soon, I was completely overwhelmed with what was available to me in my research. During the class the instructor explained his 30-year experience in working at the Library of Congress. It was impressive to get an overview from a man that truly knew his way around the library! I can’t wait to get to the point where I will return with some specific tasks to explore.
As we walked around the library, we were amazed by the beauty of the building. I’ve been in many different buildings around the Washington, DC area, but as far as architecture and design, the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building is probably the most beautiful that I have seen! The main reading room is incredibly peaceful and intellectually inspiring, I could study there all day!
I cannot wait to return to dig into more of my research of my family history.