call me old school

Last week, I reached the peak of a book-lover's adventure: a full-fledged, all-access day in the Library of Congress. Even though I've been in and around D.C. on several occasions, the Library of Congress was one of two places still left on my tourist to-do list (the other being the White House tour).

I was floored.

It's rooms and rooms and rooms and rooms of books. About everything. From everywhere. I didn't go in with a game plan, because I wanted to just emmerse myself in the experience of wandering the shelves and letting my nose lead me, if you will. Some of my finds:

-The Handbook to nonsexist writing: on my to-order list (be looking for an addition to the newsroom, Whitworthian folks). One nugget for you to move one step closer to gender-neutral language: don't ask someone to man the sails.

-Thomas Jefferson: the collected writings: this reference book, part of a series on presidential writings, offered letters, memos, official documents, and even annotated copies of Jefferson's life as told through his own recorded words. Bad ass.

-A biographical history of Morocco: Didn't really open this one, but intrigued.

-Dance! A handbook: fun fact - Fred Astaire died on my birthday. As one great dancer left the world, another one was born. Or at least another one with flare.

-Contemporary Women Poets- I read this one almost cover to cover. Shout outs to Margaret Atwood, Mary Oliver, Adrienne Rich, Paulette Jiles, Jennifer Maiden, and Carolyn Forches.

The visit was also an interesting exhibit of the greatest strengths, and weaknesses, of technological advances. While the Kindle is absolutely an asset to society, you really can't replace the smell of the largest library in the world with a 6-inch digital screen. You can't really grasp the vastness of our government's collected printed works by the size of the scroll bar. The collected Microsoft Word tracked changes on a state law just aren't as interesting as hand-scribbled frustrations. Who knows, maybe in 10 years my all-access library card will be nothing more than an Internet password...