SDHC Welcomes Historical Gift from Library of Congress

The South Dakota Center for the Book, under the umbrella of the South Dakota Humanities Council, recently welcomed a gift of historical significance from the Library of Congress. Made possible through an initiative of The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, SDHC received a retired card catalog previously used for decades within the Library of Congress to aid patrons and researchers in locating sought-after information and resources. While it is no longer housed in its original location, the card catalog is intended to still serve its original purpose, acting as a Library of Congress information kiosk for a variety of topics. Each of the 15 drawers contains a description and QR code by which patrons can digitally access various topics housed within the Library of Congress. Some of these topics include Digital Collections, the Law Library of Congress, the U.S. Copyright Office, the National Library Service for the Blind and Disabled, and the Veterans History Project.

Established by an act of Congress in 1800, the Library of Congress originally consisted of a small collection of books made available for use by Congressional members. After the British burned Washington, D.C. in 1814, the collection was destroyed but saw new life when former President Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection of over 6,000 books to Congress, restarting a new collection. Another fire in 1851 destroyed much of this subsequent collection, but dedicated efforts to rebuild the Library – including government support – led to the expansion of the collection, effectively creating the first national library. Today, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with tens of millions of items, including books, films, audio recordings, photos, and manuscripts. Home to the U.S. Copyright Office, the Library also stands as the primary research entity for the U.S. Congress.

An important initiative of the Library of Congress – The Center for the Book – involves 56 Affiliated Centers – one in each state, as well as six territories. The mission of these Centers is to promote reading, literacy, and libraries while elevating and advocating the unique and diverse literary heritage of their respective states. The Centers also play an important role in the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival by selecting a book for the Great Reads from Great Places program, sharing their individual state’s literary heritage with thousands of festivalgoers. SDHC is proud to include the S.D. Center for the Book under its umbrella of programs and initiatives.

The card catalog and information kiosk is on display in the SDHC office, located at 1215 Trail Ridge Road in Brookings, South Dakota. SDHC welcomes visitors to visit the office and access the resources made available through this historical gift.