New Educational Space Expands How the Library Engages Young Audiences
The Library of Congress is developing a new experiential gallery designed to invite children and teens with their families and school groups, investigate primary source collections and build meaning through research and discovery. Developed with kids and for kids, the new learning space, The Source: Where Curiosity Sparks Discovery, will open in May.
As educational institutions across the country seek creative ways to engage young audiences, the new gallery is spearheading a shift toward curiosity-driven, participatory, youth-centered learning in the nation’s library, one of the country’s most historic spaces.
Created especially for visitors ages 8-15, the experiential gallery will encourage budding researchers to engage with primary sources in creative, personalized ways. The new learning space has been designed and developed with input from a youth advisory council. The Source will feature interactive stations where youth can investigate items from image, film, sound, and text collections at the Library through guided exploration and open-ended discovery.
“This experiential gallery represents a new way of thinking about how the Library of Congress can serve young people as they explore topics of interest; we want to encourage them to think like creators and researchers,” said Shari Werb, director of the Library’s Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement. “It’s a place where questions are welcome, experimentation is encouraged and curiosity leads the way, helping kids build confidence at a formative age.”
The 4,000 square-foot gallery, which will be housed in the Jefferson Building, is intended to primarily serve young people and their families, school groups for grades 3 to 10, and educators. The Source has been designed over a multiyear effort that began in 2021 and is part of a broader institutional commitment to youth-centered learning and public engagement.
Additional details of the new educational space, including design elements, programming, educational connections, group visits and opening events, will be announced closer to the opening in early May. The Library will host a media preview and interview opportunities with principals in advance of opening day.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov, and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.