In Thomas Jefferson’s day, the Library of Congress decided to show how modern an historic institution can be.
The library plans to attract a public formed by more than scholars and members of Congress, making use of high-technology.
Using any of the many touch screens spread around the building, visitors will be able to easily access books from Thomas Jefferson’s large collection, read historic versions of the bible and zoom in on pages they are interested in.
Digital technology is not something new for libraries, but Librarian of Congress James Billington assured the public that the exhibit is “unlike anything the Library of Congress has undertaken in the past,” allowing visitors to see “stunning detail up close that we've only had a general idea of before.”
“Artifacts like the Waldseemüller map (the first to include
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The exhibit opens in the Library’s Great Hall, which now hosts, among marble columns and sculptures, six touch screen kiosks.
The Library’s staff said that both young students and scholars would enjoy the very bold innovation and would probably be impressed by the dramatic free-standing wall that reacts to a visitor’s physical presence. The device uses hidden cameras that focus on visitors’ feet and it is the first of this kind in a museum.
Thomas Jefferson’s book collection of more than 6,000 volumes was recreated by a group of rare book experts who worked for 10 years to attain this goal. The collection, which is in very good shape, is displayed at the Library’s exhibition.
Later this year, the Library plans to give its visitors the opportunity to “bookmark” objects of interest, creating a personal profile they can check out on the library’s website. The library hopes to achieve this feature by equipping visitors with a kind of passport, each with a unique bar code.