End of Week 2

I can't believe I have been here for 2 1/2 weeks, and completed 2 weeks of work. It has gone by very quickly and I think the rest of the summer is going to fly by. That will be good and bad; I am meeting a lot of cool people and learning so many fascinating things, and having fun exploring this beautiful city, but I do miss Brandon and being home and I am looking forward to getting back to my normal daily routine!

I have somewhat mastered the tunnel system that connects the 3 buildings of the library together. I was very worried I would get lost in these tunnels and never find a way to get out. They even have a tunnel linking the library buildings to the Capitol. I also found out there there is a mini metro system underground too specifically for Congress...they must be really lazy at times to use that, as it isn't that far of a walk!! I found out that there is a gym for library staff in the building I am working in, so I have signed up for that, although it isn't real big and mainly is two rooms, one with free weights and floor space for their yoga/pilates/aerobics classes and another room with stair climbers, treadmills and elipticals. They also have a health office for staff too. They offer a lot of benefits to their employees, which is very cool.

Getting to hear the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Billington speak was very interesting, he seems very knowledgeable about the library and had a lot of good thoughts he shared with us on the future of the library. Yesterday I got to hear the Director of the Center for the Book, John Y. Cole speak, he is a historian and he seemed to know anything and everything about the history of the library and about the actual building and architecture. It was interesting to hear about the library and how much he knew about the former Librarians of Congress (which he said out of the 13 only one has actually had a Library Science degree).

My project has been very interesting and I feel a bit overwhelmed, especially when I think of how much they want me to do and I feel like I don't have enough time to accomplish everything by then. I've really enjoyed the people I work with and learning more about the collections and how preserving Veterans memories is so important!

Next week we will be getting a tour of the Capitol, so I'll be sure to post the pictures I take! I'll also have my roommates moving in tomorrow, so I'll actualy not be as lonely as I have been, although I have enjoyed the time to myself at times!