Poem 083 - "Turtle"

A poem by Kay Ryan from the Library's Poetry 180 Project.

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Join Chief of Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Division I at the Law Library of Congress, Hanibal Goitom, on Thursday, January 29, at 2:00 p.m. EST, for our first Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar of the year. This series of classes is designed to shed light on some of the foreign and comparative law issues currently being researched by the foreign law and international law experts at the Law Library of Congress.

In this session, guest speaker Judy Wairimu Ng'ang'a, library assistant at the Kenya School of Law, will discuss the role of law librarians in enhancing access to and effective use of Kenyan legal information. The session will examine key tools, digital platforms, and best practices that support the discovery and use of legal resources, and will highlight the contribution of law librarians to legal information literacy and advancement of quality legal education and research.

Please register here.

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A250 – Fashion at the Library - Clothing as Currency with Dr. Laura Edwards

Date/Time: Friday, February 6, 2026, 2:30-3:30pm EST

Zoom Registration Link: https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/8417660862848/WN_ttQKJBh7RDK6_AlEsx92Ng

Join historians Laura F. Edwards, Princeton University and Ashley Rose Young, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, for a discussion of Edwards's book "Only the Clothes on her Back: Textiles, Law, and Commerce in the Nineteenth Century United States" and the Library collections associated with the importance of fashion in the founding of America.

In the decades following the Revolution, textiles were not just necessities or desirable consumer goods; they also circulated as currency. That was particularly true for people who had difficulty acquiring property or credit. The federal system’s decentralized structure enabled that situation: lax financial regulation allowed textiles to circulate just like mediums of exchange that bore the imprimatur of states and the federal government. If anything, the people who used textiles as currency improved on the systems of exchange overseen by their government. Textiles stored value reliably. There was considerable consensus as to their value. They were extremely liquid. And they were attached to people through longstanding practices acknowledged in law. Through use, people turned textiles into banknotes—which is where textiles eventually ended up anyway, since banknotes were made of rags. Spinners, weavers, seamstresses, dressmakers, tailors, and even washerwomen were all, essentially, printing money.

This event is part of a new initiative titled “Fashion at the Library: The Threads that Connect Us,” celebrating the American story through fashion and style and will explore the threads that connect all Americans to the Library of Congress collection through the stories we wear.

NOTE TO PARTICIPANTS:

Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.

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Book Talk: Spark! Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone with author Ainissa Ramirez

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026, 3- 4 p.m. Eastern

Spend an afternoon with award-winning author and scientist Ainissa Ramirez as she discusses her new children’s book “Spark: Jim West's Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone."  Ainissa will share how Jim West patented the foil electret microphone, of which the technology is foundational to many devices we use daily, such as hearing aids and baby monitors. Ainissa will also discuss her research process and how she used Library of Congress materials to write her book. We are also thrilled to announce that inventor Jim West and illustrator Setor Fiadzigbey will also join the conversation! There will be time at the end of the program for attendees to ask questions.

Registration:  https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_rRIVAnFdSCazga5jXXnSbA#/registration

NOTE TO PARTICIPANTS: Individuals requiring accommodations should submit a request at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.

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