Tour time: 8:30 am – 9:30 am. Delegates will see the European Reading Room and the reference collections.  They will learn about reference and services for walk-in patrons and for remote patrons; the breadth of the European collections, including the Library’s digital collections relating to Europe; and electronic (commercial) resources. Note: This tour can be followed immediately by a tour of the Hispanic Division next door (see description below).

Tour time: 9:30 am – 10:30 am. Delegates will see the Hispanic Reading Room, the reference collections, the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape, and the Handbook of Latin American Studies .  They will learn about reference and services for walk-in patrons and for remote patrons; the breadth  of the Hispanic collections, the production of the Handbook of Latin American Studies and the program of recording writers for the Library of Congress. Note: this tour can be preceded immediately by a tour of the European Division next door (see description above).

Delegates will have an orientation of the Geography and Map Division’s newly renovated Research Center, participate in a behind the scenes tour of the world’s largest map and atlas collection that will showcase rare and unique items dating from the 14 ^th century to the present, meet with cartographic catalogers who set the cataloging standards for map librarians worldwide,  observe a demonstration of state-of-the-art  large-format digital map scanning, and view a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) presentation. Limit: 20 delegates. This tour is repeated at 10:30 a.m.

The Law Library of Congress provides the United States Congress, the judicial and executive branches, the practicing bar, and the general public with research and/or reference services related to US, foreign, comparative, and international law.  Representatives of the Law Library will provide an institutional overview and an explanation of the work performed by its Global Legal Research and Global Legal Collection directorates.  Delegates will receive a tour of the newly renovated Reading Room and have the opportunity to view a few treasures from the Law collection. Limit: 20 delegates. The 8:30 am tour is now full. The 10:30 a.m. tour is still available.

Delegates will see the work performed in four divisions in the Preservation Directorate. They will witness the planning and logistics that need to be in place to handle a large volume of collection items that need to be bound or deacidified in the Binding and Collections Care Division, watch staff working on the Library’s special collections in the Conservation Division, get briefed on new reformatting techniques from Preservation Reformatting Division staff, and learn about the numerous research projects that are performed by Preservation Research and Testing Division staff members. Limit: 20 delegates. This tour is repeated at 10:30 a.m.

Tour time: 10:30-11:30 am. Delegates will be presented with a “show and tell” and a display of parliamentary materials from a number of countries in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucuses.  Specialists will be at hand to provide briefings on the broader collections of the Division and to answer questions delegates may have.

Tour time: 10:30 am – 11:30 am. Delegates will visit the Asian Reading Room where they will be able to see and learn about the Library of Congress’ Asian language collections, and view the reference collections.  They can also enjoy  a display of several rare items from the Tibetan and Mongolian collections, and view a large Tibetan prayer wheel filled with 42 Tibetan sutras.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides confidential, authoritative, objective, non-partisan, and timely policy analysis to Members and congressional staff.  A representative of CRS will provide an institutional overview.  This will be followed by a discussion by a panel of different CRS staff on how they to support the US Congress.  The panel will also respond to questions from delegates.

Delegates will have an orientation of the Geography and Map Division’s newly renovated Research Center, participate in a behind the scenes tour of the world’s largest map and atlas collection that will showcase rare and unique items dating from the 14 ^th century to the present, meet with cartographic catalogers who set the cataloging standards for map librarians worldwide,  observe a demonstration of state-of-the-art  large-format digital map scanning, and view a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) presentation. Limit: 20 delegates.

The Law Library of Congress provides the United States Congress, the judicial and executive branches, the practicing bar, and the general public with research and/or reference services related to US, foreign, comparative, and international law.  Representatives of the Law Library will provide an institutional overview and an explanation of the work performed by its Global Legal Research and Global Legal Collection directorates.  Delegates will receive a tour of the newly renovated Reading Room and have the opportunity to view a few treasures from the Law collection. Limit: 20 delegates.

Delegates will see the work performed in four divisions in the Preservation Directorate. They will witness the planning and logistics that need to be in place to handle a large volume of collection items that need to be bound or deacidified in the Binding and Collections Care Division, watch staff working on the Library’s special collections in the Conservation Division, get briefed on new reformatting techniques from Preservation Reformatting Division staff, and learn about the numerous research projects that are performed by Preservation Research and Testing Division staff members. Limit: 20 delegates.