Library of Congress Rolling Exhibition Visits New England

The Library of Congress has a rolling exhibition "Gateway to Knowledge" – a specially-fitted 18-wheel truck carrying a number of items and information from the library’s collections – that is visiting this region.

The exhibit includes programming especially for teachers and students, and it is designed to provide relevant and engaging learning experiences for lifelong learners. The truck is staffed and driven by two docents who are well-versed in the Library and its collections, and it parks at universities, libraries, community centers, and other public venues.

The trailer expands to three times its road width, and visitors enter from a central staircase to find several areas of museum-style exhibits including a welcoming multimedia display, computer terminals displaying Library of Congress websites including the main site and other library websites including the Center for the Book/Literacy Programs site as well as sites pertaining to U.S. collections, exhibitions, and a special site for use by teachers.

The exhibition also includes facsimiles of the 1507 Waldseemüller Map (the first document to use the word "America"); the 1455 Gutenberg Bible; the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, in Thomas Jefferson’s hand with edits by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams; the 1962 drawings for the comic book that introduced Spider-Man to the world; the handwritten manuscript to jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton’s "Frog-i-More Rag"; and Walt Whitman’s poem "Leaves of Grass."

The exhibit and its national tour are being funded by the support of the Rapoport family (two of whom are founding members of the James Madison Council, the Library’s private-sector advisory group).

Scheduled New England stops for the "Gateway to Knowledge" exhibit include:

• 18-20 August: Park Square, Bank Row, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (5:00-9:00 PM – Thursday, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM - Friday-Saturday);
• 26-27 August: Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, Vermont (10:00 AM-6:00 PM);
• 30-31 August: New Hampshire State House, Concord, New Hampshire (10:00 AM-6:00 PM);
• 2-3 September: Monument Square, Portland, Maine (12:00 Noon-8:00 PM); and
• 6-7 September: Newport Public Library, Newport, Rhode Island (10:00 AM-6:00 PM).

For more information about the "Gateway to Knowledge" exhibition, please visit:

Library of Congress: Gateway to Knowledge