Closure of Reading Rooms at the Library of Congress
In October 2012, Library of Congress Associate Librarian Roberta I. Shaffer first put forward an initiative to consolidate the operations of multiple Library of Congress reading rooms, reference collections and reference units. A resulting single “Center of Knowledge” would be located in the space of the Main Reading Room in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. As of early June 2013, Shaffer’s “I-900 Plan” (short for “Initiative: 900 Days”) is still on track to close reading rooms in three Library buildings.
Thomas Mann, of the Humanities & Social Sciences Division, prepared a set of papers in response to the I-900 Plan, with input from the Guild Committee on Reference Service Consolidation.
Anne Toohey, then-Steward Director, of Local History & Genealogy, prepared a paper about the special nature of the Local History & Genealogy collections and services, and the potential impact of consolidation.
The papers were, and are, offered here on our website for the consideration of those who take an interest in the ongoing excellence of the Library of Congress: scholars, researchers, teachers and students, members of Congress, and the international library community.
To learn more about the closures and to read the papers, please see our archived page on Reading Room Closures.