Library of Congress - The Source: Where Curiosity Sparks Discovery
THE SOURCE: WHERE CURIOSITY SPARKS DISCOVERY
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Library of Congress is creating a $75 million visitor experience project that will invite visitors to discover more of the treasures, programs, and services it maintains on behalf of the American people.
The new youth lab at the Library of Congress, called The Source, provides children ages 8 years and older and their families with a space to discover how information and research can nourish curiosity, creativity and change. The space also will host teens with special programming and volunteer and internship opportunities. Through dynamic interactive experiences, kids will discover their own researcher identity by exploring resources and collections, finding and analyzing information, and considering perspectives represented in the Library.
Services
Interpretive Planning
Exhibition Design
Graphic Design
Media Art Direction and Design
Size
4,000 sf
DESIGNING AN INTERACTIVE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
SKOLNICK led the design team in the interpretive development and design of this unique interactive learning environment that combines materials from the Library’s extensive collections areas with digital technology to allow access to these materials in new ways. A fanciful interpretation of a card catalog provides an iconic introduction to the Library’s varied collections.
EXPLORING, RESEARCHING, AND SHARING DISCOVERIES
Kids meet librarians from the Library’s various sectors and gain an understanding of the importance of using primary source materials for research. Visitors can digitally scan items in four main Collections Zones representing Sound, Image, Text and Film. At the Researcher Desk, kids and families can explore curated stories of research created by kids who used the Library’s collections. Additionally, visitors can share their discoveries on a Share Wall or create a digital collage and add it to the Source Book, an ever-changing display of visitors’ research finds.
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