January 22, 2026 Celebrate Black History Month and Valentine's Day during Live! At the Library in February

Visitors are invited to celebrate Valentine's season with romantic Café Concerts during Live! At the Library throughout the month of February. Guests are encouraged to grab a drink and enjoy these intimate performances in the Great Hall, creating the perfect backdrop for a memorable date night at the Library of Congress. Café Concerts include Danny Villanueva, QuinTango and Baltimore's Big Cricket String Band.

On Feb. 5 and 12, celebrate Valentine’s Day by making your own cards and bookmarks using imagery drawn from the Library’s rich collections – continuing a tradition of handcrafted valentines that dates back to the 17th century. This activity is fun for all ages, whether you’re honoring friendship, romance or simply your love of reading.

Embark on an interactive cartographic adventure. The Geography & Map Division invites visitors to explore terrain mapping and topography during Live! At the Library on Feb. 26 in the Great Hall from 5 to 8 p.m. The program will feature hands-on games and crafts exploring cartographic design and topographic relief.

Visitors also are invited to view a special collections display in Room LJ-113 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 8 p.m. that features remarkable items from the Library’s map collections. The evening includes a separately-ticketed talk by renowned cartographer Tom Patterson on topographic design from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room LJ-119.

In honor of Black History Month, the Library presents a special display tracing 100 years of this vital observance. In February 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson initiated "Negro History Week," a modest idea that grew into a monumental educational and cultural movement. Fifty years later, in 1976, the week-long celebration expanded to a month-long observance, coinciding with the nation's bicentennial. This display in the Great Hall chronicles the remarkable evolution of Negro History Week across the decades and will be on view through Feb. 28.

During Live! At the Library on Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the beautiful Great Hall overlooking the Capitol while visiting the Library’s exhibitions and programs.

Live! At the Library attendees are also invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces.

Ticketing
For events during Live! At the Library, please use the event registration ticketing link found next to the event below or at loc.gov/live. This ticket grants access to the program as well as the Library’s exhibitions and the happy hour portion of the evening.

Programming Highlights for February

Feb. 5: Award winning percussionist and bandleader Danny Villanueva brings his Jazz Trio featuring music from the Library’s American Songbook collection. This Café Concert will be held in the Great Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Regster for this free event. 

Feb. 5 and 12: Craft personalized Valentine's Day cards and bookmarks drawing inspiration from romantic treasures within the Library of Congress collections. The craft stations will be held in the Great Hall from 5 to 8 p.m. 

Feb. 12: Bring your dancing shoes and your Valentine for an evening of romance as musicians from the QuinTango bring their chamber tango ensemble to the Great Hall. This Café Concert will be held in the Great Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Regster for this free event. 

Feb. 12: Best-selling novelists Isabel Ibañez and RaShonda Tate take audiences on a journey into the Italian and Harlem Renaissances to explore the power of love in times of uncertainty and innovation. Visitors are invited to hear from the authors behind "Graceless Heart" and "With Love From Harlem" at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. A display of Library of Congress collections will be on view in the Whitall Pavilion from 5 to 7 p.m. Regster for this free event. 

Feb. 12: Food historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi will visit the Library of Congress to discuss her new book tracing macaroni and cheese from its origins in ancient Rome to modern American tables. She will explain how she used the Library's cookbooks, magazines, and manuscripts during her research process. A display of culinary works and a macaroni and cheese tasting will be provided for attendees. This event will be held in Room LJ-119 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Regster for this free event. 

Feb. 19: Put on your dancing shoes and join the Library for an evening celebrating America at 250 and the Songs of America collection. Baltimore's Big Cricket String Band brings their raucous Appalachian sound to the Great Hall with music from George Washington's Mount Vernon and traditional songs from American presidents' home states. This Café Concert will be held in the Great Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Regster for this free event. 

Feb. 26: Explore terrain mapping and topography with experts from the Geography & Map Division. Enjoy hands-on games and crafts in the Great Hall from 5 to 8 p.m., plus a special collections display in Room LJ-113. Regster for this free event. 

Feb. 26: Join renowned cartographer Tom Patterson for a talk on his National Park Service career and his latest work developing tools powered by artificial intelligence for terrain presentation, including a sneak peek at new tools being used in the field. Regster for this free event. 

Exhibitions On View

• The Library’s exhibition, “The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution,” explores the lives and legacies of George Washington and King George III of Britain, adversaries during America’s war for independence. The Library of Congress brings their papers together for the first time to reveal the real men behind the myths. The exhibition has been extended through July 4, 2026.
• “Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress,” the inaugural exhibition in the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery, draws from the Library’s rich Americana and international holdings in more than 450 languages and a variety of formats created across time and continents. “Collecting Memories” marks the ways and the means cultures preserve memory.

• Take a trip through a re-created version of Thomas Jefferson’s Library, which assembles 6,487 volumes that founded the Library of Congress, and learn how one of America’s great thinkers was inspired through the world of books.
• “A Century of Black History Commemorations” explores 100 years of Black history commemorations. Historian Carter G. Woodson initiated the annual observance of “Negro History Week” in February 1926. His modest idea blossomed into a monumental educational and cultural movement. In 1976, Negro History Week was extended to a month-long celebration to coincide with the nation’s bicentennial. This display traces the evolution of Negro History Week over decades. This display will be on view in the Great Hall through Feb. 28.
  
  
• “A National Treasure: The Library of Congress” is a small display that celebrates the history of the Thomas Jefferson Building, which opened to the public on Nov. 1, 1897. Designed in an Italian Renaissance style, this building features the works of more than 40 American sculptors and painters. It was also the first building in Washington, D.C., designed with electric lighting. The state-of-the-art facility was built to accommodate the Library of Congress’ burgeoning collections.

Live! At the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new ways during extended evening hours from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday nights. The series regularly features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.