The Library‘s Serial and Government Publications Division is home to one of the most extensive newspaper collections in the world. Included in the collection is the original editorial by Francis P. Church of The New York Sun, explaining to a young girl who wrote into the paper inquiring about whether or not Santa is real. The full text of the editorial (printed September 21, 1897) is below: Is There a Santa Claus? We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below

Join Friends of the Library of Congress to enrich your experience with the Library and enhance the Library’s role as an enduring source of knowledge and creativity. Friends of the Library of Congress membership (starting at $50) comes with benefits including: • A voice in what the Library chooses to fund during the annual Friends’ Choice Award • Exclusive events for Friends of the Library • Advance notice for Library exhibitions and public programming • A community of fellow library lovers acros

Absolutely nobody wants Library of Congress collections getting WET. 🫣 However, it does happen from time to time, and that’s why the Preservation Emergency Response Team (PERT) exists. They are on-call to help mitigate damage when, for different reasons, collections encounter water. Recently, a training was held for the PERT members so they could get more comfortable handling large, wet paper items, such as maps and posters. (No Library collection items were damaged in the making of this video!