ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Newberry Library Award for outstanding contributions to the humanities and librarianship. May she keep pushing the Library to be both a collector and protector of the past, and an institution for the future. —Kayla Randall
Best Place to Learn About the Past Library of Congress Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room
Darrow Montgomery
101 Independence Ave. SE, (202) 707-5000, loc.gov
Best Librarian: Carla Hayden
ing row that offers simple luxuries like a railing to lean on, limited capacity to prevent the shoving of late-comers, and easy access to the second floor bar and bathrooms. Hell, you might even have space to put your drink down. —Lindsay Hogan
Best Place to Learn About the Past: Library of Congress Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room
Best Place to Hear A Tribe Called Quest and Eric B. & Rakim
Best Librarian Carla Hayden
Lounge of Three
1013 U St. NW, (202) 387-3333 Darrow Montgomery
Carla Hayden has changed the game. After decades serving as the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, she was sworn in as the 14th Librarian of Congress in 2016 and now leads the largest library in the world. In her short, historic time as the Librarian of Congress, Hayden, the first woman and the first black person to ever hold the position, has introduced the nation’s library to our digital, pop culture-loving age with ease. She’s brought in audiences to see priceless comic books on display and to see her in conversation with actual superheroes, such living legends as Lynda Carter, Dolly Parton, and the Estefans. Hayden is leading the Library of Congress into a new time, an era in which we honor contemporary works and contemporary artists, like the recent additions to its National Recording Registry: Jay-Z’s
They say the internet never forgets, and that’s probably true, but the world existed long before the internet, and for news of that vintage era, we must turn to old newspapers. The Washington Star, which shuffled off this mortal coil in 1981, has no web presence, and the Washington Post’s digital archives are nearly impossible to navigate. If you really want to learn about what D.C., or many other parts of the nation, were like decades ago, there is only one place to turn—the Library of Congress’ newspaper and current periodical reading room. There, you can read about old World Series games, presidential campaigns, and the simple happenings in cities across the U.S.A., and instead of doing so on a laptop, you can become fully entrenched in the olden days by scrolling through the pages on microfilm. Just clip your roll in, listen to the whir of the reel, and enjoy your journey back in time. —Caroline Jones
The Blueprint, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual, and a Schoolhouse Rock! box set. The Library’s programs have stepped up too. Whether you’re curious to hear authors discuss how they incorporate the complexities of climate change into their narratives, you want to explore the rich history of baseball in America, or you’d like to gaze upon illustrated Persian manuscripts, Hayden has made sure those gorgeous marble columns have a
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home for you. And this year, finding a home at the Library of Congress was sorely needed. During the government shutdown, miraculously, the Library was able to stay open because it was already funded for the year. It was one of the few government buildings able to stay open. It’s only the beginning of Hayden’s 10year tenure as the Librarian of Congress, and her leadership has already made D.C. a better place. She received the 2018
The Lounge of Three (known to regulars as LOIII) is a typical neighborhood bar—located at the top of U Street NW— that stands out for one particular reason: They book some of the best DJs in the city. The music of choice is classic hip-hop and R&B, and a sign on the wall describes the venue perfectly: “*WARNING* THE MUSIC WE PLAY MAY CAUSE SEVERE NECK INJURY WE TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY.” It’s a tongue-in-cheek way of describing how true hip-hop junkies violently nod their heads when they hear an especially dope track. Tuesdays through Sundays, LOIII owner Simon Getahun brings in a talented group of selectors, like DJ Shablast, DJ Oso Fresh, Nick Tha 1Da, DJ Cerebral, and DJ Soyo to take