Back in Washington!

I am back in Washington, DC for the second time in about a month’s span – this time, however, I have a full week to orient myself and enjoy the city.

The University of Michigan’s School of Information (SI) does their own “Alternative Spring Break” program every year, where the students pay a nominal fee that goes towards renting a car to go there and back, putting us up in a hotel, and completing a “mini-internship” of sorts. At the beginning of the semester, we apply to different positions that SI has found to be open to the program and secured their interest.

This year, I am spending a week at the US Naval Observatory Library in DC with the lovely Sally Boskens, the institution’s librarian. I am going through a donation from the family of Asaph Hall (the astronomer famous for discovering the two moons of Mars), pulling out items that the Library of Congress (LOC) has requested, re-organizing, and writing up a report.

So far, in addition to that, I have gotten to play in the rare book room, looking at manuscripts by Galileo, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, and many others. Nerdgasm. Seriously. They are lucky I did not drool on that stuff.

Here are some photos of this great building – it’s a beautiful library with an open feel, round with spiral staircases.

I was at work today by 530am because Vice President Biden was broadcasting live to the major network morning shows from in front of Asaph Hall’s desk in the USNO Library. So, the timing for this internship was pretty awesome. After the interviews he stuck around for a while and I got to meet him – he talked about his grandkids and living just down the hill from this building. Actually, he kissed Sally’s hand, which was unexpected, but pretty cool.

Here are a few pictures of the setup – they had everything ready to go when Biden got there. He had an earpiece, which made it sound like he was talking to himself, which looks really weird when you’re laughing as much as he does. I think the only time I saw him really relax was when he took a couple minutes to read the paper. He was still in the chair with the lights and everything, and everyone was staring at him (because what else was there to do?) and he just opened the paper and read. Kind of surreal – his life must feel very surreal at times.

And here is Biden sitting in it.  This is the only good shot I managed to get since I couldn’t use a flash.

Also, apparently the VP travels with personalized napkins. They had a breakfast spread in the hallway with paper napkins decorated with a silver “Vice President Biden” design. And the muffins were tasty. When I left the hotel at 500am nothing was open, so I was hungry.

And here are a few new general pictures of DC just for grins!

^^^ Check out how much emptier the Mall is than the last time I took pictures here!! ^^^

Here’s George Mason – and he’s reading Cicero, my hero.  Which makes him even more awesome.  And that’s my friend Meredith on the right checking out Mason’s reading selections.

And here’s the Washington Monument again, because it just photographs so well.

~ by Jess on February 26, 2009.