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Library of Congress Takes Global View

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The international collection at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., gets its due starting Thursday with the opening of the “World Treasures” permanent gallery in the Thomas Jefferson Building.

The library, which claims to be the world’s largest, may be best known for its American collection, but about three-fourths of its nearly 121 million items are in languages other than English, a spokesman said.

The new gallery will change exhibits every few months. Among highlights of the opening show, “Beginnings,” are a cuneiform tablet from 2039 BC, the first book printed in the Western Hemisphere (a catechism in Spanish printed in Mexico in 1543) and the earliest known movable type (Korean, 13th century). The building is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily except Sundays and federal holidays. Admission is free. Tel. (202) 707-8000, https://www.loc.gov.

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Compiled by JANE ENGLE

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