The DVD for “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” isn’t released until Tuesday, May 20, but we here at one of the chief locations in the film managed to get our hands on a copy.

The two-disc collectors’ edition and the Blu-Ray edition include a bonus feature titled “Inside the Library of Congress,” and I have to say that we’re very pleased with the outcome. We were told to expect a piece in the five-minute range; we got one that was nearly nine minutes long.

According to one review of the DVD extras (who knew there were such things?):

The Inside the Library of Congress featurette (8:41, 1.78:1 and 2.40:1, 1080p) is first a love letter to an impressive landmark. We’re given a guided tour of the library’s formidable collections. There are laboratories for preservation and authentication. The body of knowledge is nothing short of remarkable.

The featurette takes viewers on a tour of the Thomas Jefferson Building with sweeping shots that are seldom-seen. The crew shooting the piece last year set up a 28-foot-long “jib arm” to get some stunning views of the Great Hall and the Main Reading Room. (The tourists that day were especially curious about what was going on!)

There are also visits to curatorial and other divisions within the Library, with a focus on the plot of NT2 (such as our Lincoln materials), including Geography and Map, Prints and Photographs, Manuscript, Preservation, and the stacks.

As I often say, we hope it offers millions around the world the opportunity to learn about the “fact behind the fiction.”