In keeping with the Bicentennial goal "to inspire creativity in the century ahead by stimulating greater use of the Library of Congress and libraries everywhere," the Library of Congress and American Library Association (ALA) cosponsored the national photography contest Beyond Words: Celebrating America's Libraries. Through photographs of people using libraries, Beyond Words aimed to capture the spirit of our nation's libraries and the many ways they touch our lives. Libraries of all types were invited to sponsor local contests and announce their winners during National Library Week, April 11-17, 1999. National winners were announced on June 26, 1999, and a display of their photographs featured at the 1999 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. A traveling exhibition of the contest winners is being developed and will be available from ALA in the fall of 2000.

To visit the online exhibit of photography winners, .

The Library of Congress Information Bulletin article is available at www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9907/beyond.html.