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Get This Week's Gazette LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Volume 18, No. 2 A Weekly Newspaper for the Library Staff January 12, 2007 Library Hosts Historic Events for 110th Congress By MARLENE KAUFMANN and GAIL FINEBERG he Library served as host to the largest number of congressional Tevents in its history on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 4 and 5, as members of the 110th Congress took their oaths of office and welcomed the first woman, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to serve as speaker of the House of Representa- tives. Some 150 members and 2,445 guests visited the Library, which managed 12 congressional events during the two-day period. The Library also provided historic items, including Thomas Jefferson’s Quran, from its universal collections in response to members’ requests for their private swearing-in ceremonies. In addition to these congressional-sup- port services of the Library, the Congres- sional Research Service (CRS) anticipated and researched policy issues confronting Michaela McNichol Nancy Pelosi, the first woman Speaker of the House, swears in the first Muslim member the new Congress and conducted its tra- of the House, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who used the Library’s two-volume Quran once ditional Williamsburg, Va., program that owned by Thomas Jefferson. Ellison’s wife, Kim, holds the Quran for the brief, private provides policy-orientation sessions for ceremony in the Sam Rayburn Room of the Capitol on Jan. 4. See story and photos on new members. Pages 3 - 5. “I am pleased that so many members chose to celebrate their swearing-in for Dining Room A of the Madison Building. Room in the Jefferson Building, where the 110th Congress at the Library,” said At one point on Jan. 4, seven events and guests had assembled to celebrate the Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. receptions were taking place simultane- swearing-in ceremony. “I am particularly pleased that, as we cel- ously. Earlier that day, the Congressional ebrated their achievement in having been Holding Library receptions on Jan. Black Caucus gathered in the Coolidge elected to serve in Congress, the Library’s 4 were new and returning members of Auditorium for the ceremonial swearing- rich and historic collections were also Congress representing every region of in of its membership. The program fea- featured so prominently in a number of the country, including Rep. Anna Eshoo, tured the Librarian’s welcoming remarks ceremonies across Capitol Hill.” D-Calif., Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., Rep. and comments by Pelosi; Daniel H. Mudd, The Library hosted receptions and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Rep. Eric Cantor, president and CEO of Fannie Mae; and meetings in the Members Room, Coolidge R-Va., and Representatives-elect Gabrielle Rep. Kendrick B. Meek, D-Fla., chairman Auditorium, Great Hall and Room LJ 119 Giffords, D-Ariz., and Henry C. “Hank” of the Congressional Black Caucus Foun- in the Thomas Jefferson Building and Johnson Jr., D-Ga. dation. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, in the Montpelier Room, Madison Hall, Billington welcomed Speaker Pelosi D-Mich., was installed as chairman of the Mumford Room, West Dining Room and and her constituents to the Members CONGRESS, Continues on page 5 2 T he G A Z ette JANUARY 12, 2007 NOTICES Staff Briefing Before ALA Meeting Library staff planning to attend the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, Jan. 19-24, in Seattle, are invited to a Library briefing from 10 to 11 a.m. The Gazette on Friday, Jan. 12, in the Pickford Theater, LM 301. A weekly newspaper for the Library of Congress staff Associate Librarian for Library Services Deanna Marcum will issue the cus- MATTHEW RAYMOND Executive Editor tomary Library-wide “ALA Update,” a briefing document that summarizes notable GAIL FINEBERG achievements in the Library since the previous ALA meeting. The update will Editor MICHAELA McNICHOL be distributed at the briefing and will also be available via the Library’s Web Visual Information Specialist site, www.loc.gov. Contributing Editors: Erin Allen, Calendar; Carlin “René” Sayles, Moving On and Length of Service; Metrochek Distribution Runako Balondemu, Donated Leave Contributing Photographers: Erin Allen, T.J. Jeffers, Public-transportation subsidies (Metrochecks) for the first quarter of 2007 will be dis- Michaela McNichol, Charlynn Spencer Pyne Proofreader: George Thuronyi tributed to qualified Library staff members according to the following schedule: Jan. 24: makeup date, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., LM 139 PETER BRAESTRUP JAMES W. McCLUNG Founder Founding Publisher Feb. 28: makeup date, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., LM 139 (1990 – 1997) (1990 – 1994) March 13: makeup date, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Mumford Room, LM 649 An official publication of the Library of Congress, The Gazette encourages Library managers and staff to submit articles and photographs of general interest. Submissions will be edited to convey the most necessary information. 2007 TSP Limit Increased to $15,500 Deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Wednesday, one week prior The IRS Elected Deferral Limit for the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) has increased to to publication date. Please submit text in digital form via email ([email protected]) preferably as an attached Microsoft Word file. $15,500 for 2007, from $15,000 in 2006. Back issues of The Gazette are available in the Public Affairs Office, Prior to 2006, federal employees could contribute no more than a fixed a per- LM 105, and issues dating from 2000 through the current issue are available online at www.loc.gov/staff/gazette. centage of their annual salaries to tax-deferred savings plans managed by the TSP. Beginning in 2006, elective TSP contributions were limited only by restrictions Library of Congress Washington, DC 20540-1620 imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. The Internal Revenue Service increased Editor 707-9194, [email protected] the annual maximum tax-deferred contribution to $15,500 for this calendar year, Production 707-0970, [email protected] Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2007. ISSN 1049-8184 The IRS also permits eligible employees to make tax-deferred catch-up contribu- tions of no more than $5,000 in 2007. If an employee is at least age 50 (or will become Printed on paper that contains recycled paper by the age 50 during the calendar year) and has made or will make the maximum amount Printing Management Section, Office Systems Services of employee contributions for the calendar year ($15,500 in 2007), the employee may supplement his regular contribution with a tax-deferred catch-up contribution Gazette Welcomes Letters from Staff The staff is invited to use the Forum pages for lively and to the TSP account. thoughtful debate relevant to Library issues. However, just as other newspaper editors exercise discretion over which letters The Thrift Savings Plan is a voluntary retirement savings and investment plan. to publish and how to edit them, so do we. In deciding whether The money Library employees save and earn through their TSP accounts will provide or how much to publish, we consider content (including mis- statements of fact, libel, innuendo, ridicule of individuals or them with an important source of retirement income. A major advantage of the TSP the institution, personal attacks, and redundancy) and length (the limit is 600 words). is that contributions and earnings are tax-deferred — contributors pay no taxes until Letters must be signed by the author, whose place of work withdrawing TSP funds from their savings accounts. and telephone extension should be included so we can verify authorship. Letter writers should understand that when Library employees should review their leave-and-earnings statements to ensure they sign their letters and release them to us for publication they are relinquishing privacy. If a letter calls for manage- that pay-period deductions for contributions to TSP savings accounts are as they ment response, for example, an explanation of a policy or actions or clarification of fact, we will ask for management have designated. response.—Ed. High-salaried FERS employees also should read TSP rules (“Annual Limit on Elec- tive Deferrals”), which are available online at www.tsp.gov, or consult with Human Deadlines for Editorial Content and Resources Services (HRS) personnel to determine how much to contribute to the Calendar Submissions TSP account each pay period. TSP participants reaching the annual maximum too Deadline for editorial copy for the Jan. 26 issue is Wednesday, Jan. 17. Email to the Editor, Gail quickly in a calendar year could lose some of their Agency Matching Contributions; Fineberg, at [email protected]. To promote events through the Library’s online calendar and the these funds consist of the agency matching the first 5 percent of basic pay that an Gazette Calendar, email event and contact individual saves every pay period. information to [email protected]. Employees must make any adjustments to their payroll deductions and contribu- tions to TSP online, through the NFC’s Employee Personal Page. Gazette at a glance . Staff with questions regarding the TSP may visit the TSP Web site at www.tsp.gov LCPA Language Tables 7 or call TSP at 877-968-3778. Employees with questions regarding how to calculate deduction amounts or how to obtain NFC Employee Personnel Page passwords may Calendar 8 contact HRS staff members Brenda Bunyasi at 7- 8305 or Cynthia Murphy at 7-5773. www.loc.gov/staff/gazette JANUARY 12, 2007 T he G A Z ette Members Borrow Historic Books from the Library By GAIL FINEBERG our members of Congress exer- cised their congressional Library- F book-borrowing privileges for a few minutes on Thursday, Jan. 4, using items from the Library’s collections for their brief, private swearing-in ceremo- nies after they stood with other members of the 110th Congress on the House floor to take their official oaths of office.
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