Library of Congress Gateway to Knowledge Traveling Exhibit Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich., May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- There will be a special Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Monday, May 23rd at 12:30 pm welcoming the Library of Congress Gateway to Knowledge Traveling Exhibition to the American Association of Museums Annual Conference within Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center.  This Ceremony is hosted by the Library of Congress and MRA Experiential Tours & Equipment. In attendance will be local and national dignitaries.  This ceremony is not open to the public.

The Gateway to Knowledge tour is inspiring new generations to learn and cultivating new and young patrons for the Library of Congress and, by extension, libraries across the country.  The exhibit includes programming especially for teachers and students, providing relevant and engaging learning experiences for lifelong learners.

The exhibition contains high-quality facsimiles of items such as the 1507 Waldseemuller Map (the first document to use the word "America"), the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson's hand with edits by Benjamin Franklin, and the 1962 drawings for the comic book that introduced Spider-Man to the world. Mounted within a customized 18-wheel truck, this 1,000 square foot mobile gallery travels to smaller communities across America—areas that may not be aware of their ability to access to the wealth of information in this publicly funded institution.  

MRA Experiential Tours & Equipment is proud to have been selected, through a vendor review process, to work with the Library of Congress in developing and managing this historic experiential touring exhibit.  A leader in mobile exhibit and event marketing, MRA specializes in the custom design, build, vehicle sales and leasing, tour equipment and logistics management services for the experiential marketing and exhibiting needs of museums and Fortune 1000 firms either directly or in association with leading agencies and exhibit builders worldwide. Visit the website www.goMRA.com.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution.  The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions.  

The exhibit and its national tour are made possible by the generous support of the Rapoport family.  Bernie and Audre Rapoport are founding members of the James Madison Council, the Library's private-sector advisory group.

SOURCE MRA Experiential Tours & Equipment