The Library of Congress has announced a new opportunity for booklovers to support the beloved annual celebration of reading and literacy, the National Book Festival, while enhancing their own festival experiences.

Each year the Library of Congress National Book Festival brings together tens of thousands of booklovers with more than 100 of their favorite authors for interesting conversation, book signings and family fun.

Thanks to its many sponsors and supporters, the festival has always been free to the public. This is by design, as the library strives to promote reading and literacy to all.

This year, the library offers festival fans and literacy supporters the opportunity to join the first-ever Booklovers Circle and experience the festival in a whole new way. For a $1,000 gift, Booklovers will be recognized for their support of the festival with:

• Two badges for reserved seating in any of the festival stages, including the exclusive Main Stage, featuring David McCullough, Condoleezza Rice, Thomas Friedman, Diana Gabaldon, J.D. Vance and David Baldacci;

• Expedited entry at the Washington Convention Center;

• Invitations to Library of Congress literacy events throughout the year, including the opening reading of the new Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry;

• A limited-edition signed 2017 National Book Festival poster.

For information about joining the Booklovers Circle, visit loc.gov/bookfest/, or email tsha@loc.gov.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online.

It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.