Library of Congress
Location	Washington, D.C.
Established	1800
Number of branches	n/a
Collection size	30,011,749 Books (134,517,714 total Items)[1]
Annual circulation	library does not publicly circulate
Population served	535 members of the United States Congress, their staff, and members of the public
Budget	$603,623,000[1]
Director	James H. Billington (Librarian of Congress)
Employees	3,783 [2]
Website	http://www.loc.gov

Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses James Hadley Billington (born June 1, 1929) is the current Librarian of Congress in the United States.

The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. A national library is a Library specifically established by the Government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest by shelf space and one of the most important libraries in the world. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D A library is a collection of information sources resources and services and the structure in which it is housed it is organized for use and maintained by a public body an institution Its collections include more than 30 million catalogued books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 58 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America, including a Gutenberg Bible (one of only four perfect vellum copies known to exist)^[3]; over 1 million US Government publications; 1 million issues of world newspapers spanning the past three centuries; 33,000 bound newspaper volumes; 500,000 microfilm reels; over 6,000 comic book^[4] titles; the world's largest collection of legal materials; films; 4. Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible or the Mazarin Bible) is a printed version of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible that Vellum (from the Old French Vélin for "calfskin" is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on single pages scrolls codices or books The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. Microforms are any form either films or paper containing microreproductions of documents for transmission storage reading and printing A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative 8 million maps; sheet music; 2. A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, Regions, and Themes Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of Musical notation; like its analogs -- books pamphlets etc 7 million sound recordings; more than 13. 7 million Prints & Photographs images including fine and popular art pieces and architectural drawings; the Betts Stradivarius; and the Cassavetti Stradivarius. The Betts Stradivarius is an Antique Violin made in 1704 by the Italian Luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona A Stradivarius is a Stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family particularly Antonio Stradivari. The head of the Library is the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington. The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. James Hadley Billington (born June 1, 1929) is the current Librarian of Congress in the United States.

History

Origins and Jefferson's donation (1800-1851)

The Library of Congress was established on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed an act of Congress providing for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by John Adams (October 30 1735 July 4 1826 was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Part of the legislation appropriated $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress . . . , and for fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them. . . . " Books were ordered from London and the collection, consisting of 740 books and 30 maps, was housed in the new Capitol. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[5] Although the collection covered a variety of topics, the bulk of the materials were legal in nature, reflecting Congress' role as a maker of laws.

Thomas Jefferson played an important role in the Library's early formation, signing into law on January 26, 1802 the first law establishing the structure of the Library of Congress. Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1802 ( MDCCCII) was a Common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting on Wednesday of the The law established the presidentially-appointed post of Librarian of Congress and a Joint Committee on the Library to regulate and oversee the Library, as well as giving the President and Vice President the ability to borrow books. The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Joint Committee on the Library is a Joint committee of the United States Congress devoted to the affairs and administration of the Library of Congress ^[5] The Library of Congress was destroyed in August 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol building and the small library of 3,000 volumes within. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Burning of Washington took place in 1814 during the Anglo-American War of 1812. ^[5]

Within a month, former President Jefferson offered his personal library^{[6] [7]}as a replacement. Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating a wide variety of books, including ones in foreign languages and volumes of philosophy, science, literature, and other topics not normally viewed as part of a legislative library, such as cookbooks, writing that, "I do not know that it contains any branch of science which Congress would wish to exclude from their collection; there is, in fact, no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter " In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487 books. ^[5]

Weakening (1851-1865)

The antebellum period was difficult for the Library. " Antebellum " is an expression derived from Latin that means "before war" ( ante, "before" and bellum During the 1850s the Smithsonian Institution's librarian Charles Coffin Jewett aggressively tried to move that organization towards becoming the United States' national library. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of Charles Coffin Jewett was born in 1816 in Lebanon Maine. He began his library career at Andover Theological Seminary, where he prepared his first catalog His efforts were blocked by the Smithsonian's Secretary Joseph Henry, who advocated a focus on scientific research and publication and favored the Library of Congress' development into the national library. Joseph Henry ( December 17 1797 &ndash May 13 1878) was an American scientist who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Henry's dismissal of Jewett in July 1854 ended the Smithsonian's attempts to become the national library, and in 1866 Henry transferred the Smithsonian's forty thousand-volume library to the Library of Congress. ^[5]

On December 24, 1851 the largest fire in the Library's history destroyed 35,000 books, about two-thirds of the Library's 55,000 book collection, including two-thirds of Jefferson's original donation. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes 1851 ( MDCCCLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year ^[5] Congress quickly appropriated in 1852 $168,700 to replace the lost books but not for the acquisition of new materials. This marked the start of a conservative period in the Library's administration under Librarian John Silva Meehan and Joint Committee Chairman James A. Pearce, who worked to restrict the Library's activities. John Silva Meehan ( February 6, 1790 &ndash April 24, 1863) was the fourth United States Librarian of Congress, serving James Alfred Pearce ( December 14, 1805 &ndash December 20, 1862) was an American politician ^[5] In 1857, Congress transferred the Library's public document distribution activities to the Department of the Interior and its international book exchange program to the Department of State. The United States Department of the Interior ( DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally The centralization of copyright offices into the United States Patent Office in 1859 ended the Library's thirteen year role as a depository of all copyrighted books and pamphlets. The United States Patent and Trademark Office ( PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues Patents to Abraham Lincoln's political appointment of John G. Stephenson as Librarian of Congress in 1861 further weakened the Library; Stephenson's focus was on non-Library affairs, including service as a volunteer aide-de-camp at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal For other persons named John Stephenson please see John Stephenson John Gould Stephenson ( March 1, 1828 &ndash An aide-de-camp ( French for camp assistant) is a personal assistant secretary or Adjutant to a person of high rank usually a senior military officer Forces and plans The Chancellorsville campaign began with the potential of leading to one of the most lopsided clashes in the war Background and movement to battle See also [[Gettysburg Campaign]] [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South By the conclusion of the war, the Library of Congress had a staff of seven for a collection of eighty thousand volumes. ^[5]

Spofford's expansion (1865-1897)

The Library of Congress inside the U. S. Capitol Building c. 1890

The Library of Congress reasserted itself during the latter half of the 19th century under Librarian Ainsworth Rand Spofford, who directed the Library from 1865 to 1897. Ainsworth Rand Spofford ( September 12, 1825 &ndash August 11, 1908) was the sixth United States Librarian of Congress Aided by an overall expansion of the federal government and a favorable political climate, Spofford built broad bipartisan support for the Library as a national library and a legislative resource, began comprehensively collecting Americana and American literature, and led the construction of a new building to house the Library, and transformed the Librarian of Congress position into one of strength and independence. Americana refers to artifacts of the Culture of the United States, the history and folklore resultant from its Westward expansion. American literature refers to written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and Colonial America. ^[5] Between 1865 and 1870, Congress appropriated funds for the construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, placed all copyright registration and deposit activities under the Library's control, and restored the Library's international book exchange. The oldest of the three United States Library of Congress buildings the Thomas Jefferson Building was built between 1890 and 1897 The Library also acquired the vast libraries of both the Smithsonian and historian Peter Force, strengthening its scientific and Americana collections significantly. Peter Force ( November 26, 1790 – January 23, 1868) was a 19th-century politician newspaper editor archivist and historian By 1876, the Library of Congress had 300,000 volumes and was tied with Boston Public Library as the nation's largest library. The Boston Public Library is the largest municipal public library in the United States. When the Library moved from the Capitol Building to its new headquarters in 1897, it had over 840,000 volumes, 40% of which had been acquired through copyright deposit. ^[5]

Some of the Library of Congress' holdings awaiting shelving inside the newly opened Thomas Jefferson Building

A year before the Library's move to its new location, the Joint Library Committee held a session of hearings to assess the condition of the Library and plan for its future growth and possible reorganization. Spofford and six experts sent by the American Library Association, including future Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam and Melvil Dewey of the New York State Library, testified before the committee that the Library should continue its expansion towards becoming a true national library. The American Library Association ( ALA) is a group based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally Herbert Putnam LittD LLD ( September 20 1861 &ndash August 14 1955) was the eighth United States Librarian of Congress Melvil Dewey (1851 &ndash 1931 was an American Librarian, Educator, and the Inventor of the Dewey Decimal Classification system for Library The New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department. ^[5] Based on the hearings and with the assistance of Senators Justin Morrill of Vermont and Daniel Voorhees of Indiana, Congress more than doubled the Library's staff from 42 to 108 and established new administrative units for all aspects of the Library's collection. Justin Smith Morrill ( April 14, 1810 – December 28, 1898) was a Representative (1855–1867 and a Senator (1867–1898 Daniel Wolsey Voorhees ( September 26 1827 - April 10 1897) was a lawyer and United States Senator from Indiana, who Congress also strengthened the office of Librarian of Congress to govern the Library and make staff appointments, as well as requiring Senate approval for presidential appointees to the position. ^[5]

Post-reorganization (1897-1939)

Main Library of Congress Building at the start of the 20th century.

The Library of Congress, spurred by the 1897 reorganization, began to grow and develop more rapidly. Spofford's successor John Russell Young, though only in office for two years, overhauled the Library's bureaucracy, used his connections as a former diplomat to acquire more materials from around the world, and established the Library's first assistance programs for the blind and physically disabled. John Russell Young ( November 20, 1840 &ndash January 17, 1899) an American journalist author diplomat and the seventh Librarian of Congress ^[5] Young's successor Herbert Putnam held the office for forty years from 1899 to 1939, entering into the position two years before the Library became the first in the United States to hold one million volumes. Herbert Putnam LittD LLD ( September 20 1861 &ndash August 14 1955) was the eighth United States Librarian of Congress ^[5] Putnam focused his efforts on making the Library more accessible and useful for the public and for other libraries. He instituted the interlibrary loan service, transforming the Library of Congress into what he referred to as a "library of last resort". ^[8] Putnam also expanded Library access to "scientific investigators and duly qualified individuals" and began publishing primary sources for the benefit of scholars. ^[5]

Putnam's tenure also saw increasing diversity in the Library's acquisitions. In 1903 he persuaded President Theodore Roosevelt to transfer by executive order the papers of the Founding Fathers from the State Department to the Library of Congress. Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T The Founding Fathers of the United States are the Political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence or otherwise participated in the Putnam expanded foreign acquisitions as well, including the 1904 purchase of a four-thousand volume library of Indica, the 1906 purchase of G. V. Yudin's eighty-thousand volume Russian library, the 1908 Schatz collection of early opera librettos, and the early 1930s purchase of the Russian Imperial Collection, consisting of 2,600 volumes from the library of the Romanov family on a variety of topics. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and The House of Romanov (Рома́нов rʌˈmanəf was the second and last imperial Dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country from 1613 to 1917 Collections of Hebraica and Chinese and Japanese works were also acquired. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities ^[5] Congress even took the initiative to acquire materials for the Library in one occasion, when in 1929 Congressman Ross Collins of Mississippi successfully proposed the $1. Userpolbot from http//bioguidecongressgov/scripts/biodisplaypl?index=C000642 5 million purchase of Otto Vollbehr's collection of incunabula, including one of four remaining perfect vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible. Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible or the Mazarin Bible) is a printed version of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible that ^[5]

In 1914 Putnam established the Legislative Reference Service as a separative administrative unit of the Library. The Congressional Research Service (CRS is the Public policy research arm of the United States Congress. Based in the Progressive era's philosophy of science as a problem-solver, and modeled after successful research branches of state legislatures, the LRS would provide informed answers to Congressional research inquiries on almost any topic. The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of reform which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s ^[5] In 1925 Congress passed an act allowing the Library of Congress to establish a Trust Fund Board to accept donations and endowments, giving the Library a role as a patron of the arts. The Library received the donations and endowments of prominent individuals such as John D. Rockefeller, James B. John Davison Rockefeller ( July 8, 1839 &ndash May 23, 1937) was an American Industrialist and philanthropist Wilbur and Archer M. Huntington. Archer Milton Huntington ( March 10 1870 &ndash December 11 1955) was the son of Arabella (née Duval Huntington and the stepson Gertrude Clarke Whittall donated five Stradivarius violins to the Library and Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge's donations paid for a concert hall within the Library of Congress building and the establishment of an honorarium for the Music Division. A Stradivarius is a Stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family particularly Antonio Stradivari. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge ( 30 October 1864 - 4 November 1953) born Elizabeth Penn Sprague, was an American pianist and A concert hall is a cultural building which serves as performance venue chiefly for classical instrumental music An honorarium is an Ex gratia payment made to a person for their services in a volunteer capacity or for services for which fees are not traditionally required A number of chairs and consultantships were established from the donations, the most well-known of which is the Poet Laureate Consultant. The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress is appointed by the United States Librarian of Congress and earns a stipend of $35000 a year ^[5]

The Library's expansion eventually filled the Library's Main Building despite shelving expansions in 1910 and 1927, forcing the Library to expand into a new structure. Congress acquired nearby land in 1928 and approved construction of the Annex Building (later the John Adams Building) in 1930. Although delayed during the Depression years, it was completed in 1938 and opened to the public in 1939. ^[5]

Modern history (1939-present)

When Putnam retired in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Archibald MacLeish as his successor. Archibald MacLeish ( May 7, 1892 – April 20, 1982) was an American Poet, Writer and the Librarian Occupying the post from 1939 to 1944 during the height of World War II, MacLeish became the most visible Librarian of Congress in the Library's history. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including MacLeish encouraged librarians to oppose totalitarianism on behalf of democracy; dedicated the South Reading Room of the Adams Building to Thomas Jefferson, commissioning artist Ezra Winter to paint four themed murals for the room; and established a "democracy alcove" in the Main Reading Room of the Jefferson Building for important documents such as the Declaration, Constitution and Federalist Papers. Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. ^[5] Even the Library of Congress assisted during the war effort, ranging from the storage of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution in Fort Knox for safekeeping to researching weather data on the Himalayas for Air Force pilots. This article is about declarations of independence in general The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. ^[5] MacLeish resigned in 1944 to become Assistant Secretary of State, and President Harry Truman appointed Luther H. Evans as Librarian of Congress. Luther Harris Evans ( October 13 1902, Bastrop County Texas &ndash December 23 1981, San Antonio Texas) was an Evans, who served until 1953, expanded the Library's acquisitions, cataloging and bibliographic services as much as the fiscal-minded Congress would allow, but his primary achievement was the creation of Library of Congress Missions around the world. Missions played a variety of roles in the postwar world: the mission in San Francisco assisted participants in the meeting that established the United Nations, the mission in Europe acquired European publications for the Library of Congress and other American libraries, and the mission in Japan aided in the creation of the National Diet Library. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy the is the only National library in Japan. ^[5]

Evans' successor L. Quincy Mumford took over in 1953. Lawrence Quincy Mumford ( December 11, 1903 &ndash August 15, 1982) was Librarian of the United States Congress from 1954 to 1974 Mumford's tenure, lasting until 1974, saw the initiation of the construction of the James Madison Memorial Building, the third Library of Congress building. Mumford directed the Library during a period of increased educational spending, the windfall of which allowed the Library to devote energies towards establishing new acquisition centers abroad, including in Cairo and New Delhi. Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. New Delhi (नई दिल्ली ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ نئی دلی is the Capital city of India. In 1967 the Library began experimenting with book preservation techniques through a Preservation Office, which grew to become the largest library research and conservation effort in the United States. ^[5] Mumford's administration also saw the last major public debate about the Library of Congress' role as both a legislative library and a national library. A 1962 memorandum by Douglas Bryant of the Harvard University Library, compiled at the request of Joint Library Committee chairman Claiborne Pell, proposed a number of institutional reforms, including expansion of national activities and services and various organizational changes, all of which to shift the Library more towards its national role over its legislative role. The Harvard University Library system comprises about 90 libraries with more than 15 million volumes Claiborne de Borda Pell (born November 22, 1918) was a United States Senator from Rhode Island from 1961 to 1997 Bryant even suggested possibly changing the name of the Library of Congress, which was rebuked by Mumford as "unspeakable violence to tradition". ^[5] Debate continued within the library community until the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 shifted the Library back towards its legislative roles, placing greater focus on research for Congress and congressional committees and renaming the Legislative Reference Service to the Congressional Research Service. Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (also known as the Congressional Reorganization Act, ch The Congressional Research Service (CRS is the Public policy research arm of the United States Congress. ^[5]

After Mumford retired in 1974, Gerald Ford appointed Daniel J. Boorstin as Librarian. Daniel Joseph Boorstin ( October 1, 1914 – February 28, 2004) was an American Historian, Professor, Attorney Boorstin's first challenge was the move to the new Madison Building, which took place between 1980 and 1982. The move released pressures on staff and shelf space, allowing Boorstin to focus on other areas of Library administration such as acquisitions and collections. Taking advantage of steady budgetary growth, from $116 million in 1975 to over $250 million by 1987, Boorstin actively participated in enhancing ties with scholars, authors, publishers, cultural leaders, and the business community. His active and prolific role changed the post of Librarian of Congress so that by the time he retired in 1987, the New York Times called it "perhaps the leading intellectual public position in the nation. "^[5] Ronald Reagan appointed James H. Billington as the thirteenth Librarian of Congress in 1987, a post he holds as of 2008. James Hadley Billington (born June 1, 1929) is the current Librarian of Congress in the United States. Billington took advantage of new technological advancements and the Internet to link the Library to educational institutions around the country in 1991. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks The end of the Cold War also enabled the Library to develop relationships with newly open Eastern European nations, helping them to establish parliamentary libraries of their own. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the ^[5]

In late November 2005, the Library announced intentions to launch the World Digital Library, digitally preserving books and other objects from all world cultures. The World Digital Library is a project of the Library of Congress to make available on the Internet free of charge and in multilingual format significant primary materials

Buildings of the Library

The Library of Congress is physically housed in three buildings in Washington, D.C.. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D

Thomas Jefferson Building

Main article: Thomas Jefferson Building

The Thomas Jefferson Building is located between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street on First Street SE. The oldest of the three United States Library of Congress buildings the Thomas Jefferson Building was built between 1890 and 1897 Independence Avenue may refer to Independence Avenue (Washington D It first opened in 1897 as the main building of the Library. Known originally as the Library of Congress Building or Main Building, it took its present name on June 13, 1980. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

John Adams Building

Main article: John Adams Building

The John Adams Building is located between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street on 2nd Street SE. The John Adams Building is one of three Library buildings of the Library of Congress in the United States. It opened in 1938 as an annex to the main building. Between April 13, 1976 and June 13, 1980, the John Adams Building was known as the Thomas Jefferson Building. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

James Madison Memorial Building

Main article: James Madison Memorial Building

The James Madison Memorial Building is located between First and Second Streets on Independence Avenue SE. The James Madison Memorial Building is one of three buildings that make up the Library of Congress and is part of the United States Capitol Complex. It opened in 1981 as the new headquarters of the Library. The James Madison Memorial Building also serves as the official memorial to James Madison. It houses, among other materials, the law library.

Holdings

Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building. The oldest of the three United States Library of Congress buildings the Thomas Jefferson Building was built between 1890 and 1897

Interior view of the Library of Congress

The Library developed a system of book classification called Library of Congress Classification (LCC) which is used by most US research and university libraries, although most public libraries continue to use the Dewey decimal system. The Library of Congress Classification ( LCC) is a system of Library classification developed by the Library of Congress. An academic library is a Library which serves an institution of higher learning such as a College or a University — libraries in secondary and primary A public library (also called circulating library) is a Library which is accessible by the Public and is generally funded from public sources (such The Dewey Decimal Classification ( DDC, also called the Dewey Decimal System) is a Proprietary system of Library classification developed

The Library serves as a legal repository for copyright protection and copyright registration, and as the base for the United States Copyright Office. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for The purpose of copyright registration is to place on record a verifiable account of the date and content of the work in question so that in the event of a legal claim or case of The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U Regardless of whether they register their copyright, all publishers are required to submit two complete copies of their published works to the Library—this requirement is known as mandatory deposit. ^[9] Parties wishing not to publish, need only submit one copy of their work. Nearly 22,000 new items published in the U. S. arrive every business day at the Library. Contrary to popular belief, however, the Library does not retain all of these works in its permanent collection, although it does add an average of 10,000 items per day. Rejected items are used in trades with other libraries around the world, distributed to federal agencies, or donated to schools, communities, and other organizations within the United States. ^[10] As is true of many similar libraries, the Library of Congress retains copies of every publication in the English language which is deemed significant. Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their Publications to a repository usually a library.

The Guinness Book of World Records currently lists the Library of Congress as the "World's Largest Library". Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U ^[11] This apparently is based on the shelf space the collection occupies; the Library of Congress states that its collection fills about 530 miles (850 km),^[12] while the British Library, reports about 388 miles (625 km) of shelves. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. ^[13] The Library of Congress holds about 130 million items with 29 million books against approximately 150 million items with 25 million books for the British Library. ^[12][13]

It is estimated that the print holdings of the Library of Congress would, if digitized and stored as plain text, constitute 17 to 20 terabytes of information. A terabyte (derived from the prefix Tera- and commonly abbreviated TB) is a measurement term for data storage capacity. This leads many people to conclude that 20 terabytes is equivalent to the entire holdings of the Library, but this is misleading because the Library contains many items in addition to books, such as photographs, maps, and sound recordings. The Library currently has no plans for systematic digitization of any significant portion of its books.

Library of Congress

The Library makes millions of digital objects, comprising tens of terabytes, available at its American Memory site. American Memory is an Internet -based Archive for Public domain image resources as well as audio, Video, and archived Web content American Memory is a source for public domain image resources, as well as audio, video, and archived Web content. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone Nearly all of the lists of holdings, the catalogs of the library, can be consulted directly on its web site. Librarians all over the world consult these catalogs, through the Web or through other media better suited to their needs, when they need to catalog for their collection a book published in the United States. They use the Library of Congress Control Number to make sure of the exact identity of the book. The Library of Congress Control Number or LCCN is a serially based system of numbering cataloging records in the Library of Congress in the United

The Library of Congress also provides an on-line archive of the proceedings of the U.S. Congress at THOMAS, including bill text, Congressional Record text, bill summary and status, the Congressional Record Index, and the United States Constitution. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses THOMAS is the database of United States Congress legislative information started in 1995 The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States.

The Library also administers the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a talking and Braille library program provided to more than 766,000 Americans. Blindness is the condition of lacking Visual perception due to Physiological or Neurological factors

Using the Library

Library of Congress reading room

The library is open to the general public for academic research, and runs tours for visitors. Only those who are issued a "Reader Identification Card" may enter the reading rooms and access the collection. The Reader Identification Card is available in the Madison building to persons who are at least 18 years of age upon presentation of a government issued picture identification (e. g. , driver's license, state ID card or passport). A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government However, only members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, their staff, Library of Congress staff and certain other government officials can actually remove items from the library buildings. Members of the general public with Reader Identification Cards must use items from the library collection inside the reading rooms only; they cannot remove library items from the reading rooms or the library buildings. During the 110th Congress, in the Fall, United States House of Representatives Pages were given Library of Congress Reader Cards for the first time in the Page Program's history, giving them access to the large reading rooms available in the Library of Congress. Pages can be as young as 16 years of age.

Since 1902, libraries in the United States have been able to request books and other items through interlibrary loan from the Library of Congress if these items are not readily available elsewhere. Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, document delivery, or document supply etc Through this, the Library of Congress has served as a "library of last resort", according to former Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam. Herbert Putnam LittD LLD ( September 20 1861 &ndash August 14 1955) was the eighth United States Librarian of Congress ^[8]

Annual events

The Great Hall interior

• The National Book Festival
• Founder's Day Celebration
• Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
• Archives Fair
• Judith P. The National Book Festival is an American event organized by the Library of Congress annually in Washington D Founder's Day originated from a proclamation by the United States Continental Congress on October 11, 1782 in response to England's expected military defeat The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is an award given annually to a composer or performer for their lifetime contributions to Popular music. Austin Memorial Lecture
• Davidson Fellows Reception

See also

• American Folklife Center
• Congressional Research Service
  • Federal Research Division
• Law Library of Congress
• Library of Congress Classification
• Library of Congress Country Studies
• Library of Congress Living Legend
• Library of Congress Subject Headings
• MARC standards
• National Film Registry
• National Recording Registry
• Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
• United States Copyright Office
• United States Senate Library
• Documents Expediting Project
• The Feleky Collection
• World Digital Library
• Library of Parliament (Canada)
• House of Commons Library, Parliamentary Archives, British Library (UK)

References

External links

• The Library of Congress website
  • History of the Library of Congress
  • American Memory
  • Search the Library of Congress catalog
  • thomas.loc.gov, legislative information
• Works by the Library of Congress at Project Gutenberg
• Standards, The Library of Congress
• Library Of Congress Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
• Library of Congress photos on Flickr
• Outdoor sculpture at the Library of Congress

• Library of Congress is at coordinates 38°53′20″N 77°00′16″W / 38.888841, -77.004531 (Library of Congress)Coordinates: 38°53′20″N 77°00′16″W / 38.888841, -77.004531 (Library of Congress)