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Library of Congress
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The Library of Congress is an unparalleled world resource. The collection of more than 158 million items includes more than 36 million books and other print materials in 460 languages. The collection includes rare books, maps, legal materials, films, sheet music and sound recordings. You can use the largest library in the world online or in person! More about the Library.
The Library of Congress is the official research library of the United States Congress. In regards to shelf space and the number of books, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. Located in Washington D.C., the building stands as the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States.
The U.S. Copyright Office is a part of the Library of Congress an administers the Nation’s copyright laws for the advancement of the public good, offers services and support to authors and users of creative works, and provides expert impartial assistance to Congress, the courts and executive branch agencies on questions of copyright law and policy.
Congress established its Law Library in 1832 and it is a part of the Library of Congress. It was recognizing a need for ready access to reliable legal materials. The Law Library has grown over the years to become the world’s largest law library, with a collection of over three million volumes spanning the ages and covering virtually every jurisdiction in the world. |
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Thomas Jefferson Building |
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The Library of Congress was established by an act of Congress in 1800 when President John Adams signed a bill providing for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. It was housed in the new Capitol until August 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol Building, burning and pillaging the contents of the small library.
Within a month, retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement. Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating books, "putting by everything which related to America, and indeed whatever was rare and valuable in every science"; his library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States. Take a tour
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James Madison Memorial Building |
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| In 1957, Librarian of Congress L. Quincy Mumford initiated studies for a third Library building. Congress appropriated planning funds for that structure, today's James Madison Memorial Building, in 1960, and construction was approved by an act of Congress on October 19, 1965 that authorized an appropriation of $75 million. Excavation and foundation work began in June 1971, and work on the superstructure was completed in 1976. The cornerstone, inscribed with the date 1974, was laid on March 8, 1974. Dedication ceremonies were held on April 24, 1980, and the building actually opened on May 28, 1980. Take a tour |
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John Adams Building |
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| In 1928, at the urging of Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam, Congress authorized the purchase of land directly east of the Library's Main Building for the construction of an Annex Building. The bill was sponsored by Robert Luce, chairman of the House Committee on the Library. On June 13, 1930, $6,500,000 was appropriated for the building's construction, for a tunnel connecting it to the Main Building, and for changes in the east front of the Main Building, including the construction of a Rare Book Room. An additional appropriation approved on June 6, 1935, brought the total authorization to $8,226,457. Take a tour |
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