![]() President Thomas Jefferson played an important role in establishing the structure of the Library of Congress. ![]() and for fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them." Books were ordered from London, and the collection consisted of 740 books and three maps, which were housed in the new United States Capitol. Part of the legislation appropriated $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress. The Library of Congress was established on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed an act of Congress, which also provided for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. In the years after the Revolutionary War, the Philadelphia Library Company and New York Society Library served as surrogate congressional libraries whenever Congress held session in those respective cities. Madison's initial proposal was rejected at the time, but represented the first real introduction of the idea of a congressional library. James Madison of Virginia is credited with the idea of creating a congressional library, first making such a proposition in 1783. History Thomas Jefferson Building being constructed from 1888 to 1894 1800–1851: Origin and Jefferson's contribution The library is open to the public for research, although only high-ranking government officials and library employees may borrow (i.e., temporarily take custody of) books and materials. It also houses and oversees the United States Copyright Office. The library's primary mission is to research inquiries made by members of Congress, which is carried out through the Congressional Research Service. Two more adjacent library buildings, the John Adams Building, built in the 1930s, and the James Madison Memorial Building, built in the 1970s, hold expanded parts of the collection and provide space for additional library services. Between 18, Congress constructed and moved the collection to a large adjacent library building, now known as the Thomas Jefferson Building, across the street from the Capitol. The Library also built its collections through acquisitions and donations. The library received the right of transference of all copyrighted works, and deposit of two copies of books, maps, illustrations, and diagrams printed in the United States. ![]() This destroyed a large amount of the collection, including many of Jefferson's books.Īfter the American Civil War, the importance of the Library of Congress increased and there was a campaign to purchase replacement copies for volumes for its lost books. Over the next few years, its collection slowly grew, but in 1851, another fire broke out in the Capitol chambers. Congress then purchased Thomas Jefferson's entire personal collection of 6,487 books to restore its own collection. Much of the library's original collection was burnt by British forces during the War of 1812. In Washington, the library was housed in the United States Capitol for almost all of the 19th century. Congress had access to the sizable collections of the New York Society Library and the Library Company of Philadelphia. in 1800 after holding sessions for eleven years in the temporary national capitals in New York City and Philadelphia. Its "collections are universal, not limited by subject, format, or national boundary, and include research materials from all parts of the world and in more than 470 languages." Ĭongress moved to Washington, D.C. Its collections contain approximately 173 million items, and it has more than 3,000 employees. The Library of Congress is one of the largest libraries in the world. The library's functions are overseen by the librarian of Congress, and its buildings are maintained by the Architect of the Capitol. It also maintains a conservation center in Culpeper, Virginia. The library is housed in three elaborate buildings on Capitol Hill. Founded in 1800, the library is the United States's oldest federal cultural institution. Congress and the de facto national library of the United States. The Library of Congress ( LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., that serves as the library and research service of the U.S.
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