The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library with a collection of around 170 million items.The Library of Congress, until the Civil War, had the purpose of only serving Congress. It is now used worldwide for academic and research purposes.Charles Bulfinch became the architect of the Capitol in January 1818. He made plans for a library room in the center of the Capitol’s west front, and this room measured 90 ft (27 m) long and 30 ft (9.4 m) wide. It was occupied in August 1824.Ainsworth Rand Spofford’s expansion of the library in the late 19th century, the Congressional Library was given its separate building. The build was designed by architects Paul J. Pelz and John L. Smithmeyer.The Library of Congress serves the U.S Congress members, staff and committees, other government agencies, scholars, researchers, scientists, artists, and other libraries worldwide. There are also library services available for blind and physically handicapped people. The research library can be accessed outside of Washington through its website, www.loc.gov.The Library of Congress hosts several events like lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and the national book festival for the public. The library is open to everyone, and 2 million tourists visit it annually.If you enjoyed reading this article on Library of Congress facts, you might also enjoy New York Statue of Liberty facts and Lincoln Memorial facts.Facts About The Library Of CongressThe national library’s core collection of 3,000 volumes was destroyed on August 24, 1814, by British troops burning the capitol building which housed the library. In January of 1815, Congress approved the purchase of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library consisting of 6,487 books for the amount of $23,950.The nation’s library receives approximately 15,000 and adds 12,000 items to its collection every day from copyright deposits, gifts, purchases, government agencies, cataloging in publications, and other libraries in the U.S and abroad.The Library of Congress maintains offices abroad acquiring, preserving, and cataloging library and research materials from other countries. Countries like Brazil, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Indonesia, and Egypt have such overseas offices and collect materials from more than 60 countries on behalf of the United States libraries. The library also collaborates with institutions worldwide for content for the world digital library.The items not selected into the library’s collection or exchange programs are given to educational institutions, other federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, or public libraries.Since the early 21st century, Capitol Hill has housed the three buildings that form the Library of Congress. The three library buildings are named the Thomas Jefferson Building, the John Adams Building, and the James Madison Memorial Building.The Thomas Jefferson Building was formerly called the Congressional Library, is located in Capitol Hill. Thomas Jefferson Building was completed and established in 1897. It is designed in Italian Renaissance Style. The Library of Congress’s main reading room is present in this building.The John Adams Building was first opened to the public on January 3, 1939. It can be found on the block adjacent to the Jefferson Building. The building housed the U.S Copyright Office, which was later relocated to the Madison Building.The James Madison Memorial Building was constructed from 1971-1976, between Independence Avenue’s First and Second Streets. It was named after President James Madison, the fourth President of the United States. It currently houses the U.S Copyright Office. The Mary Pickford Theatre is a part of this building. Free screenings of classic and modern movies and T.V shows are hosted in the theater.History Of The Library Of CongressThe library was established on April 24, 1800, when U.S. President John Adams approved $5000 for purchasing books necessary for Congress’s use. This approval was part of legislation that moved the U.S capital from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C. The library was housed, during this period, in the new Capitol building. On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the Capitol building, and 3,000 volumes that were in the library’s original collection were destroyed in the fire.On January 30, 1815, Congress agreed to buy Thomas Jefferson’s personal library collection. This collection had 6,487 books and formed the basis of the Congressional Library. On December 24, 1851, another fire broke out in the building and destroyed two-thirds of the library’s collection. These volumes were later replaced.Ainsworth Rand Spofford, who directed the library between 1864-1897, changed the library into a vital national institution. He convinced Congress that the library was the nation’s library and should be used by both the public and Congress. Spofford is also instrumental in establishing the Copyright Law of 1870. All copyright activities in the U.S were centralized in the Library of Congress because of this law. Anyone seeking copyright had to submit two copies of their work; this significantly increased the library’s collection. He was also the first person to propose a separate building for the library.A National Digital Library program was established in 1994 to provide free access to the library’s resources.Unknown Facts About The Library Of CongressDuring the fire of 1814, one of the volumes was taken as a souvenir by British naval officer Sir George Cockburn from the library. This was a government account book that contained the receipts and expenditures of 1810. The family returned it to the U.S government in 1940.During Christmas Eve 1851, a faulty chimney resulted in a fire that burned more than half of the estimated 55,000 volume collection, nearly two-thirds of Thomas Jefferson library’s books were lost. Because of this, Thomas U. Walter, the Lead Architect of the Library of Congress, designed a fireproof cast-iron room in the Capitol’s west front. It was opened on August 23, 1853, and drew plenty of tourists. The room was dismantled in 1901.One of the rarest treasures of the Library of Congress, The Gutenberg Bible, was purchased in 1930 from Dr. Otto Vollbehr. The 15th-century book is only one of three copies on vellum worldwide.Types Of Books In The Library Of CongressAstonishingly, the world’s largest library has more than 32 million cataloged books/printed materials and 61 million manuscripts. It is estimated that half of the library’s book collections are in languages other than English. The national library features books in 470 languages and all genres in the collection.The national library houses 700,000 volumes of rare books, making it the largest rare-book collection in North America. The rare-book collection contains books such as the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a Gutenberg Bible, and ‘The Bay Psalm Book,’ the first book printed in the U.S in 1640.One hundred extremely rare children’s books such as ‘The Children’s Bible’ (Philadelphia, 1763) and ‘The Children’s New Play-Thing’ (Philadelphia, 1763) are housed in the national archives of the library.‘Old King Cole’ has the record of being the smallest book in the Library of Congress, measuring 0.25x0.25 sq in (0.6x0.6 sq cm).The largest book is a book containing 40,000 color digital images of Bhutan, which was created by a student team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with support from Microsoft. The measurements of the book are 5x7 ft (1.5x2.1 m). It records the ancient culture and life of Bhutan.Passages from the Buddhist Sutra were printed in 770 A.D and are one of the world’s oldest printing examples. It is housed in the Asian Division houses of the library.The oldest written item found in the library is a cuneiform tablet that dates back to 2040 B.C.The Law Library contains more than 2.9 million volumes, one of the best rare book collections in the world, and the U.S’s most complete collection of foreign legal gazettes. Therefore, it is the largest law library in the world.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 99 Unknown Library Of Congress Facts That You Will Find Only Here, then why not take a look at Brooklyn Bridge, New York, or about Golden Gate Bridge?
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library with a collection of around 170 million items.
