Library of Congress
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. The legislation described a reference library for Congress only, containing "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress - and for putting up a suitable apartment for containing them therein…"
The original library was housed in the Washington, DC 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; his library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States. In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, and the foundation was laid for a great national library.
In the second half of the 19th Century Ainsworth Rand Spofford, Librarian of Congress, built the Library into a national institution. Spofford was responsible for the copyright law of 1870, which required all copyright applicants to send to the Library two copies of their work. A new building was designed in Washington and its opening was hailed as a glorious national monument and "the largest, the costliest, and the safest" library building in the world.
Today's Library of Congress is an unparalleled world resource. The collection includes millions of cataloged books and other print materials in 460 languages; millions of manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America; and the world's largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings.
| Publication Date | Publishing Account | Status | Note | View |
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2023-11-01 03:11:52 pm |
Dina Herbert |
published |
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2022-05-25 01:05:27 pm |
Eden Orelove |
published |
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2022-05-06 02:05:11 pm |
Eden Orelove |
published |
User published constellation |
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2020-08-31 10:08:24 am |
Jane Cross |
published |
User published constellation |
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2020-08-31 08:08:33 am |
Jane Cross |
published |
User published constellation |
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2020-08-31 08:08:25 am |
Jane Cross |
merge split |
Merged Constellation |
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