|
| |
The Library of Congress
Location Washington D.C., USA
Date 1897
Architect John L. Smithmeyer & Paul J. Pelz
Type of library Congressional Library
website address http://www.loc.gov
Local Name
The Library of Congress
Visiting Address
Thomas Jefferson Building, 101 Independence Avenue S.E.
Washington D.C., USA
Opening Hours
Thomas Jefferson Building, Monday to Saturday 10.30 to 17.30
for visitors. Public tours also available.
Brief History
The Library of Congress was founded in 1800 as a library to
serve the members of the United States Congress, but it has
become “the nation’s library”. The library’s core collection of
3,000 volumes was destroyed in 1814, when the Capitol was
burned down. But Congress approved the purchase of Thomas
Jefferson’s personal library of 6,487 books in 1815.
Today, the library consists of three massive buildings. The Thomas
Jefferson Building, opened in 1897, is a “grand monument to civilization,
culture, and American achievement”. It houses the Main
Reading Room shown in the picture above. The Adams Building
opened in 1939, and the Madison Building was completed in 1980.
Special Interest
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the World, with
a collection of more than 120 million items, which is growing
by over 10,000 items a day. It receives over 2 million visitors a
year.
Amongst the collection are the Gutenberg Bible on vellum,
and a Buddhist sutra, or discourse, from 770 A.D., which is the
oldest example of printing in the World. Foremost in the
Manuscript Division are the papers of 23 presidents.
View
cart/checkout
|
|
About The Libraries
Product catalog
Testimonials
Product Review
Price List
FAQs
Marketing with RL products
Advertising with Calendars
Customize the Calendar
For Library Associations
For Library Suppliers
For Library Cooperatives
For Library Consultants
Bulk Orders
Newsletter Archive
Tell a Friend
Press releases
Site Map
|
| |
|
