The Library of Congress

The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. is the largest library in the world, with more than 130 million items (more than 29 million books and other printed materials, 2.7 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.8 million maps, and 58 million manuscripts), materials in 460 languages, on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves. It is as well the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress.

The Library was established by President John Adams in 1800 and it was originally housed in the Capitol Building. After the fire in the Capitol set by British in 1814, Thomas Jefferson offered his private library as a replacement. His library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States.

Nowadays the Library occupies three buildings (Thomas Jefferson Building, John Adams Building and James Madison Memorial Building). The one on the picture is The Thomas Jefferson Building, the original separate Library of Congress building, from 1897.

The competition was announced in 1873 by the Congress on the insistence of Spofford, the Librarian of Congress from 1864 to 1897. In 1886, after many proposals and much controversy, Congress authorized construction of a new Library building in the style of the Italian Renaissance in accordance with a design prepared by Washington architects John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz. The building’s architects became General Thomas Lincoln Casey and his chief assistant Bernard R. Green and in 1892 the chief architect of the interior became Casey’s son Edward Pearce Casey. He included sculptural and painted decoration by more than 50 American artists.

The library is open to the general public for academic research, and runs tours for visitors. Only those who are issued a "Reader Identification Card" may enter the reading rooms and access the collection.