The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world

The Library of Congress was established on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed its legislation. This act was part of a bill that transferred the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital of Washington, D.C., and it allocated a fund of $5,000 to create a reference library for use by Congress.

After its founding in 1800, the Library was housed in a boarding house and later in the U.S. Capitol building. Its first permanent, dedicated location — now called the Thomas Jefferson Building — was opened in 1897. The John Adams Building was completed in 1939 and the James Madison Memorial Building in 1980.

Today, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, housing over 175 million items as of fiscal year 2022. Its collection at that time included:

• More than 40 million cataloged books and other printed materials in 470 languages

• 77 million manuscripts

• The largest, rare book collection in North America

• Over 1 million U.S. government publications

• 1 million issues of world newspapers spanning the last three centuries

• 4.2 million audio materials (discs, tapes, talking books and other recorded formats)

• 5.8 million maps

• 1.8 million moving images

• 8.2 million items of sheet music

• 15.2 million photographs

• 864,000 posters, prints and drawing

• 2 million other items (including machine-readable items)

The highlight of a visit to the Library of Congress is the glorious Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building, which rises 75 feet from marble floor to stained glass ceiling. Marble columns, staircases, mosaics and paintings make this one of the most beautiful public buildings in America. It houses some of the most historic and treasured items from the Library's vast collection; ongoing displays include the map that first used the term "America" for the New World, Thomas Jefferson's original library (the basis for the Library of Congress), and the Gutenberg Bible.

The Library is directed by the Librarian of Congress, who is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by a vote of the Senate.

If you cannot make a trip to see the Library of Congress in person, you can still benefit from its vast digital collection. For example, here is a link to a 33-second patriotic audio appeal, recorded in 1918, by the U.S. Army to Americans for "their unshrinking support," delivered by General John J. Pershing, Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces, from the World War I battlefields of France.