The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States, located in Washington, DC, with over 530 miles of shelving and 22,000 new items arriving daily. It has a large collection of materials from around the world, including rare books, films, photographs, and sound recordings. It serves as the primary research library for members of Congress and individuals over 18 with US government-issued identification. The library also receives two copies of every new version of copyrighted materials and serves as the central database for copyrighted documents.
The Library of Congress serves as the national library of the United States of America. Located in three buildings in Washington, DC, it is also the largest library in the world, with 530 miles (853 kilometers) of shelving. It has very large collections of a variety of materials from around the world, with more than 22,000 new items arriving for catalog and disposal each day. The Library of Congress has also developed an independent classification system for books, which is used by some libraries in lieu of the Dewey Decimal System.
In 1800, President John Adams signed an act of Congress officially locating the national capital in Washington, DC. The act also included a provision for the establishment of a library, originally intended for the use of Congress. The Library of Congress, as it came to be called, started out relatively small, but expanded rapidly, acquiring materials from around the world. It still serves as the primary research library for members of Congress, and individuals over the age of 18 with U.S. government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license, may also visit the library and take advantage of its collections of research.
The contents of the Library of Congress are housed in three buildings: the Thomas Jefferson Building, the John Adams Building, and the James Madison Memorial Building, which currently serves as the library’s headquarters. The permanent collection includes over 30 million books in 470 languages, 58 million manuscripts and over one million official government publications. It also houses a formidable collection of rare books, newspapers from around the world, films, photographs, graphic novels, sheet music and sound recordings.
By convention, every individual interested in applying for copyright sends two copies of a new version to the Library of Congress. The library creates a catalog entry for the book, which will be included in future editions. If the book is deemed historically significant, both copies will be kept as part of the permanent collection. Otherwise, the books are sold or traded with other libraries. The Library of Congress also serves as the central database for copyrighted documents and as the basis for the United States Copyright Office.
Materials in the Library of Congress collections can only be verified by US government officials. On rare occasions, if a citizen cannot purchase materials anywhere else, a loan arrangement may be made, as it is considered the lending library of last resort.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
