Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Library of Congress was established on the 24th of April 1800 when John Adams signed an act appropriating $5,000 to purchase books. The initial collection consisted of 740 volumes and three maps that formed the library when Congress moved to Washington in November 1800.
Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library of 6,487 books to replace the collection destroyed by the British during the War of 1812. Congress accepted this offer in January 1815 and spent $23,950 to acquire the collection despite opposition from some House members.
The Thomas Jefferson Building opened in 1897 and stands between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street on First Street SE. The John Adams Building is located on 2nd Street SE adjacent to the Jefferson structure while the James Madison Memorial Building was constructed from 1971 to 1976 as a memorial to the fourth president.
As of 2022 the library's website contains 914 million unique digital objects comprising over 21 petabytes of data. This collection includes more than 32 million catalogued books in 470 languages and over 61 million manuscripts.
Carla D. Hayden was sworn in on the 14th of September 2016 becoming the first professional librarian to hold the post since 1974. She also became the first woman and African American to serve as Librarian of Congress before being fired by President Trump in May 2025.