Library of Congress
On the 24th of April 1800, John Adams signed an act of Congress appropriating $5,000 to purchase books for the new United States Capitol. This small collection of 740 volumes and three maps formed the initial library when Congress moved to Washington in November that same year. The British burned this original collection during the War of 1812, destroying over 3,000 volumes held in the Senate wing of the Capitol. A single surviving government account book from 1810 was taken by Admiral George Cockburn as a souvenir before being returned to the U.S. in 1940.
Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library of 6,487 books to replace what had been lost. Congress accepted the offer in January 1815, spending $23,950 to acquire the collection. Some House members opposed the purchase, with New Hampshire representative Daniel Webster objecting to books he deemed "atheistical, irreligious, and immoral." Jefferson organized his books using Francis Bacon's system of Memory, Reason, and Imagination, creating 44 subdivisions that guided the library until Herbert Putnam introduced the Library of Congress Classification scheme in the late 19th century. This working collection doubled the size of the original library, transforming it from a specialist resource into a more general institution covering all subjects.
Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building began in 1890 with granite supplied by James G. Batterson's New England Granite Works. The building opened in 1897 as the main facility for the library, taking its present name on the 13th of June 1980. It stands between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street on First Street SE, housing over 138 million items under its Beaux-Arts design.
The John Adams Building opened to the public on the 3rd of January 1939, located on 2nd Street SE adjacent to the Jefferson structure. Originally called The Annex to the Main Building, it housed the U.S. Copyright Office before moving to the Madison building in the 1970s. The James Madison Memorial Building was constructed from 1971 to 1976, serving as an official memorial to the fourth president. These three buildings connect via underground passageways, allowing users to pass through security only once during a single visit.
In 2007, the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center opened in Culpeper, Virginia, built within a former Federal Reserve storage center and Cold War bunker. This facility received more than $150 million from the Packard Humanities Institute plus $82.1 million from Congress. The campus includes a reproduction Art Deco movie theater that presents free screenings semi-weekly to the public.
The Library of Congress administers copyright law through the United States Copyright Office while providing nonpartisan research to assist Congress in passing legislation. In 1870, the library gained the right to receive two copies of every copyrightable work printed in the United States, establishing mandatory deposit requirements. Nearly 15,000 new items published in the U.S. arrive at the library every business day under this system.
Congress created the Legislative Reference Service in 1914 as a separative administrative unit to provide informed answers on almost any topic. This service was renamed the Congressional Research Service following the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, which renewed emphasis on legislative roles over national activities. The library serves as a legal repository for copyright protection and registration, with all publishers required to submit complete copies of their works regardless of whether they register copyright.
A 2000 study by information scientists Peter Lyman and Hal Varian suggested that the 26 million books then in the collection represented 10 terabytes of uncompressed textual data. The library maintains collections including more than 32 million catalogued books in 470 languages, over 61 million manuscripts, and the largest rare book collection in North America.
American Memory launched in 1990 as the library's first digitization project, initially planning to choose 160 million objects from its collection for LaserDiscs and CDs distributed to schools. After realizing this approach would be too expensive, the library shifted to making digitized material available over the Internet through the National Digital Library Program created in October 1994. By 1999, the program had successfully digitized over 5 million objects with a budget of $12 million.
As of 2022, the library's website contains 914 million unique digital objects comprising over 21 petabytes of data. The library has chosen not to participate in other digital library projects such as Google Books or the Digital Public Library of America, though it supported the Internet Archive project. A budget of $6, 8 million each year allows digitization of only about 10% of the total 160-million-item collection.
The library established THOMAS in 1995 as an online archive of Congressional proceedings before migrating to Congress.gov in 2012. Additional programs include the World Digital Library established in 2009 with UNESCO and 181 partners across 81 countries, plus the National Jukebox launched in 2011 providing streaming access to more than 10,000 out-of-print music recordings.
Ainsworth Rand Spofford directed the Library of Congress from 1865 to 1897, building broad bipartisan support to develop it as both a national library and legislative resource. Herbert Putnam held the office for forty years from 1899 to 1939, making the library the first in the United States to hold one million volumes. He instituted interlibrary loan services and expanded access to scientific investigators and qualified individuals while publishing primary sources for scholars.
James H. Billington served as librarian from 1987 until retiring in 2015 after 28 years of service. Under his leadership, the library doubled its analog collections from 85.5 million items to more than 160 million by 2014. Billington raised over half a billion dollars in private support to supplement Congressional appropriations while facing a 30% decrease in staffing caused by budget cutbacks. He created the library's first development office for private fundraising in 1987 and established the James Madison Council as the first national donor-support group.
Carla D. Hayden was sworn in on the 14th of September 2016, becoming the first professional librarian to hold the post since 1974 and the first woman and African American to serve as Librarian of Congress. She continued digitization efforts while expanding electronic access to rural areas. In May 2025, President Trump abruptly fired Hayden without explanation, appointing Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting librarian before firing additional officials including Copyright Office Director Shira Perlmutter.
Up Next
Common questions
When was the Library of Congress founded and how many books did it start with?
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.
Who donated the personal library that saved the Library of Congress after the British burned it?
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.
What are the names and locations of the main buildings of the Library of Congress?
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.
How many digital objects does the Library of Congress website contain as of 2022?
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.
Who became the first woman and African American Librarian of Congress and when were they sworn in?
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.