The main reading room of the Library of Congress.
Photo by Richard Perry
It contains 167 million items and 838 miles of bookshelves, and it adds 12,000 articles of history daily.
The Library of Congress is one of the largest libraries in the world. It was established on this day in 1800 with the same sweep of President John Adams’s pen that moved the federal government from Philadelphia to Washington.
As its name suggests, the library was originally for members of Congress, but its role as the leading research arm of the government has expanded. Anyone 16 and older may get a library card and use the collections on site.
While its main building is in Washington, the library has offices around the world and has materials in 470 languages. It is home to a Gutenberg Bible and a 1507 world map that is the first known document on which “America” appears (over what is now Brazil).
The Librarian of Congress is a title that has been held by 14 people since 1800. Carla Hayden, the current librarian, is the first woman and first African-American to hold the post. “If you can absorb information yourself and make your own decisions, that’s a freedom,” Dr. Hayden told The New York Times.
Thanks New York Times!