the library of congress.doc

The Library of Congress The Library of Congress is the nations oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with?millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts?in its collections. The Library of Congress offers some beautiful rooms in its Jefferson and Madison Buildings, located at the corner of First Street and Independence Avenue, S.E., for evening events. The Librarys mission is to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people. The Library of Congress was established by an act of Congress in 1800 when President John Adams signed a bill providing for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. The legislation described a reference library for Congress only, containing such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress - and for putting up a suitable apartment for containing them therein… Established with $5,000 appropriated by the legislation, the original library was housed in the new Capitol until August 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol Building, burning and pillaging the contents of the small library. Within a month, retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement. Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating books, putting by everything which related to America, and indeed whatever was rare and valuable in every science; his library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States. In offering his collection to Congress, Jefferson anticipated controversy over the nature of his collection, which included books in foreign languages and volumes of philosophy, science, literature, and other topics not normally viewed as part of a legislative library. He wrote, I do not know that it contains any branch of science w