Library of Congress

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress (LOC) is that the analysis library that formally serves the Congress and is that the particular national library of the America. It is the oldest federal cultural establishment within the us. The Library is housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.; it also maintains the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia. The Library's functions are overseen by the bibliotheca of Congress, and its buildings are maintained by the Architect of the Capitol. The Library of Congress has claimed to be the largest library in the world. Its "collections are universal, not limited by subject, format, or national boundary, and include research materials from all elements of the planet and in additional than 450 languages.

History

indigo progress construction photographs of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building

Construction of the Jefferson Building from July eight, 1888 to May 15, 1894

1800–1851: Origin and Jefferson's contribution

James Madison is attributable with the thought of making a legislative assembly library, first making such a proposition in 1783.The Library of Congress was subsequently established April 24, 1800 when President Adams signed Associate in Nursing act of Congress providing for the transfer of the seat of presidency from Philadelphia to the new capital town of Washington. Part of the legislation confiscated $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress ... and for fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them." Books were ordered from London, and also the assortment consisted of 740 books and 3 maps that were housed within the new us Capitol.

President Jefferson contend a very important role in establishing the structure of the Library of Congress. On January 26, 1802, he signed a bill that allowed the president to appoint the Librarian of Congress and establishing a Joint Committee on the Library to regulate and oversee it. The new law additionally extended borrowing privileges to the President and vice chairman.

The offensive British army burned Washington in August 1814 throughout the War of 1812 and destroyed the Library of Congress and its assortment of three,000 volumes. These volumes had been left within the Senate wing of the Capitol. one in all the few legislative assembly volumes to survive was a government book of receipts and expenditures for 1810. it absolutely was taken as a souvenir by British Admiral George Cockburn, whose family returned it to the United States government in 1940.

1851–1865: Weakening

On Dec twenty 2, 1851 the largest fire in the Library's history destroyed 35,000 books, about two–thirds of the Library's collection and two-thirds of Jefferson's original transfer. Congress appropriated $168,700 to replace the lost books in 1852 however to not acquire new materials. This marked the beginning of a conservative amount within the Library's administration by professional person John timber Meehan and joint committee chairman James A. Pearce, WHO restricted the Library's activities. Meehan and Pearce's views about a restricted scope for the Library of Congress reflected those shared by members of Congress. While Meehan was professional person he supported and perpetuated the notion that "the legislative assembly library ought to play a restricted role on the national scene which its collections, by and large, ought to emphasize yank materials of obvious use to the U.S. Congress." In 1859, Congress transferred the Library's public document distribution activities to the Department of the Interior and its international book exchange program to the Department of State.

1865–1897: Spofford's expansion

The Library of Congress reasserted itself throughout the latter 1/2 the nineteenth century underneath professional person Ainsworth Rand Spofford World Health Organization directed it from 1865 to 1897. He built broad bipartisan support for it as a national library and a legislative resource, aided by an overall expansion of the federal government and a favorable political climate. He began comprehensively collecting Americana and American literature, led the construction of a new building to house the Library, and transformed the Librarian of Congress position into one of strength and independence. Between 1865 and 1870, Congress appropriated funds for the construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, placed all copyright registration and deposit activities under the Library's control, and restored the international book exchange.

1897–1939: Post-reorganization

The Library of Congress, spurred by the 1897 reorganization, began to grow and develop more rapidly. Spofford's successor John Russell Young, though only in office for two years, overhauled the Library's bureaucracy, used his connections as a former diplomat to acquire more materials from around the world, and established the Library's initial help programs for the blind and physically disabled.

1939–present: Modern history

When Putnam retired in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Archibald MacLeish as his successor. Occupying the post from 1939 to 1944 throughout the peak of warfare II, MacLeish became the most visible Librarian of Congress in the Library's history. MacLeish impressed librarians to oppose totalitarianism on behalf of democracy; dedicated the South area of the Adams Building to Thomas Jefferson, commissioning artist Ezra Winter to paint four themed murals for the room; and established a "democracy alcove" within the Main room of the Jefferson Building for vital documents like the Declaration,

Standards

In addition to its library services, the Library of Congress is additionally actively concerned in varied customary activities in areas associated with listing and search and retrieve standards. Areas of work include MARC standards, Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS), Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS), Z39.50 and Search/Retrieve Web Service (SRW), and Search/Retrieve via URL (SRU).

The Law Library of Congress seeks to any legal studentship by providing opportunities for scholars and practitioners to conduct vital legal analysis. Individuals are invited to apply for projects which would further the multi-faceted mission of the Law Library in serving the U.S. Congress, other governmental agencies, and the public.