congress

TheLibraryofCongress

TheLibraryofCongressisthenation'soldestfederalculturalinstitutionandrvesastherearcharm

sothelargestlibraryintheworld,withmillionsofbooks,recordings,photographs,

raryofCongressofferssomebeautifulroomsinits

JeffersonandMadisonBuildings,locatedatthecornerofFirstStreetandIndependenceAvenue,S.E.,

foreveningevents.

TheLibrary'smissionistosupporttheCongressinfulfillingitsconstitutionaldutiesandtofurtherthe

progressofknowledgeandcreativityforthebenefitoftheAmericanpeople.

TheLibraryofCongresswastablishedbyanactofCongressin1800whenPresidentJohnAdams

signedabillprovidingforthetransferoftheatofgovernmentfromPhiladelphiatothenewcapitalcity

islationdescribedareferencelibraryforCongressonly,containing"suchbooks

asmaybenecessaryfortheuofCongress-andforputtingupasuitableapartmentforcontaining

themtherein…"

Establishedwith$5,000appropriatedbythelegislation,theoriginallibrarywashoudinthenewCapitol

untilAugust1814,wheninvadingBritishtroopstfiretotheCapitolBuilding,burningandpillagingthe

contentsofthesmalllibrary.

Withinamonth,retiredPresidentThomasJeffersonofferedhispersonallibraryasareplacement.

Jeffersonhadspent50yearsaccumulatingbooks,"puttingbyeverythingwhichrelatedtoAmerica,and

indeedwhateverwasrareandvaluableineveryscience";hislibrarywasconsideredtobeoneofthe

ringhiscollectiontoCongress,Jeffersonanticipatedcontroversyover

thenatureofhiscollection,whichincludedbooksinforeignlanguagesandvolumesofphilosophy,

science,literature,e,"Idonot

knowthatitcontainsanybranchofsciencewhichCongresswouldwishtoexcludefromtheircollection;

thereis,infact,nosubjecttowhichaMemberofCongressmaynothaveoccasiontorefer."

InJanuary1815,CongressacceptedJefferson'soffer,appropriating$23,950forhis6,487books,and

fersonianconceptofuniversality,thebeliefthat

allsubjectsareimportanttothelibraryoftheAmericanlegislature,isthephilosophyandrationalebehind

thecomprehensivecollectingpoliciesoftoday'sLibraryofCongress.

AinsworthRandSpofford,LibrarianofCongressfrom1864to1897,appliedJefferson'sphilosophyona

rdwasresponsibleforthecopyrightlaw

of1870,whichrequi

resultedinafloodofbooks,pamphlets,maps,music,prints,ashortageofshelf

spaceattheCapitol,SpoffordconvincedCongressoftheneedforanewbuilding,andin1873Congress

authorizedacompetitiontodesignplansforthenewLibrary.

In1886,aftermanyproposalsandmuchcontroversy,CongressauthorizedconstructionofanewLibrary

buildinginthestyleoftheItalianRenaissanceinaccordancewithadesignpreparedbyWashington

.

TheCongressionalauthorizationwassuccessfulbecauofthehardworkoftwokeySenators:Daniel

es(Indiana),whorvedaschairmanoftheJointCommitteefrom1879to1881,andJustinS.

Morrill(Vermont),chairmanofSenateCommitteeonBuildingsandGrounds.

In1888,GeneralThomasLincolnCay,chiefoftheArmyCorpsofEngineers,wasplacedinchargeof

,whowasintimatelyinvolvedwiththebuilding

ingin1892,anewarchitect,EdwardPearceCay,thesonofGeneral

Cay,begantosupervitheinteriorwork,includingsculpturalandpainteddecorationbymorethan50

Americanartists.

WhentheLibraryofCongressbuildingopeneditsdoorstothepubliconNovember1,1897,itwashailed

asagloriousnationalmonumentand"thelargest,thecostliest,andthesafest"librarybuildinginthe

world.

Today'lectionofmorethan158million

itemsincludesmorethan36millioncatalogedbooksandotherprintmaterialsin460languages;more

than69millionmanuscripts;thelargestrarebookcollectioninNorthAmerica;andtheworld'slargest

collectionoflegalmaterials,films,maps,sheetmusicandsoundrecordings.

Newspapers

TheLibraryofCongressmaintainsoneofthelargestandmostcomprehensivenewspaper

collectionsintheworld,compridnotonlyofthemajortitlespublishedinall50statesand

territoriesoftheUnitedStates,butalsooftitlesfrommostindependentcountriesandmany

eralnewspaper

collectioninthecustodyofSerialandGovernmentPublicationsDivisioniscompridofover

1,000,000currentlooissues,over33,300boundvolumes,and500,000microfilmreels.

Numerousnewspapersareavailableinfull-textonReadingRoomcomputers.

S&GPmaintainsacollectionofhundredsoforiginalspecialcommemorativeandanniversary

ailablearespecializedmicrofilmruns

suchasAmericanColonialPress,EarlyEnglishNewspapers(1603-1818),underground

newspapers,earlyAfrican-Americannewspapers,GermanandJapaneprisonerofwar

campnewspapers,andtheRussianRevolutionNewspapercollection.

CurrentPeriodicals

Consistingofapproximately70,000currentforeignanddomestic,unboundrialtitles,the

Library'scollectionisaccessibletoreadersthroughtheDivision'sNewspaperandCurrent

und(generallywithin18months)ormicrofilmed,periodicalsare

rvedalongwithotheritemsfromthegeneralcollectionsthroughtheMain,Business,

Science,LocalHistory&Genealogy,European,Hispanic,orMicroformreadingrooms.

TheNewspaperandCurrentPeriodicalRoomisopenfrom8:5:

Tuesdays,FridaysandSaturdays(stackrviceuntil4:00),andfrom8:9:

Mondays,WednesdaysandThursdays,(stackrviceuntil7:30).TheLibraryisclodon

dinRoomLM-133oftheMadisonBuilding,the

readingroomisstaffedbyreferencelibrarianswhoprovidereferencerviceandassistance

intheuofautomatedreferencetools,andbytechnicianswhoassistreaders.

GovernmentPublications

l,state,municipal,andforeignand

isionkeepsalective

mentpublicationsinmultipleformatsfrom1993-.Maintainedasa

paratecollection,itincludesmonographsandmanytitlesthathaveneverbeenaddedtothe

Library'matedversionoftheGPOMonthlyCatalogofU.S.

Nationsdocumentsdatingfrom1945

heSection'sauxiliarycollectionsare

unbound,distributedCIApublications;andanarchivaltofFederalAdvisoryCommittee

(FAC)documentssince1972.

ElectronicCollections

InitsNewspaperandCurrentPeriodicalReadingRoom,theDivisionmakesavailableto

llytheprovideabroadrange

ofstatisticalinformation,orareindexes,abstractsandindexestonewspaperandperiodical

literature,orprovidefull-textretrievalofnewspapersorperiodicalliterature.

ToenhanceaccesstoitscollectionsandtoproviderearchguidancetheDivisionhasmade

anumberofitsfindingaidsavailabletothepublicthroughtheInternetontheNewspaperand

catalogrecordsforLibraryofCongress

rialholdingsarealsoavailableonInternet.

TheLibraryofCongressClassification(LCC)isaclassificationsystemthatwasfirstdeveloped

inthelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturiestoorganizeandarrangethebook

alsforadditionsandchangesarereviewed

regularlyatstaffmeetingsinthePolicyandStandardsDivision(PSD)andanapprovedlistis

hatmanylibrariesofothercountriesadoptedtheclassificationsystem.

TheSerialandGovernmentPublicationsDivisionprovidesspecializedreferenceand

informationrvices,orientation,andrearchguidanceonnewspapers,periodicals,and

esareavailabletoinquirersbyinternet,telephone,

telefacsimile,correspondence,andinperson.

TheSerialandGovernmentPublicationsDivisionacquirescurrentandnon-current

newspapers(otherthanSlavicandOrientallanguages);currentperiodicals;monographsand

rialsissuedbygovernmentalunitsandsomeintergovernmentalandinternational

organizations;andpublicationsrelatingtothehistoryandbibliographyofnewspapers,rials,

andgovernmentpublications.

TheDivisiondevelopsandmaintainsappropriatewebpages,catalogs,bibliographies,union

lists,indexes,andotherfindingaidsandpublicationsformaterialinitsareaofresponsibility.

S&GPalsopreparesforbindingormicrofilmingallgovernmentpublications,newspapers,and

rialsinitscustody,andmanagesalong-rangenewspaperprervationprogramin

cooperationwiththePrervationOfficeandtheCollectionsPolicyOffice.

sbackinparttotheContinentalArmy's

craryofCongress

OfficeofInspectorGeneral(OIG)fillsasimilarrolebyhelpingtoensurethattheLibrary'sbusinessis

conductedaffectively,efficiently,andeconomicallyaspossible.

raryemploysnearly4,000personnelandhasanannualbudgetof$750million

strategicfive-yearplanthatlaysoutambitiousgoals

suchexpectations,itisntialthatfraud,waste,abu,and

mismanagementwithintheLibrarybeheldincheck.

TheOIGoveresallLibraryofCongressprogramsandoperationsandhastheindependencetodecide

uctsaudits,investigations,andotherreviewsandreportsmiannually

totheCongress,andalsooperatesahotlinesothatanyonecanreportsuspectedinfractionsrelatedto

Libraryactivities.

Aboveall,thegoalofOIGistoconducthighlycredible,uful,andtimelyreviewsthatsupportthe

Library'sobjectives.

TheOpenWorldLeadershipCenter’smissionistoenhanceunderstanding

andcapabilitiesforcooperationbetweentheUnitedStatesandthecountries

ofEurasiabydevelopinganetworkofleadersintheregionwhohavegained

significant,firsthandexposuretoAmerica’sdemocratic,accountable

governmentanditsfree-marketsystem.

TheJointCommitteeontheLibrary(ss)was

createdonApril24,1800,whenPresidentJohnAdamssignedthebillestablishingthefederal

appropriated$5,000for"the

purchaofsuchbooksasmaybenecessaryfortheuofCongress"afteritmovedtothenewcapital

rary'sappropriationforfiscalyear1811officiallymadetheJointCommitteeon

e95thCongressforward,theJointCommitteeontheLibrary

hasbeencompodofthechairman(ordesignee)andfourmemberachfromtheSenateCommittee

irmanshipandvice

chairmanshipalternatebetweentheHouandSenateeveryCongress.

ment,theLibraryofCongresncompass

veralintegralrviceandsupportunits,

OfficeoftheLibrarian

ThemissionoftheOfficeoftheLibrarianistotpolicyandtodirectandsupportprogramsandactivities

toaccomplishtheLibrary'iceoftheLibrarianistheadministrativebranchoftheLibrary

ofCongressandhasoverallmanagementresponsibilityfortheLibrary.

CongressionalRearchService

CRSexclusivelyrvesCongressbyprovidingconfidential,objectiveandauthoritativerearchand

analysistohelpinformthelegislativedebate.

CopyrightOffice

ThemissionoftheCopyrightOfficeistopromotecreativitybyadministeringandsustaininganeffective

nationalcopyrightsystem.

LawLibrary

CongresstablisheditsLawLibraryin1832,recognizingitsneedforreadyaccesstoreliablelegal

Libraryhasgrownovertheyearstobecometheworld’slargestlawlibrary,witha

collectionofoverthreemillionvolumesspanningtheagesandcoveringvirtuallyeveryjurisdictioninthe

world.

LibraryServices

ThemissionofLibraryServicesistodevelopqualitativelytheLibrary'suniversalcollections,which

documentthehistoryandfurtherthecreativityoftheAmericanpeopleandwhichrecordandcontributeto

theadvancementofcivilizationandknowledgethroughouttheworld,andtoacquire,organize,provide

accessto,maintain,cure,andprervethecollections.

OfficeofStrategicInitiatives

ThemissionoftheOfficeofStrategicInitiativesistosupporttheLibrary'svisionandstrategybydirecting

theoveralldigitalstrategicplanningfortheLibraryandthenationalprogramforlong-termprervationof

digitalculturalasts,leadingacollaborativeinstitution-wideefforttodevelopconsolidateddigitalfuture

plans,andintegratingthedeliveryofinformationtechnologyrvices.

OfficeofSupportOperations

SeveralofficesthatprovideesntialrvicestoallrviceandsupportunitswithintheLibrarymakeup

ncludeIntegratedSupportServices,HumanResourcesServicesandtheOfficeof

SecurityandEmergencyPreparedness.

OtherofficesthatoperateindependentlyofindividualrviceunitsbutarewithintheLibrary's

organizationalstructure

TheLibraryofCongresssponsorsprivatelyendowedprogramsthathonorachievementinthe

htheawardsandprizes,theworld'sgreatestrepositoryof

humancreativityhonorsthowhohaveadvancedandembodiedtheidealsofindividual

creativity,conviction,dedication,scholarshipandexuberance.

LivingLegends

EstablishedduringitsBicentennialcelebrationin2000,theLibraryofCongress'"LivingLegend"awardis

lectedbytheLibrary'scuratorsandsubjectspecialiststohonorartists,writers,activists,filmmakers,

physicians,entertainers,sportsfiguresandpublicrvantswhohavemadesignificantcontributionsto

America'sdivercultural,scientificandsocialheritage.

PoetLaureate

ThePoetLaureateisappointedannuallybytheLibrarianofCongressandrvesfromOctobertoMay.

Duringhisorherterm,thePoetLaureateekstoraithenationalconsciousnesstoagreater

ngtheappointment,theLibrarianconsultswith

formerappointees,thecurrentlaureateanddistinguishedpoetrycritics.

KlugePrize

,theKlugePrizerewardslifetimeachievementinthewide

sciplinesincludehistory,philosophy,politics,

anthropology,sociology,religion,criticismintheartsandhumanities,rdisatthe

financialleveloftheNobelawards.

GershwinPrize

TheLibraryofCongressGershwinPrizeforPopularSongcelebratestheworkofanartistwhocareer

reflectslifetimeachievementinpromotingsongasavehicleofmusicalexpressionandcultural

understanding.

FictionPrize

TheLibraryofCongressLifetimeAchievementAwardfortheWritingofFictionwastablishedin2008to

rdrecognizestheenduringachievementsofits

recipientandhisorherdedicationtoembodyingthehumanspiritinthepagesoffiction.

NationalBookFestivalCreativeAchievementAward

nnersincludeToniMorrison,

IsabelAllende,andJohnGrisham.

TheNationalAmbassadorforYoungPeople'sLiterature

TheNationalAmbassadorforYoungPeople'sLiteratureraisnationalawarenessoftheimportanceof

youngpeople’sliteratureasitrelatestolifelongliteracy,educationandthedevelopmentandbetterment

isKatherinePatersonandJonScieszkahaveheldthetitle.