Any library is a storehouse of wisdom and a treasury of culture. Everyone who has ever been to the library must have felt an involuntary thrill: hundreds of volumes neatly arranged in storage places contain not only information about the achievements of civilization, but also the thoughts of many generations of writers. This is especially true of the largest collection of books in the world - the Library of Congress.
History of the founding of the Library of Congress
Founded in the early 19th century, the Library of Congress was originally located in the Capitol Building in Washington. But her archives gradually grew and expanded, so later she moved to another building. The library got its second name in honor of Thomas Jefferson. It was his personal collection of books that formed the basis of the library fund.
The Library of Congress was formed in April 1800, when US President Adams signed into law to move the capital of the country to Washington from Philadelphia. One of the points of the law provided for the allocation of funds necessary for the acquisition of books needed by Congress. A special room was also allocated for the book depository, where at first entrance was only open to senior US officials.
The library was constantly updated with new editions. By the mid 60-ies of the XIX century, its funds amounted to almost a hundred thousand volumes. At that time, however, it was not too much, if we take into account the size of large European libraries. Soon, the United States government passed a law under which a copy of any new publication that appeared in the country was required to be transferred to the Library of Congress.
At the end of the 19th century, library doors opened for ordinary citizens.
