CONGRESS, LIBRARY OF

the library of the United States, the largest and one of the greatest of what may be considered national libraries. Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1800, the Library of Congress was at first housed in the Capitol. Destroyed in 1814 when British troops burned the building, it was moved to permanent quarters in 1897. In addition to serving as a reference source for members of Congress and other officers of the government, the Library of Congress has become an outstanding institution among the learned institutions of the world, with magnificent collections of books, manuscripts, music, prints, and maps. It also provides lectures and concerts; serves as the national centre for service to the blind, issuing books in Braille and talking books; houses the National Union Catalog, a record of the volumes contained in 2,500 libraries; issues printed catalog cards for the use of subscribing libraries and institutions; and has developed a widely used system of classification. Besides some 19,000,000 books (5,600 of which were printed before 1501) and more than 33,000,000 manuscripts, the Library of Congress contains the largest current collection of graphic materials in the United States and also contains microfilms, recordings, and motion pictures. In the 1970s, through deposits under the copyright law (free copies of all books copyrighted in the United States), exchanges with foreign governments and learned societies, and purchase, it was adding 1,000,000 pieces to its collections each year. Additional reading