The Library was
founded in 1800, which makes it the oldest federal cultural
institution in the nation. On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the
Capitol building (where the Library was housed) and destroyed the Library's
core collection of 3,000 volumes. On January 30,
1815, Congress approved the purchase of Thomas
Jefferson’s personal library of 6,487 books for $23,950. The Library of
Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 155.3 million
items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more
than 35 million books and other print materials, 3.4 million recordings, 13.6
million photographs, 5.4 million maps, 6.5 million pieces of sheet music and 68
million manuscripts. The library of Congress is a fascinating and amazing place
to visit.
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