From awe inspiring architecture to Thomas Jefferson, the top 5 reasons you should visit the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
Right behind the United States Capitol lies a building often neglected by tourists, the Library of Congress. Libraries often are not the highlight of many tours to the capitol, save for school trips. But you sure are missing out on something amazing if you pass this place by, especially since its free (A highlight of any budget traveler.). So, here is my top five reasons why the Library of Congress is a must not miss.
The Library of Congress, located right behind the U.S. Capitol Building.
1. The whole shebang was started and saved by Thomas Jefferson.
Well, sort of. On April 24, 1800, the library was founded when the US Capitol was transferred from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. The act that started the move, signed by President John Adams, gave $5,000 (a large sum for the time) to buy books that members of Congress may need (when Congress was still in the business of education). The new collection of 740 books and 3 maps were housed in the new Capitol building.
Thomas Jefferson came into the picture on January 26, 1802, when he signed the law that established the structure of the Library of Congress. However, the newly created library was destroyed by those pesky British and Canadians that set fire to the Capitol building and the small library within the building when they invaded the capitol in 1814.
Jefferson saved the day, offering his own personal library as a replacement. He also started the library on its journey from books for lawmakers to common people. His collection contained books that did not necessarily fit the profile of a legislative library; books ranging from ones in foreign languages, to volumes on science and philosophy, to books on cooking, the new Library had it all. In January 1815, congress accepted Jefferson’s offer, paying him $23,950 for his 6,487 books.
Part of Jefferson’s original collection. Some books have been lost due to a fire in 1851 or other damage and are slowly being replaced with similar books.
2. The building itself is a one-uppance to Europe.
Europe has a long history of building large, gorgeous buildings dedicated to storing volumes and volumes of books, from monasteries to large university libraries, gilded to the extreme. The US has had a long legacy of beautiful libraries at universities, but nothing of this scale. The designers of the new Thomas Jefferson Building, the new home of the Library of Congress, decided to out do anything that the United States has yet to see.
The Great Hall. Simply unique, just saying.
Needing more room to expand the collection, it was decided to move the library to its own building. After the Copyright Law of 1870, all applicants had to send in two copies of their work, flooding the library with materials. Congress approved a new building in 1886, taking eleven years to complete.
The stairs to the viewing gallery of Reading Room, with the mosaic of Minerva of Peace in the center.
The design of the Library of Congress is the result of the “American Renaissance.” Using the classical world for inspiration, the sculptures and painters created one of the richest interiors in the United States. Portraits of great men grace the exterior of the building like emperors of old. Even the fountain in front of the building brings the great Baroque Trevi Fountain of Rome to mind.
The awesome Court of Neptune fountain in front of the Library of Congress, complete with spitting turtles.
3. The reading room is too distracting to read in.
If I had to read in this room, I would not be able to concentrate. Only open twice a year for photographers (President’s Day and Columbus Day), the only viewpoint for the general public is from above. The octagonal room is lined with statues at the top, and shelves and shelves of books in the alcoves. If you ever are in D.C. on either of these days, do not miss the opportunity for free roaming of this room. (For more on the Reading Room.)
Like I said, too pretty to concentrate in.
4. It is the second largest library in the world.
The only other library of the Library of Congress’ caliber is the grand British Library, which holds just a bit more works in their collections. The library today takes up four buildings. The collections now hold over 32 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages, more than 61 million manuscripts, the largest rare book collection in North America (more on that in #5), over 1 million issues of world newspapers over the past three centuries, etc.
The library was so large it had to develop its own book classification, which is now used by most US research and university libraries. The library still serves as a legal repository for copyright registration. Nearly 22,000 new items published in the US arrive every business day at the library!
5. It contains the largest rare book collection in North America.
Not only does the Library of Congress contain a book on every conceivable topic, it also contains some very old ones. The library contains only one of three perfect vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed with movable type in the West, known to exist. The library also contains a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence.
The Library of Congress’s Gutenberg Bible.
If you find yourself at the nation’s capital, walk the short distance to the Library of Congress. You have no excuse. It is completely free to visit. You will be awed by one of the most impressive buildings in the United States.
Simply awe inspiring.
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