Table Of Content

y··••'· f< - � - - - . .- �\> -.�\, . . . � ;· � .,.. -.,;r �..,.. �,• -·+•,;..,•; ,1,.,. ::--,•· -� :...i4•.� �-"i- TI1t· Libra[) of Congress, founded in 1800, began as a purdy congressional library: but over the past two centuries, as the l nitl'd States itself has grown and assu1ned an important role DIRKSEN an1ong the con1n1unity of nations, the Library's collections Senate office Bldg. and services have expanded as well. Today it is the world's largest library. sc>rving not only the- United States Congress, HART Senate office Bldg. but also other libraric-s and individual researchers-both in the- United States and around the world. Tht' Nution·s Library, a collaboration between the Library and Scala Publishers, is a celebration of, and a guide to this complex institution-one of the greatest cultural and RUSSELL intellectual resources in the world. Succinct and informative text, punctuated by lavish color illustrations, leads the reader through the Library's history and present-day organization and services. Sumptuous photographs of the Library's three buildings on Washington's Capitol Hill-including the original Library building, an architectural treasure opened in 1897-are intetspersed with views of some of the eclectic treasures housed in this repository of international culture. These include founding documents of the American Republic, Japanese fine prints, Arabic calligraphy, rare illustrated books, maps, music and musical instruments, posters, comic books, architectural drawings, hallmark doc --------- urnents in the history of science, and historic photographs. � �; For those who will visit the Library in person or via the O Internet, the book also includes information on the subject l r � I areas in each of the Library's reading rooms, hours of 22 Robert Taft Memorial : �Ji operation, general procedures for conducting research in the Library, and on the ever-expanding Library of Congress Web Site. The Nation's Library thus 1nakes the Library's storehouse of knowledge immediate and accessible to people r- - � around the world. r - 7 Adams Bldg. SE CON D ST. S. E. �1 J-1..l VJ ]□ LIBRARY LIBRARY f-, f-, VJ OF CONGRESS OF CONGRESS VJ D ]□ CJ J-1..l James Madison Q VJ Memorial J-1..l Bldg. ::, . Supreme z u Court Jefferson Bldg. j� FIRST ST. S.E. J-1..l M z Capitol J-1..l Subwa) Q z (Orang CANNON uJ-1..l Line) Po. J-1..l z ...... LONGWORTH om�Offiee Building � U.S. Capitol Bldg. SOUTH CAPITOL STREE � 0 RAYBURN @W!] □ J-1..l VJ J-1..l ::, House Office z Bldg. FIR 0 c::J � r:'J 7 "' U.S. Botanic Reflecting Pool � \ Gardens � Federal F.D.A. H.( Anr Office Bldg. Bldg. THIRD STREET S.W. I I 1 I --- I ( ,:,rl, THE NATION'S LIBRARY The Library of Congress, Washington, D. C. ..---- ..J ,, ,. r •• . , \ • J / -'J' I I \• / IA , '· � -- - -- - ---- - --- ---.----�----------- - r \ l ·· THE NATION'S LIBRARY The Library of Congress, Washington, D. C. Alan Bisbort and Linda Barrett Osborne Library of Congress in association with Scala Publishers Copyright © 2000 Library of Congress, All rights reserved Washington, D.C. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced, First published in 2000 by Scala Publishers Ltd stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form 14 3-149 Great Portland Street or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, London \J.'lN 5FB recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the Library of Congress and Scala Publishers Ltd. Published and distributed outside The Library of Congress in the USA and Canada by Coordinated by W. Ralph Eubanks and Margaret E. Antique Collectors' Club Limited Wagner Market Street Industrial Park Edited by Margaret E. Wagner and Helena Drysdale Wappingers' Falls Designed by Anikst Design and Thanh Tung Uong 12590 Produced by Scala Publishers Ltd NY Printed and bound by Editoriale Lloyd, Trieste, Italy Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Library of Congress. Front cover: The dome of the Thomas Jefferson building, The Nation's Library: the Library of Congress. Library of Congress, capped by the torch of knowledge, Washington, D.C./ Alan Bisbort and Linda Barrett shares the Capitol Hill skyline with the white dome of Osborne. the United States Capitol. Photograph by Carol p. cm. Highsmith. Includes index. lSBN 1-85759-235-2 (alk. paper) Inside front cover: Map of Capitol Hill, showing the 1. Library of Congress. I. Bisbort, Alan, 1953- II . three Library of Congress buildings. Osborne, Linda Barrett, 1949- III. Title. Back cover: A staircase in the Great Hall, Thomas z733-u6 145 2000 Jefferson Building. Photograph by Anne Day. [2663] 027.573-dc2r Inside back cover: Schematic diagram of the Thomas Jefferson Building, by Doug Stern. lSBN: 1-85759-235-2 Frontispiece: The Commemorative Arch in the Great All measurements are in inches followed by centimeters; Hall, Thomas Jefferson Building (detail). Photograph by Height precedes width precedes depth. Anne Day. For Lois Korzendorfer referrnce librarian, (1948-2000 ). Library of Congress ' t Contents Foreword �"\,. . James H� Billington, The Librarian of Congress rr The Library of Congress: A Brief History 13 f ! .r \'' ;'� 'fhe Thomas Jefferson Building 28 ,, ,,, I· ,, View from the Street 39 / The Great Hall 41 Second-Floor Corridors and Galleries 46 The Visitors' Gallery 47 The Main Reading Room 4 9 The General Collections 4 9 African and Middle Eastern Division 51 American Folklife Center 55 Asian Division 56 European Division 5 9 Hispanic Division 61 .� Local History and Genealogy Division 62 * • Rare Book and Special Collections Division 66 The John Adams Building 69 Science, Technology, and Business Divisi<?�"•� --. 74 ,. , \ -��- "- The James Madison Memorial Building 77 Geography and Map Division Law Library Manuscript Division Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Music Division 95 Newspapers and Current Periodicals/ Serial and Government Publications Division Prints and Photographs Division IOO Services to Congress and Libraries Cataloging Distribution Service Congressional Research Service IIO Federal Library & Information Center Committee IIO Preservation and Conservation III 6