13 Facts About the Library of Congress

Thursday Thirteen #16
24 April is the anniversary of the founding of the Library of Congress, so for today’s Thursday Thirteen I am bringing you 13 facts about that huge institution. I’ve actually been there once. (Have I mentioned that my parents are both librarians?) I even have a Library of Congress t-shirt. Anyway, enjoy the list.

13 Facts about the Library of Congress:
1. This year, the Library of Congress turns 208 years old.

2. The collection of the Library of Congress contains more than 130 million items, which includes materials in over 460 languages.

3. In 2007, the Library of Congress registered 526,378 claims to copyright.

4. The Library of Congress was established in 1800 by an act of Congress, and was begun with $5,000.

5. In 1814, the Library, which was then located in the Capitol Building, was destroyed when British troops burned the building and ran off with a bunch of the books.

6. The library was re-established in 1815 when Thomas Jefferson offered his personal collection of 6,487 books to Congress for that purpose. (Congress paid him $23,950 for the books.)

7. There have been thirteen Librarians of Congress to date. The current one is James Hadley Billington, who has held the position since 1987.

8. Ainsworth Rand Spofford (6th Librarian of Congress, 1864-1897) is the one responsible for the “copyright law of 1870″ which required copyright applicants to send two copies of their work to the Library. Among other results of this law was the urgent need for a new building as they ran out of space pretty quickly.

9. The Library of Congress doesn’t just collect books, they also have a large collection of films, maps, sheet music, manuscripts, and sound recordings

10. The Library offers webcasts and podcasts on their website. These include such topics as “American Heroines” and “Shakespeare’s Genealogies.”

11. The American Memory Collections, available on the Library of Congress website, include such things as: scans of An account of the proceedings on the trial of Susan B. Anthony, on the charge of illegal voting, at the presidential election in Nov. 1872, a Map of the Antietam Battlefield from the Civil War, and a film of Annie Oakley as filmed by Edison in 1894.

12. It is actually possible to hold your own event at the Library of Congress. They even have five venues for you to choose from. You can reserve the Mary Pickford Theater for a mere $2,500 + $600-$700 for support services overtime (if you are a 501(c)(3) Organization.)

13. The Library hosts many events for the public, including lectures, poetry readings, and film showings. One upcoming film is “Kitten with a Whip” (Universal, 1964).

Source:
The Library of Congress Website