With a history dating to 1800, the Library of Congress in the United States is considered the largest library in the world. On a typical day, the library receives about 22,000 items for inclusion and adds about 10,000 new items. The items contained in the Library of Congress include a wide range of both domestic and international collections, featuring some of the rarest books in the world.
More facts about the Library of Congress:
- The Library of Congress’ core collection of books was destroyed on 24 August 1814, when British troops burned the U.S. Capitol building. The core collection numbered about 3,000 books at the time. The following year, Congress authorized the purchase of the personal library of Thomas Jefferson, a collection that contained 6,487 books.
- More than 130 million items are housed in the Library of Congress, including books, films, artwork and presidential papers. Materials contained in the various collections include works in more than 460 languages.
- By the end of the 20th century, 13 individuals had served as the official Librarian of Congress.
