CARLA HAYDEN
In a neat cursive script, President John Adams added, “Approved,” followed by his signature and the date: April 24, 1800 — 225 years ago this April.
With that — an act of Congress that also provided for the furnishing of congressional offices and the construction of sidewalks in the capital city — the world’s greatest library was born.
The Library of Congress couldn’t be recognized as such at the time, of course.
The collections of the Library — set in a room at the back of the new U.S. Capitol building — held a scant 152 titles and three maps. From that modest beginning, the Library grew into a global treasure of more than 181 million collection items — the greatest collection of human knowledge ever assembled.
The Library suffered serious setbacks along the way, to be sure. British troops burned the Capitol, and the Library, in 1814. A catastrophic fire in 1851 again destroyed most of the collections.
Each time, the Library rebuilt bigger and better, sustained by the generosity of Congress and patriotic citizens. Following the destruction of the Library’s collections in 1814, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library to Congress to replace the books burned by the British — the foundation of the modern Library’s collections. Over the centuries, more citizens followed Jefferson’s example, donating funds and treasures that helped build the Library into the great resource it is today.
The Library’s mission grew, too, from a small library serving solely as a resource for Congress to a library that seeks to engage, inspire and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.
Today, that mission continues at a greater scale than ever.
We constantly seek new ways to make our digital collections more accessible and relatable to a global audience. Our programs support researchers, educators and students in more ways than ever. Signature events — the National Book Festival, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, our regular Live! At the Library programming — invite all to engage with the Library in new ways. And we currently are transforming the experience of visitors to the Library’s magnificent and historic Jefferson Building to make it more accessible and meaningful.
Some 50 years ago, I began my career at a storefront branch of the Chicago Public Library. Today, I am honored to lead one of our nation’s great institutions, a global symbol of the power of knowledge. As a descendant of people who were denied the right to read, that opportunity is especially meaningful to me. And I am proud that, today, the Library offers more opportunities than ever for more people than ever to seek knowledge and find inspiration.
What began 225 years ago as a small resource of information for Congress — brought to life with a stroke of John Adams’ pen — today is, more than ever, a Library for you and for everyone.