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Category: Thomas Jefferson Building

The Jefferson Building beneath a cloudless blue sky with yellow flowers across the foreground.

The Library Turns 225!

Posted by: April Slayton

When the Library of Congress began in 1800, it had 152 works in 740 volumes. Also, there were three maps. Today, as its 225th birthday arrives, the Library has amassed more than 181 million items from around the world, forming what is widely considered to be the greatest collection of knowledge ever assembled. How did it happen? This story walks readers through the Library's fascinating history.

Posted in: Alexander Hamilton, Collections, Copyright, LCM, Libraries, Library Work and Employees, Maps, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

A New Vision for an Inspiring Location

Posted by: April Slayton

Plans for a new renovation to the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building, designed to offer more members of the public access to the Library's inspiring architecture and comprehensive collections, include an oculus; a circular glass window that will allow visitors to look up to the dome from the orientation center below the Main Reading Room, where visitors will begin their Library journey.

Posted in: New Visitors Experience, Thomas Jefferson Building