November 1, 1897: The Library of Congress Opens

The Thomas Jefferson Building

November 1, 1897: The current Library of Congress building opens in Washington, D.C., across First Street from the U.S. Capitol Building. There is a dispute as to whether it or the British Library is the largest in the world, based on total number of volumes contained therein. Both have over 170 million volumes.

Once the national capital moved to Washington in 1800, the Library of Congress was housed in the Capitol. Much of its original collection was burned by the British troops in the War of 1812, along with the rest of the Capitol, and the White House, on August 24, 1814. That remains the worst attack on the Capitol. During the Trump Insurrection of January 6, 2021, the Library of Congress was safe: Most of those people wouldn't intentionally go anywhere near a library.

After the fire, Congress purchased former President Thomas Jefferson's entire personal collection of 6,487 books, to restore its own collection -- and also to help him pay off his debts. Over the next few years, its collection slowly grew. But on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1851, another fire broke out in the Capitol chambers. This destroyed a large amount of the collection, including many of Jefferson's books.

After the American Civil War, the importance of the Library of Congress for legislative research increased, and there was a campaign to purchase replacement copies for volumes for its lost books. The library received the right of transference of all copyrighted works, and deposit of two copies of books, maps, illustrations, and diagrams printed in the United States. The Library also built its collections through acquisitions and donations.

Between 1888 and 1894, Congress constructed and moved the collection to a large adjacent library building, across the street from the Capitol. On April 13, 1976, on the anniversary of Jefferson's birth, and in connection with the nation's Bicentennial, the main Library was renamed the Thomas Jefferson Building, 

Two more adjacent library buildings, the John Adams Building, opening in 1939, and the James Madison Memorial Building, opening in 1980, hold expanded parts of the collection and provide space for additional library services.

The Jefferson Building's Main Reading Room

The library's primary mission is to research inquiries made by members of Congress, which is carried out through the Congressional Research Service. It also houses and oversees the United States Copyright Office. The library is open to the public for research, although only high-ranking government officials and library employees may borrow -- i.e., temporarily take custody of -- books and materials.

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November 1, 1897 was a Monday. There were no games on this historic day: Baseball season was over, football was in midweek, and basketball and hockey were both still all-amateur.