The Library of Congress

Major Fires

The Library of Congress has endured significant fires that reshaped its collection and mission. A major fire in 1851 destroyed 35,000 of the 52,000 books, including most of the originals from the Jefferson collection. Congress allocated $168,000 to replace the lost books, but it took over 170 years to find replacements for all but 300 of Jefferson's original books 1.

   

Leadership Changes

Key figures have profoundly influenced the Library's direction. John Silva Meehan advocated for a limited scope, while Ainsworth Rand Spofford, appointed by President Lincoln, expanded the library into a national institution 1. Spofford's successor, John Russell Young, introduced the Library of Congress classification system, further modernizing the library 1.

   

Collection Expansion

The Library's collection has grown exponentially over the years. It reached 1 million volumes in 1910 and 90 million by 1990. Today, it holds almost 175 million items, including 40 million books and 21 petabytes of digital content 2.