Library Of Congress Has 170 Million Items

The sheer scale of the world's largest library is difficult to comprehend. Its collection, housed on shelving that would stretch from Washington D.C. to Chicago, is far more than just books. It serves as America's memory bank, holding rare maps, the earliest motion pictures, priceless musical instruments like Stradivari violins, presidential papers, and even comic books. This immense and constant growth is largely fueled by its function as the U.S. Copyright Office. By law, anyone seeking to copyright a work in the United States must deposit copies with the library, ensuring it receives a comprehensive snapshot of the nation's creative output every single day.

The library's commitment to being a universal collection was born from a national crisis. The original library, established in 1800 for the use of Congress, was completely destroyed in 1814 when British forces burned the Capitol. To re-establish this vital institution, former president Thomas Jefferson sold his entire personal library of 6,487 books to the nation. Jefferson's collection was famously eclectic, covering a vast range of subjects and languages, based on his belief that "there is no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer." This principle transformed the library's mission from a specialized legislative resource into the universal repository of knowledge it is today.