Since then, as the internet came into our lives, and it is firmly consolidated and libraries all over the world have experienced an obvious outflow of readers.After all, why go to the library, if the World Wide Web has access to virtually any information.However, this assertion can be challenged, given that a huge variety of literary works, scientific treatises and many other materials have not yet been digitized.Many rare indeed important things can not be found on the Internet.Like the ancient manuscripts to touch or flip through the yellowed newspaper files of the last century.And that's just for the simple reader!So large libraries with extensive funds are still popular.For academics, writers, politicians and many others, they are simply irreplaceable.One of these important repositories of knowledge of the world is the Library of Congress.
History and Development
It was founded by US President John Adams April 24, 1800, when he moved the capital of the United States from Philadelphia to Washington.He also singled out 5 thousand dollars for the purchase of books for the needs of Congress and the establishment of a special room to store them.Library is located in the Capitol.Using it could only president, vice president and members of the Senate and the Congress of the United States.That is why it got its name "Library of Congress".
Particular attention is paid to her and the next head of state - Thomas Jefferson, who was an avid bibliophile.He takes the library an important role in actively replenished its fund.During the war between England and America in the years 1812-1814, Washington was badly damaged by fire, the Capitol was burned down.James Madison, who at that time was the president, and regained the library purchased from Jefferson about six and a half thousand books from the personal archive.Library of the US Congress has survived another fire in 1851, when it lost more than half of his foundation.In the 50s of the XIX century was opened access to ministers, members of the Supreme Court recognized scientists, writers, journalists.An important decree was adopted in 1870 by the then head of Ainsworth Rand Spofford library that one copy of each edition of the public coming to the United States, shall be submitted to the BC.A convenient system of classification of books has been developed following the leader, Herbert Putnam.Personal library of 81 thousand books and magazines (mostly in Russian history) Russian merchant-bibliophile Yudin Gennady in 1907 was bought and transferred to the fund.A place where there is the largest collection of books in Russian outside of Russia - is the Library of Congress.The National Library has received the status of the 30-ies of the last century.
heritage of all mankind
The first fund BC consisted of only 740 books and three maps.Over the years, in spite of the fires, the fund has grown enormously, and today the Library of Congress is the largest in the world.Today, it holds more than 150 million all kinds of materials.If we measure the length of the shelves, you get more than 1000 km.The Library of Congress presents publications in 470 languages.There are over thirty million books, 60 million manuscripts, more than a million newspapers over the last 300 years, about five million maps and more than one million US government publications, library collection includes millions of photographs, films and sound recordings.Every year the fund is replenished by 1-3 million units.
Temple of Knowledge in numbers
To date, access to the Library of Congress can get anyone under the age of 16 years.True, not all information is freely available, part of the secret.With assets can only work in the reading rooms, a total of 20 seats for readers - 1460. Around 3500 employees work there.Currently, work on the digitization of library fund is not actively being until it is executed by only 10%.According to preliminary data, the entire volume of BK in digital form will be about 20 terabytes.
Appearance
Now the Library of Congress (photo attached) located in three buildings that are located on Capitol Hill, they are connected to each other underground passages and depositories.The oldest and main building, named after Thomas Jefferson, was built in the 1890s as a bright representative of the architecture "Gilded Age."In 1939 the main building of the building there was John Adams.Its distinctive feature - the bronze doors with images on them gods of various world mythologies.The third building opened its doors to the public in the 70s of the last century and is a memorial to another US president - James Madison.In this part of BC is Mary Pickford Theater, which regularly shows free films and television pictures from the library.Packard Campus - the so-called centers of storage of visual and audio materials, opened in 2007 and is the new building, it is located in Culpeper, Va.The building was renovated from the former bunker, and its name comes from the name of David Woodley Packard, the head of the Humanities Institute, which designed the campus.One of the important parts of the complex is a cinema, in the style of Art Deco.
Office copyright
Library of Congress is unique in that for 130 years has been the registration of copyright.It is the only national library in the world, engaged in the deposit, which is of great importance because it brings revenue and contributes to the replenishment by the most interesting new editions.Copyright Office registers not only the works of American authors, these services can benefit the citizens of other countries.Sign-up absolutely any kind of work, such as literary, musical, theatrical works, drawings, maps, promotional materials, computer games and programs, and many other things.You can use the services of the Bureau on the Internet, filling out an application in electronic form and making the required amount in the account.
