LIBRARIES. 206 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. No. 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 lOa 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 Library City
Vereinigte Friedrlchs-Univereistät Halle-Wittenberg.
London Library
Grosshezogliche Regierungsbibliothek
Sutro Library
Public Library
Bibliotech Communale
Public Library
Kön. Friedrich-Alexanders Universitäts-Bibliotek
Central Public Free Library
(
Greek characters)
Enoch Pratt Free Library
Imperatortskij Kazanskij Uuiversitet
University Library
University Library
Bibiiotheca Nacional
Imperatorskij Jurjevsky Uuiversitet
Biblioteca Governativa
Biblioteca Comunale
Universidad Central de Eapasña
Imperial Library
University of Pennsylvania Library
Boston Athenaeum
Grossherzoglich und herzoglich Säehsische Gesamt-universitäts-Bibliothek
Staats-, Kreis- und Stadtbibliothek
Museum Královgtvi Ceskeho
Bibliotheque Publique
Kön und Provinzial-Bibliotbek
Stadtbibliotlick
Bibliotlhèque Sainte.Geneviève
Pnbliena^ja Biblioteka i Sostojascij pri nej Muzej
Staats Bihiiotliek..
Library of Parliament
Tomskij Universitet
City Halle London Schwerin San Francisco Liverpool Palermo Cincinnati Erlaugen Leeds Athens Baltimore Kasan Edinburgh Glasgow Lisbon Dorpat Lucca Fermo Madrid Tokio Philadelphia Boston Jena Augsburg Prague Bordeaux Hanover Mainz Paris. Vilna Aarhuus Ottawa Tomsk
Country
Prussia
England
Mecklenburg.
Cal .
England
Italy
Ohio
Bavaria
England
Greece
Md .
Russia
Scotland
Scotland
Portugal
Russia
Italy
Italy
Spain
Japan
Pa.
Mass.
Saxe-Weimar
Bavaria
Bohemia
France
Prussia
Hesse
France
Russia
Denmark
Canada
Siberia
Date
1902
1901
1901
1902
1902
1897
1901
1902
1901
1902
1901
1901
1900
1900
1894
1901
1901
1901
1895
1902
1902
1902
1892
1893
1898
1900
1901
1901
1901
1901
1902
1902
1902
No. of vols.
228,000
220,000
220,000
220,000
217,630
216,000
215,558
213,800
212,396
212,000
211,449
211,196
210,000
210,000
209,415
209,090
207,794
206,150
206,134
205,953
202,?00
202,166
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
200,000
Date of latest available statistics.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, The (the Na- tional Library of the United States). A public institution at Washington, D. C. It was estab- ished in 1800. destroyed in 1814 by the burning of the Capitol, afterwards replenished by the purchase by Congress of the library of ex-Presi- dent .Jefferson, but suffered again by a fire in 1851, which reduced it to 20,000 volumes. It has increased rapidly since then (1) through ap- propriations by Congress; (2) by deposits under the Copyright Law (see Copyright); (3) by gifts and exchanges, particularly of public docu- ments; (4) by the exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution, the library of which (40,000 vol- umes) was. in 1866, deposited in the Library of Congress with the stipulation that future acces- sions should follow. The collection has now come to be the largest in the Western Hemi- sphere and one of the half-dozen largest in the world, it comprised on .June 3O, 1902, 1,114.111 printed books and pamphlets, 99,.532 manuscripts, 64,921 maps and charts, 345,511 pieces of music, and 127,002 prints. It is rich in history, politi- cal and social science, public documents, and in Americana, including important files of Ameri- can newspapers and original manuscripts (due in part to the acquisition of the Peter Force, the de Rochambeau, and other special collections); but it is now a library general in scope, and its purchases include material in every department of literature. From 1800 to 1807 it remained at the Capitol; in 1897 it was removed to the building erected for it under acts of Congress, at a cost of $6,347,000. exclusive of the land, which cost $585,000. The building occupies three and three-quarters acres upon a site ten acres in ex- tent at a distance of 1270 feet east of the Capi- tol, and is the largest and most magnificent library building in the world. It has a floor space of nearly eight acres; book-stacks which contain about forty-five miles of shelving and space for 2,200,000 octavo volumes, able to be so extended as to accomodate over 4,000,000 vol- umes: and provision for nearly a thousand read- ers at a time. The structure. Italian Renaissance in style, is quadrangular, measuring 470 feet by 340 feet, and incloses four courts and a central rotunda. Its numerous works of art are im- posing but very unequal in merit. Its organiza- tion is now highly elaborate, including besides the general administration various divisions: Order, Catalogue. Reading Rooms. Bibliography, Documents, Manuscripts, Maps. Music. Periodi- cals, Prints; the Law Library, which still re- mains at the Capitol ; and the Copyright Office : also a branch bindery and printing-office which are branches of the Government Printing Office. The total force employed In the library numbers over 400. The Librarian of Congress is appointed by the President of the United States. He ap- points his subordinates and otherwise adminis- ters the appropriations granted for the Library and Copyright Office. There is also a Superin- tendent of the Building and Grounds, similarly appointed. Annual appropriations are granted by Congress upon application of these two officials. For the year 1903-04 they amounted to $583,84.5. including' $100,000 for the increase of the library, but excluding $185,000 for printing and binding. The library is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on every week-day, and from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Sundays and most holidays. Established for the use of Congress, and still especially serving Con- gress, the library is now also a public library, national in scope and function. For reference it is freely accessible without formality; but the priv- ilege of drawing books for home use is at present in general limited to members of Congress and certain other classes. Besides its direct service to readers, equivalent in volume to that of any American library, and to Congress and the execu- tive and scientific bureaus at Washington, the
