The Library of Congress Today

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest repository of knowledge and creativity, with a growing collection of more than 150 million 

items, including books, print materials, sound recordings, photographs, 

maps, sheet music, motion pictures, and manuscripts.

Although books are the heart of the Library, from the volumes of 

American statesman Thomas Jefferson to the most current material 

that reflects contemporary culture, there is much more. The Library 

supports research in its Main Reading Room and in twenty-one 

specialty reading rooms; archives millions of priceless objects, including the papers of key figures from around the world; gives a stage to 

performances of all kinds; creates exhibitions that explore historic and 

cultural themes; produces a wide range of books and teaching materials; and is a global leader in the science of preservation and information 

management. 

The Library is the home of the U.S. Copyright Office whose mission 

is to promote creativity by administering and sustaining an effective 

national copyright system; the National Library Service for the Blind 

and Physically Handicapped, which circulates braille and audio materials nationwide; the Congressional Research Service, which does original 

research for members of Congress; and the Law Library of Congress, 

with its vast international legal collections. The Library’s website 

provides access to collections, webcasts, concerts, exhibitions, and 

other Library programs. www.loc.gov

A Brief History 

The Library of Congress was established in 1800, when President 

John Adams signed a bill transferring the seat of the U.S. government 

to Washington. The legislation described a library of “such books as 

may be necessary for the use of Congress.” The initial collection of 740 

books and 3 maps was housed in the new Capitol Building until August 

1814, when invading British troops burned the building, destroying the 

small library.

President Thomas Jefferson, then retired and living at Monticello, 

offered his personal library as a replacement. In January 1815, 

Congress appropriated $23,950 to purchase Jefferson’s collection 

of 6,487 books, and thereby laid the foundation for a great national 

library. The Jeffersonian belief that all subjects are important to the 

American legislature is the philosophy that inspires the comprehensive 

collecting policies of today’s Library of Congress. The Thomas Jefferson 

Library exhibition is on view on the second floor.

Facing a shortage of space in the Capitol and concerned about the 

safety of the collection after two disastrous fires, Congress approved 

the construction of a separate building for its Library. 

Opened on November 1, 1897, the new “Congressional Library” 

was hailed as a glorious national monument. In 1980, the building was 

named for Thomas Jefferson in honor of his role in the Library’s history. Between 1984 and 1997, the building was restored to its original 

nineteenth-century splendor.

THOMAS 

JEFFERSON

BUILDING

ENGLISH

10 First Street SE

Washington, DC 20540

tel 202.707.8000

www.loc.gov

Thomas Jefferson Building and Exhibitions

Monday through Saturday

8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Closed New Year’s, Thanksgiving and Christmas

A virtual tour 

is available on 

www.loc.gov 

6/12

G Ground Floor Restrooms Information Cloakroom

G

Carriage

Entrance

Graphic 

Arts 

Galleries

Library 

Shop

EXIT

Visitor 

Tours

Gershwin

Room

Bob Hope

Gallery

Coolidge

Auditorium

Young Readers 

Center

Passageway 

to Capitol

TORCH OF LEARNING atop the Thomas Jefferson Building
Suggested itineraries are color coded:

 15 to 30 mins. 30-60 mins. > 1 hour

The Thomas Jefferson Building

The Thomas Jefferson Building, the centerpiece of the Library’s 

three buildings on Capitol Hill, 

opened in 1897, and was built as a 

library. Its artistic decorations relate 

to learning, literature, knowledge, 

creativity, and intellectual achievement. Throughout, you will see 

symbols; for example, the Roman 

goddess Minerva is the protector of civilization and the goddess 

of universal knowledge. Look for 

depictions of books and scrolls and 

torches, which represent learning 

and achievement. The building was 

constructed at a time of scientific 

discovery. Notice the light bulbs; 

this was the first building in Washington, D.C., to be constructed with 

electricity installed. 

First Floor 1

Great Hall

The Great Hall is the grand 

centerpiece of this Italian Renaissance-style building which was 

completed on time and under 

budget. The ceiling, seventy-five 

feet above the marble floor, is 

decorated with stained-glass skylights surrounded by aluminum-leaf 

decorations. The triangular vaults 

contain names of the world’s leading writers and thinkers. In the 

marble floor is a large brass inlay of 

a compass rose, surrounded by the 

twelve signs of the zodiac. 

Two marble staircases flank 

the Great Hall. The small children 

carved into the railings represent 

various occupations and hobbies, 

including the symbol of a trade: a 

hunter with a rabbit; an electrician 

holding a telephone receiver; and 

an entomologist with a butterfly 

net. Halfway up the staircases are 

globes with figures representing 

Africa, America, Europe, and Asia.

To the east is a Commemorative 

Arch with two figures entitled The 

Students, a young man and an old 

one, who represent the importance 

of life-long learning. 

Use the interactives on the 

mezzanine to study the Great Hall 

features more closely.

The Gutenberg and Mainz Bibles

Pass through the Commemorative Arch to reach two of the 

Library’s greatest treasures: the 

handwritten (manuscript) Giant 

Bible of Mainz and the printed 

Gutenberg Bible. Both volumes 

were produced in Mainz, Germany, 

in the mid-1450s. The Gutenberg 

Bible is the first book printed with 

movable metal type in Europe. 

Continue to the alcoves near 

the elevators where you will find 

five lunette paintings by Elihu 

Vedder depicting Government; the 

ideal form is over the door with 

the effects of good and bad government on each side. On the left, 

the paintings show Corrupt Legislation and Anarchy; on the right are 

Good Administration, and Peace and 

Prosperity.

Interactive stations allow you to 

explore the Bibles and the nearby 

paintings in depth.

Second Floor 2

Minerva Mosaic

On the east side of the second 

floor a staircase leads to a special 

gallery where visitors experience a 

view of the Main Reading Room. 

Main Entry

1

Great 

Hall

Gutenberg 

Bible

Giant Bible 

of Mainz

From the base of the stairs, take 

a moment to look at Elihu Vedder’s 

glass, gold-leaf, and marble mosaic 

of Minerva as she stands ready to 

defend the Main Reading Room. To 

the right is a statue of Victory; at 

left, an owl— the symbol of wisdom. 

Minerva is holding a scroll that lists 

various fields of study important to 

a civilization.

Main Reading Room Overlook

(May be available for walk through only.)

The Main Reading Room’s 

domed ceiling soars 160 feet above 

the floor. In the circular mural at the 

apex of the dome, twelve figures, 

painted by Edwin Blashfield, represent the countries, cultures, and 

eras that contributed to the development of Western civilization as 

understood in 1897. The eight semicircular stained-glass windows are 

decorated with the seals of fortyfive states and three territories 

(excluding Alaska and Hawaii, which 

were not yet part of the nation in 

1897).

Giant marble columns support 

eight symbolic figures that represent characteristic features of 

civilized life and thought. Sixteen 

bronze statues on the balustrades 

pay homage to men whose lives 

were devoted to the subject represented by the plaster statue above 

them. 

From right to left are Moses and 

St. Paul (Religion); Robert Fulton 

and Columbus (Commerce); Edward 

Gibbon and Herodotus (History); 

Beethoven and Michelangelo 

(Art); Francis Bacon and Plato (Philosophy); Homer and Shakespeare 

(Poetry); James Kent and Solon 

(Law); and Joseph Henry and Isaac 

Newton (Science). The circle of 

knowledge is continued below by 

the 236 desks where researchers 

use the Library’s vast collections. 

Mezzanine

At the corners of the mezzanine, 

The Virtues are painted on Pompeian 

red panels. Also, notice the fifty-six 

circular printers’ marks that adorn 

the triangular ceiling vaults. In the 

ceiling of the north mezzanine, 

paintings represent The Five Senses, 

and the wall paintings show Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, and 

Philosophy. 

From the west mezzanine windows is a beautiful view of the U.S. 

Capitol. The eight paintings in the 

arches above show The Sciences. At 

either end of the ceiling is a tablet 

bearing the names of distinguished 

scientists. The three medallions in 

the center depict the arts: Sculpture, 

Architecture, and Painting.

The south mezzanine paintings 

show The Three Graces in the center 

of the ceiling. At either end of the 

ceiling is a rectangular panel portraying baseball and football. The 

four circular wall paintings illustrate 

The Four Seasons. 

Several exhibitions are on view 

throughout the building. 

2

Main Reading 

Room Overlook

Thomas Jefferson’ s 

Library

View of 

Great Hall

Changing 

Exhibition 

Galleries

Waldseemüller 

Map

Exploring the 

Early Americas

Interactives

Mezzanine

Minerva 

Mosaic

N

1 First Floor 2 Second Floor G Ground Floor (on back panel) Information