Evening star., 1932-10-10
congress LIBRARY
HAD HUMBLE START
Original Volumes, Purchased
for SIS, 600, Destroyed in
Fire of 1914.

In view of present plans for ex-
pansion of space and service, the small
beginnings of the Library of Congress
are worthy Of recollection.
| 1t was in 1900, just 1872 years ago
| that Congress passed an act appro-
priating $4,000 for the purchase OF
books for the use Of both houses OF
| Congress" The money was spent, for
the most part in the acquisition of TAO
purchases arrived in the Capital in IL
hair trunks. They persisted in the con-
| flagation incident to the British raid
| on washington in 1914.
But a second beginning was made
possible by the purchase in 1915 of
/ 6.760 volumes from the library of
Thomas jefferson. The cost was S23.-
! $50 and the actual starting point of
the present vast collection was that
investment, made lit yeals back.
For the period S23.950 was a consid-
cradle sum and the Government bene-
/ fiteo, not only in coming into posses
sion of the books themselves, but in
| having the advantage of Jefferson's S
critical skill in their selection. Tbs
! the second or actual beginning of the
great National Library was not 80
humble or inconsequential as has been
alleged.
Jefferson Was Founder.
The Library necessarily had to grow
| from something small, but what. in
| fact, it did grow from was the we'll
chosen library of the man who has
probably eXerted a greater influence on
the institutions of this country than
a-,n Noc cl,iy
| ton" The founder of the Library of
! Congress, beyond all question OF doubt,
| was Thomas Jefferson.
Unfortunately, the rate OF progress
during the first half century after its
second founding was tediously slow. In
1865 the Library had only $1,000 VOL
umes. At the same pace, had 1t con-
tinued, there would be only about
300 900 volumes available today.
But since the Civil War. and esre-
cially since 1900, there has been vast
increase in the production OF books as
we'll as in the acquisition OF them. Every
work registered for copyright since ,he
act Of l846 automatically has become
a property of the Library the filing OF
a copy being required under the law
The Library also has been the recipient
of numerous gifts of books and of oc-
casional gifts of money for the pur-
chase of books. Finally Congress regu-
larly authorizes the buying of desired
items which are not otherwise available.
Today the Library is the second
largest institution of its kind in the
world. 1t is surpassed by the Bibl:o-
theque Rationale in Paris. but BY no
other library. If present progress con-
tinues, it soon will take precedence
over its French rival, at least 60 far as
numbers of titles is concerned.
Legally Private Library.
In general legal status the Library
of Congress is simply the more or less
private library of the two branches of
the National Legislature. but if Congress
were to attempt to restrict its service
to the requirements of its own members
the effort almost surely would fail. The
reasons are many. The Library is
maintained by the people of the United
States. and it is doubtful if they would
be interested in supporting an instl-
tuition from which they were arbi-
trarily barred. The tendency, therefore.
is toward a democratization of such
remnants of congressional control as
still exist. In time to come it may be
expected that within rational limits the
Library will be a lending as well as
reference institution. Such expansion,
however, is not at present contemplated
by the Library authorities.
What is desired and what is now
practically guaranteed is room enough
for the adequate care and use of the
books already on hand. There are ap-
proximately 100000 volumes, l,16l 600
maps and views more than 100000
music items, 100000 prints and an in
definite number of manuscripts shell
tered in the building at present. But
these numbers imply oyercroWding, in
accessibility and confusion. To solve
the immediate problem and to antici-
pate normal growth the present build
ing program was planned.
The mere accumulation Of printed
matter is not the only purpose of the
institution. In recent years especially,
the Library has been growing in impor-
tance as a research center and it's re-
search attractions have been becoming
more widely appreciated. European and
Latin American students, as well as stu
dents from all parts of the United
States, come to Washington to consult
materials not elsewhere to be found
Every theme under the sun engages the
attention of these scholars The prod
uct of their labors ultimately returns to
the Library in the form of their publi-
cations. The Library staff has had
thousands of formal expressions of ap-
probation from grateful patrons.
VolIbehr Collection.
In recent years increased public in
tereSt in the rare books and manu-
scripts departments of the Library has
been manifested. This has been both
cause and an effect. The acquisition
of the Declaration of Independence and
Of the Constitution of the United States
in 1921 focused attention on the pos
sibilities for the development of the
manuscript department, with which
that of rare books is closely allied. The
two divisions have been engaged in
friendly rivalry ever since
The most important accession of rare
books was that of the celebrated Voll-
behr collection, for which Congress ap-
propriated $1,500.000 in July, 1880. The
star OF this group is the Gutenberg
Bible, one Of the three extant perfect
copies on vellum of the first great book
printed in Europe from movable type.
Its date is 1450-1455.
Other fine groups in the Library's
possession are the Peter Force and the
Toner collections of American history,
the Smithsonian Institutions collection
OF the proceedings of learned societies,
the Yudin collection of Russian books,
the John Boyd Thatcher collection of
fifteenth century books and books on
the French Revolution, early Americana
and autographs of European notables,
the Schiff-Deinard collection of Hebrew
literature and 10000 Chinese books.
In the Vollbehr collection there are q
total of 5000 volumes.
A recent purchase was a part of the
Winter Palace library, acquired through
a dealer commissioned to sell the books
Dy the Soviet government of Russia.
Tnese volumes were the personal prop
erty of the imperial family. Among
them is a French novel which the En-
press is supposed to have been reading
when the revolution began in March.