LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

(Capitol Hill. Phone, Main 2727.)

The Library of Congress was established in 1800, destroyed in 1814 by the burning of the Capitol, afterwards replenished by the purchase by Congress of the library of ex-President Jefferson, 6,760 volumes (cost, $23,950); in 1851, 35,000 volumes destroyed by fire; in 1852, partially replenished by an appropriation of $75,000; increased (1) by regular appropriations by Congress; (2) by deposits under the copyright law; (3) by gifts and exchanges; (4) by the exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution, the library of which (40,000 volumes) was, in 1866, deposited in the Library of Congress with the stipulation that future accessions should follow it. Sixty sets of Government publications are at the disposal of the Librarian of Congress for exchange, through the Smithsonian, with foreign governments, and this number may be increased up to 100. Other special accessions have been: The Peter Force collection (22,529 volumes, 37,000 pamphlets) purchased, 1867, cost $100,000; the Count de Rochambeau collection (manuscript) purchased, 1883, cost $20,000; the Toner collection (24,484 volumes, numerous pamphlets), gift in 1882 of Dr. Joseph M. Toner.

Since the removal to the new building the Library has been enriched by a number of special collections. The Prints Division has received the Hubbard collection of engravings, gift in 1898 of Mrs. Gardiner G. Hubbard (her will (1909) stipulated that the income of a fund of $20,000 be applied to purchase of additional engravings); and the Noyes collection of original drawings, prints, and books of Japanese artists, gift in 1905 of Mr. Crosby S. Noyes. The Prints Division also has the custody of the Garrett collection of 19,113 prints; and the George Lothrop Bradley collection of 1,980 engravings, etc., which, in accordance with his will, is to come into the permanent possession of the Library, subject to the life interest of Mrs. Bradley. The accessions to the Manuscripts Division give it superiority over any other like depository in this country. It now possesses the papers of nine Presidents, namely, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren, Polk, Pierce, and Johnson. Of the papers of American statesmen and politicians there are those of Franklin, R. Morris, Hamilton, Van Buren, Duff Green, Washburne, Clayton, Chase, Breckinridge, Crittenden, McArthur, Allen, Lyman Trumbull; of naval officers, Preble, Perry, Porter, John Paul Jones; of state papers, the papers of the Continental Congress; and in Colonial documentary history, the records of the Virginia Company, Spanish papers from New Mexico and Florida; Philippine and Guam documents. The papers of Chancellor Kent represent the judiciary. In commercial history there are the Ellis papers, 1805-1853; Bourne papers, 1776-1816; Galloway papers (early part of eighteenth century); letters of William Taylor (the latter part of the eighteenth century); of John White, cashier of the Bank of the United States at Baltimore. Here also are the papers of William Thornton and George Watterston, illustrating the history of the District of Columbia. The Stevens Index of MSS. in European archives relating to America, 1763-1783, comprising 180 volumes, giving titles of 161,000 documents, and the transcripts of 10,000 papers relating to the peace of 1783, in 37 large folio volumes, were bought in 1906. Here, also, are over 65,000 folios of transcripts of documents relating to American colonial history in the public archives of Great Britain. The Map Division has acquired the Kohl collection, the manuscript maps of Lord Howe, and many other manuscript maps, which make the collection extremely rich in original maps. The Weber library of Sanskrit literature (3,018 volumes, 1,002 pamphlets), and the Hattala library of Slavic literature (about 1,500 volumes) were bought in 1904.

In 1907 the Yudin collection of Russian works (80,000 volumes) and a Japanese collection (9,000 volumes) were added; and in 1908 the Huitfeldt-Kaas collection of Scandinavian literature containing about 5,000 volumes.

The collection is now the largest on the Western Hemisphere and the third in the world. It comprised at the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1909) about 1,702,685 printed books and pamphlets (including the law library of 126,816 volumes, which, while a division of the Library of Congress, still remains at the Capitol), 111,343 maps and charts, 501,293 pieces of music, and 303,036 photographs, prints, engravings, and lithographs. Of the printed books, probably one-sixth are duplicates not in use. The Smithsonian deposit is strong in scientific works, and includes the largest assemblage of the transactions of learned societies which exists in this country. In 1897 the main collection was removed from the Capitol to the building erected for it under the acts of Congress approved April 15, 1886, October 2, 1888, and March 2, 1889, at a cost of $6,347,000 (limit by law, $6,500,000) exclusive of the land, which cost

$585,000. The architects who furnished the original designs were John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz. By the act of October 2, 1888, before the foundations were laid, Thomas L. Casey, Chief of Engineers of the Army, was placed in charge of the construction of the building, and the architectural details were worked out by Paul J. Pelz and Edward P. Casey. Upon the death of General Casey, in March, 1896, the entire charge of the construction devolved upon Bernard R. Green, General Casey's assistant, and under his superintendence the building was completed in February, 1897; opened to the public November, 1897. The building occupies 34 acres upon a site 10 acres in extent at a distance of 1,270 feet east of the Capitol, and is the largest and most magnificent library building in the world. In the decorations, some forty painters and sculptors are represented-all American citizens. The floor space is 326,195 square feet, or nearly 8 acres. The book stacks contain about 56 miles of shelving, affording space for 2,600,000 octavo volumes. The southeast interior court has been built over as a book stack, with capacity for 940,000 octavo volumes of books on 22 miles of shelves, and 84,000 volumes of newspapers on a similar length of shelves-22 miles.

The Library is maintained by annual appropriations by Congress for various purposes, including the purchase of books. For the year 1909-10 these amounted to $823,125 (not including allotment for printing and binding, $202,000), as follows: $456,125 for services and contingent expenses (including the Copyright Office, and including also the care of the building); $200,000 toward a new book stack; $109,500 for books and periodicals (including $1,500 for new books for Supreme Court); $32,500 for fuel, supplies, and miscellaneous purposes; $25,000 for furniture, shelving, etc. The Librarian of Congress and the Superintendent of the Library Building and Grounds are now appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate (act of 1897). The employees of the Library are appointed by the Librarian under the act of 1897, which provides that they shall be appointed solely with reference to their fitness for their particular duties."

The President, Vice-President, Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in Congress are entitled by statute to draw books for home use (though no books can be given out on the orders of Members in favor of those who are not Members). The same privilege is extended by statute to Justices of the Supreme Court, the heads of the Executive Departments, and certain other officials.

Inter-library loans. -While not a lending library, but a reference library primarily and essentially, the Library of Congress maintains an inter-library loan system, by which special service is rendered to scholarship by the lending of books to other libraries for the use of investigators engaged in serious research which it is not within the power or duty of the library in question to supply, and which, at the time, are not needed in Washington.

Library service.-Library proper, 239 employees; Copyright Office, 78; distribution of catalogue cards, 23; law indexing, 7; disbursement service and care of building and grounds, 127. Total, 474.

The publications issued by the Library are numerous and include:

Annual reports, showing the progress of the Library.

Bibliographies, exhaustive statements of the literature of certain subjects, e. g., Philippine Islands.

Reference lists, containing principal references to questions of current interest, e. g., trusts, subsidies, railroads.

Catalogues, lists of special collections in the Library of Congress, e. g., Hubbard collection of engravings, Washington MSS., John Paul Jones MSS., maps of America, newspapers.

Special publications on library methods, e. g., catalogue rules, classification, etc. There is but a limited free distribution of publications. The reports and other administrative documents are sent to a large number of institutions, and, on request, to such inquirers as can not reach or be adequately served by them. Publications which are costly and permanent contributions to knowledge are priced and placed on sale with the superintendent of documents.

Copyright Office.-The Copyright Office is a distinct division of the Library of Congress and is located on the ground floor, south side; open 9 to 4.30. It is under the immediate charge of the Register of Copyrights, who, by the act of March 4, 1909, is authorized, "under the direction and supervision of the Librarian of Congress,' to perform all the duties relating to copyrights. Copyright registration was transferred to the Librarian of Congress by the act of July 8, 1870. Of most articles copyrighted two copies, and of some one copy, must be deposited in the Library of Congress to perfect copyright. Books, maps, musical compositions, photographs, periodicals, and other articles deposited in the Copyright Office to complete copyright numbered, during the fiscal year 1908–9, 217,869 articles. Copyright fees applied and paid into the Treasury for the fiscal year 1908–9 amounted to $83,816.75.