Library of Congress Main Reading Room

A little more about the Library of Congress.

Recorded a total of 155,357,302 items in the collections, including:

• 23,276,091 cataloged books in the Library of Congress classification system
• 12,638,773 books in large type and raised characters, incunabula (books printed before 1501), monographs and serials, bound newspapers, pamphlets, technical reports, and other printed material
• 119,442,438 items in the nonclassified (special) collections. These included:
  
  • 3,420,599 audio materials, such as discs, tapes, talking books, and other recorded formats
  • 68,118,899 manuscripts
  • 5,478,123 maps
  • 16,746,497 microforms
  • 6,589,199 pieces of sheet music
  • 15,704,268 visual materials, including:
    • 1,354,126 moving images
    • 13,640,325 photographs
    • 104,270 posters
    • 605,547 prints and drawing

Views of the Library of Congress

Over the next couple of days I'll play catch up with my trip to the Library of Congress.

From the outside you really would not know just how incredible the inside of the building is.

Here's a little about the Library from its web page:

Today's Library of Congress is an unparalleled world resource. The collection of more than 151 million items includes more than 34.5 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 66.6 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America; and the world's largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings.

The main entrance to the Library of Congress

The main lobby of the Library. The far door way is to the main reading room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the stairs that go to the observation balcony where you can look down on the main reading room.

The ceiling

Library of Congress Open House — The Card Catalog

Before computers came along the way you looked up a book was using the card catalog. The card catalog used to be in the main reading room at the Library of Congress.

I remember using it when I was doing research when I was in college. I especially remember doing a paper on The War of 1812. I used the card catalog and got books about it. Several were from the mid 1840s. I thought it was so cool to be holding in my hand a book that was over 130 years old.

Here are a few pictures of the catalog. It is stored just off the main reading room. It is still used. You can also see that not all of the books in the Library of Congress are in English. Many in fact are in other languages as you can see from the the last picture. I did over hear one of the librarians say that because of budget cut backs fewer foreign language books are being purchased.

A Blast from the Past at the Library of Congress — A Rotary Phone

While looking around during the Library of Congress Open House on Monday, I came upon these. It was in the area where the old card catalog is stored. I saw these old rotary phones. For people of a certain age, we got a huge kick out of seeing these. Many people took pictures of them. Then there was a group of people who walked by the phones and didn't notice them at all.

As I was heading out, I said to one of the librarians that some people really enjoyed the fact the phones were there. She laughed and said she forgot that the phones were rotary.

More pictures from the open house later.

Open House at the Library of Congress

Yesterday I spent a delightful time going to the open house at the Library of Congress. Twice a year the main reading room is opened up to tourist. They get to come in and take a look at the reading room and take pictures. I'll have more on what on saw later today but thought I'd put up a couple of pictures to show just how fantastic the main reading room is.