Library of Congress

American  

noun

1. one of the major library collections in the world, located in Washington, D.C., and functioning in some ways as the national library of the U.S. although not officially designated as such: established by Congress in 1800 for service to its members, but now also serving government agencies, other libraries, and the public.

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Library of Congress Cultural  

1. The largest library in the United States, located in Washington, D.C., and maintained largely by federal appropriations. Its original purpose was to provide research facilities for members of Congress; today it serves the public as well. Most copyrighted publications are catalogued by the Library of Congress, whose classification system is used by major libraries around the country.

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Example Sentences

In 2009, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry, and in 2021 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

From The Wall Street Journal

With Jefferson’s eclectic interests represented, the reborn Library of Congress became a general collection, not merely one for legislative specialists.

From The Wall Street Journal

That points to a tension Ms. Aikin repeatedly discusses through short thematic sections: Is the Library of Congress a library for Congress or a national library for the general public?

From The Wall Street Journal

As Ms. Aikin shows, in many ways the modern governmental leviathan would not be possible without the manifold collections and reference services of the Library of Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal

At a time when competency in government is questioned, the Library of Congress remains a supreme achievement of intellectual institution-building in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal