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

See Examples For:

Library of Congress

More than 250 members of the children’s-book community signed a petition calling for the Library of Congress and the nonprofit Every Child a Reader to address the “incredible harm” caused by Mr. Barnett’s comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Just two years later, in 2004, the Library of Congress presented Parton with the since-retired “Living Legend Medal,” which sought to recognize those that made significant creative contributions to American life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Her own book, Coat of Many Colours, was the 100 millionth book that programme donated to the US Library of Congress collection.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Families can also decide whether to make their recordings available via the StoryCorps archive or the Library of Congress, or share them publicly as part of a special Prego Collection, per the company’s official website.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

A frequent visitor to the Library of Congress, Garfield asked the librarians for book recommendations, which he borrowed or purchased to expand his knowledge of history, philosophy, and other subjects.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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