Young Ben Franklin wished to read more books than he could afford, so he got the brilliant idea of encouraging others to buy and share books together to make a larger number available to all. That was an important contribution to America’s foundations.
Later, when Scottish immigrant, Andrew Carnegie, achieved the American Dream, he donated generously to establish libraries in American towns of any size. We’ve all benefited.
The U.S. Library of Congress came into existence in 1800 when President John Adams approved its creation for Congress members to use. They allocated $5,000 to order books from London which were placed in the U.S. Capitol building as the library’s first home.
In 1814, British troops burned much of Washington, D.C., and the library was destroyed. Thomas Jefferson offered to rebuild it with 6,000 books from his own library. Congress approved that purchase.
Today, the Library of Congress is the largest collection of books in the world with 130 million volumbes filling 530 miles of bookshelves, including copies of all U.S. ISBN copyrighted books. It is open to the public. Any of us could spend days there.
Friends who have visited there have given me inspiring photos and brochures. I’ve added going in person to my wish list.
A nation’s values are evident in what they prioritize. The Library of Congress is a palace of learning honoring Yankee ingenuity, hard work, and invention. No expense was spared to showcase our citizens’ accomplishments. Its carefully indexed, catalogued entries inspire us to learn, work hard, build, and make significant contributions to extend our nation’s significant accomplishments far into the future.
Please answer one of these questions–
What would you look for first if you visited the Library of Congress?
Or, what do you like best about your local library?
Meanwhile, stay warm and have a great two weeks!
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