The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books. The head of the Library is the Librarian of Congress, currently James H. Billington.

The Library of Congress was built by Congress in 1800, and was housed in the United States Capitol for most of the 19th century. After much of the original collection had been destroyed during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold 6,487 books, his entire personal collection, to the library in 1815. After a period of decline during the mid-19th century the Library of Congress began to grow rapidly in both size and importance after the American Civil War, culminating in the construction of a separate library building and the transference of all copyright deposit holdings to the Library. During the rapid expansion of the 20th century the Library of Congress assumed a preeminent public role, becoming a "library of last resort" and expanding its mission for the benefit of scholars and the American people.

The Library's primary mission is researching inquiries made by members of Congress through the Congressional Research Service. Although it is open to the public, only Members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and other high-ranking government officials may check out books. As the de facto national library, the Library of Congress promotes literacy and American literature through projects such as the American Folklife Center, American Memory, Center for the Book and Poet Laureate.

Independence Avenue and 1st Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 707-9779
http://www.loc.gov

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Map & Directions:

Smartphone Map:

What is this?
A QR code on Fairfax2015.com enables you to go directly to a map or website with your mobile phone quickly and easily. URLs can get very long, but with a QR code there is no need to type the full URL into your phone, instead you simply scan the image. Your phone reads it, converts it back into the URL and stores it as a bookmark or takes you to a Google Map. Then you can use your phone to go online to that page. 

What you need
- A mobile phone with a camera 
- A mobile phone with internet access if you want to go straight online 
- A QR code reader installed on the phone