
The Library of Congress
From Jefferson's Vision to the Digital Age
Jane Aikin(Author)
Georgetown University Press
Published on 1. May 2025
Book
Hardback
356 pages
978-1-64712-571-4 (ISBN)
Description
The first comprehensive history of the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research arm of Congress, home of the US Copyright Office, and a public forum for artistic and literary culture. It is generally considered the national library of the United States, and it has influenced cultural affairs worldwide in myriad ways since its founding more than two centuries ago. In The Library of Congress, Jane Aikin draws on a wealth of primary and secondary sources to weave a narrative of the individuals, events, and controversies that have shaped the history of this venerable institution.
Punctuated by stories about key donors and pivotal performances by poets, authors, and celebrities, this engaging and informative narrative sheds new light on the world's largest library and its global impact on knowledge and culture.
The Library of Congress is the research arm of Congress, home of the US Copyright Office, and a public forum for artistic and literary culture. It is generally considered the national library of the United States, and it has influenced cultural affairs worldwide in myriad ways since its founding more than two centuries ago. In The Library of Congress, Jane Aikin draws on a wealth of primary and secondary sources to weave a narrative of the individuals, events, and controversies that have shaped the history of this venerable institution.
Punctuated by stories about key donors and pivotal performances by poets, authors, and celebrities, this engaging and informative narrative sheds new light on the world's largest library and its global impact on knowledge and culture.
Reviews / Votes
Impressively comprehensive, exceptionally well written, organized, and 'reader friendly' in presentation, The Library of Congress: From Jefferson's Vision to the Digital Age....[is] an extraordinary history of an extraordinary institution. * Midwest Book Review * Through the use of stories and anecdotes, Aikin reveals how the Library of Congress was molded and shaped by politics and culture. This book exemplifies the idiom that "nothing happens in a vacuum" and serves as a useful lens through which to study American history. * CHOICE connect *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Washington, DC
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Not illustrated
Dimensions
Height: 257 mm
Width: 179 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
838 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64712-571-4 (9781647125714)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2025
Georgetown University Press
€31.99
Available for download
Persons
Jane Aikin served as director of the Research Division at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her publications include The Nation's Great Library: Herbert Putnam and the Library of Congress, 1899-1939 (1993) and, as coeditor with John Y. Cole, Encyclopedia of the Library of Congress: For Congress, the Nation & the World (2005).
Content
Foreword by Carla Hayden, Fourteenth Librarian of Congress
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
1. Establishing a Library for Congress
2. Jefferson's Collection and Its Legacy
3. The Antebellum Library
4. The Idea of a National Library
5. Building Collections and Services
6. War, Prosperity, and Depression
7. War and Postwar
8. Sesquicentennial and Expansion
9. The National Library in the Networking Age
10. Bicentennial and Beyond
Conclusion
Index
About the Author
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
1. Establishing a Library for Congress
2. Jefferson's Collection and Its Legacy
3. The Antebellum Library
4. The Idea of a National Library
5. Building Collections and Services
6. War, Prosperity, and Depression
7. War and Postwar
8. Sesquicentennial and Expansion
9. The National Library in the Networking Age
10. Bicentennial and Beyond
Conclusion
Index
About the Author