Today in History: Books for Congress

Book of Hours
Today in History–April 24–the Library of Congress celebrates its own birthday. On this day in 1800, President John Adams approved a $5,000 appropriation to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.” According to Thomas Jefferson, any book would be useful: ” . . . there is in fact no subject to which a member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.” Learn more about the Library and its fabulous digital book collections by visiting the Today in History section, then clicking the links below.

The Library of Congress Is Your Library video 4:54 mins (transcript)

Library of Congress Bicentennial (America’s Library)

Jefferson’s Library

Library of Congress: Jefferson Building

Primary Source Learning: Discover the Library Online

Selections from the Rare Book & Special Collections Division

Digitized Rare Children’s Books

Finding Resources: What’s Available When LOC.gov Is Offline