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Information Storage and Retrieval

Notes
volumes of philosophy, science, literature, and other topics not normally viewed as part of a
legislative library, such as cookbooks, writing that, “I do not know that it contains any branch of
science which Congress would wish to exclude from their collection; there is, in fact, no subject to
which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer.”

In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson’s offer, appropriating $23,950 for his
6,487 books.

Weakening (1851–1865)
The antebellum period was difficult for the Library. During the 1850s the Smithsonian Institution’s
librarian Charles Coffin Jewett aggressively tried to move that organization towards becoming the
United States’ national library. His efforts were blocked by the Smithsonian’s Secretary Joseph Henry,
who advocated a focus on scientific research and publication and favoured the Library of Congress’
development into the national library. Henry’s dismissal of Jewett in July 1854 ended the
Smithsonian’s attempts to become the national library, and in 1866 Henry transferred the
Smithsonian’s forty thousand-volume library to the Library of Congress.
On December 24, 1851 the largest fire in the Library’s history destroyed 35,000 books, about two–
thirds of the Library’s 55,000 book collection, including two–thirds of Jefferson’s original transfer.
Congress in 1852 quickly appropriated $168,700 to replace the lost books, but not for the acquisition
of new materials. This marked the start of a conservative period in the Library’s administration
under Librarian John Silva Meehan and Joint Committee Chairman James A. Pearce, who worked
to restrict the Library’s activities.
In 1857, Congress transferred the Library’s public document distribution activities to the Department
of the Interior and its international book exchange program to the Department of State. Abraham
Lincoln’s political appointment of John G. Stephenson as Librarian of Congress in 1861 further
weakened the Library; Stephenson’s focus was on non-library affairs, including service as a volunteer
aide-de-camp at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg during the American Civil War. By
the conclusion of the war, the Library of Congress had a staff of seven for a collection of 80,000
volumes. The centralization of copyright offices into the United States Patent Office in 1859 ended
the Library’s thirteen year role as a depository of all copyrighted books and pamphlets.
Spofford’s Expansion (1865–1897)

The Library of Congress reasserted itself during the latter half of the 19th century under Librarian
Ainsworth Rand Spofford, who directed the Library from 1865 to 1897. Aided by an overall expansion
of the federal government and a favorable political climate, Spofford built broad bipartisan support
for the Library as a national library and a legislative resource, began comprehensively collecting
Americana and American literature, and led the construction of a new building to house the Library,
and transformed the Librarian of Congress position into one of strength and independence.
Between 1865 and 1870, Congress appropriated funds for the construction of the Thomas Jefferson
Building, placed all copyright registration and deposit activities under the Library’s control, and
restored the Library’s international book exchange. The Library also acquired the vast libraries of
both the Smithsonian and historian Peter Force, strengthening its scientific and Americana collections
significantly. By 1876, the Library of Congress had 300,000 volumes and was tied with Boston Public
Library as the nation’s largest library.

The Library moved from the Capitol building to its new headquarters in 1897, it had
over 840,000 volumes, 40% of which had been acquired through copyright deposit.

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