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Library of Congress is established
On April 24, 1800, President John Adams signs an act that officially moves the national government from Philadelphia to Washington, and provides $5,000 of funding for the acquisition of books for the use of the Congress. -
Position of Librarian of Congress created
In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson agreed to a compromise with the legislature that created the job of Librarian of Congress. This position would be filled upon nomination by the President. Jefferson would nominate the first two Librarians of Congress: John J. Beckley (1802-1807) and Patrick Magruder (1807-1815). -
Library of Congress Burned Down in the War of 1812
In August of 1814, the Capitol and the Library of Congress within it's north wing burn down. As many as 3,000 volumes were lost in the conflagration. President Thomas Jefferson once again comes to the aid of the Library, offering to sell his personal collection of 6,847 books to Congress for $23,950. -
LOC Burns Again
On December 22, 1851, the Library of Congress once again suffered a devastating fire. This fire, in particular, was the worst the Library has ever suffered. 35,000 books were destroyed, almost two-thirds of the collection. -
Acquisition of Smithsonian's Non-Scientific Collection
After much debate and rancor about which building would serve as the national library, Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry convinced the nation that the Library of Congress would serve this role. In so doing, he also successfully added the Smithsonian's non-scientific collection of 40,000 volumes the LOC. -
Spofford Takes Over
When Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford took over, he led an overall significant effort to strengthen the position of Librarian of Congress and expand the LOC. During his 32 year tenure, Spofford, with the help of a supportive Congress, doubled the Library's staff and strengthened its collection to more than 300,000 volumes. The LOC was relocated to a much larger structure, and the Senate gained advise and consent responsibilities for the position of Librarian of Congress. -
Putnam and the Progressive Era
Herbert Putnam, who served for forty years as the Librarian of Congress, oversaw a dramatic transformation in the LOC. With the assistance of President Theodore Roosevelt, rapidly and significantly increased the size and diversity of the library's collection. During his leadership, the LOC established the Legislative Reference Service and also yet again outgrew its capacity. A new annex building was commissioned, but would not be completed until 1938. -
Legislative Reference Service Established
Established under Putnam, the Legislative Reference Service (now Congressional Reference Service) works directly with legislators as a research aide. -
WWII and MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish, Putnam's successor, was the Librarian of Congress for the majority of WWII. During this period, and out of a concern for the protection of our nation's most treasured documents, Macleish oversaw the transport of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to Fort Knox, Kentucky. He also greatly increased library services and became the most outspoken Librarian of Congress in history. -
Evans' Mission
Putnam's successor, Luther Evans, furthered LOC efforts to modernize acquisitions, bibliographic, and cataloging services. His principle achievement, however, was the creation of library Missions. These global Missions served to carry out the library's work on a broader scale. Evans was a vocal opponent of censorship. -
Preservation Office Established
LOC begins experimenting with preservation methods and techniques. This new office quickly becomes the largest conservation effort in the country. -
LOC Moved to James Madison Memorial Building
Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin oversaw the move from the John Adams Building to the James Madison Memorial Building. This is the third and current location of LOC. -
Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015
President Barack Obama signed the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015 into law, which put into place a 10-year term limit on the office of the Librarian of Congress. This new law will have profound impacts on the operation of the LOC, considering that in the 219 years of operation, LOC has only had 14 Librarians of Congress! -
Carla Hayden Confirmed as First Female, African American Librarian of Congress
On February 24, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Hayden to the position of Librarian of Congress. After passing with a 74-18 vote in the Senate, Hayden was confirmed as the Librarian of Congress on September 14, 2016.
