Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C. that serves as the library and research service of the U.S. Congress and the de facto national library of the United States. It also administers copyright law through the United States Copyright Office.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the oldest federal cultural institution in the U.S. It is housed in three elaborate buildings on Capitol Hill, with a conservation center in Culpeper, Virginia and offsite storage facilities at Fort Meade and Cabin Branch in Maryland. The library's functions are overseen by the Librarian of Congress, and its buildings are maintained by the Architect of the Capitol. The LOC is one of the largest libraries in the world, containing approximately 173 million items and employing over 3,000 staff.