The question most frequently asked by visitors to the Library of Congress is "Where are the books?" They are on the 532 miles of shelves located throughout the library's three buildings: the Thomas Jefferson, James Madison Memorial, and John Adams buildings. Established in 1800, "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress," the library today serves the nation, with holdings for the visually impaired (for whom books are recorded on cassette and/or translated into Braille), research scholars, college students -- and tourists. Its first collection of books was destroyed in 1814 when the British burned the Capitol (where the library was then housed) during the War of 1812. Thomas Jefferson then sold the institution his personal library of 6,487 books as a replacement, and this became the foundation of what would grow to become the world's largest library. Today, the collection contains a mind-boggling 138 million items. Its buildings house more than 32 million cataloged books; 61 million manuscripts; millions and millions of prints and photographs, audio holdings (discs, tapes, talking books, and so on), movies, and videotapes; musical instruments from the 1700s; and the letters and papers of everyone from George Washington to Groucho Marx. Its archives also include the letters, oral histories, photographs, and other documents of war veterans from World War I to the present, all part of its Veterans History Project; go to www.loc.gov/vets to listen to or read some of these stories, especially if you plan on visiting the National World War II Memorial. Just as impressive as the library's holdings is its architecture. Most magnificent is the ornate Italian Renaissance-style Thomas Jefferson Building, which was erected between 1888 and 1897 to hold the burgeoning collection and establish America as a cultured nation with magnificent institutions equal to anything in Europe. Fifty-two painters and sculptors worked for 8 years on its interior. There are floor mosaics of Italian marble, allegorical paintings on the overhead vaults, more than 100 murals, and numerous ornamental cornucopias, ribbons, vines, and garlands. The building's exterior has 42 granite sculptures and yards of bas-reliefs. Especially impressive are the exquisite marble Great Hall and the Main Reading Room, the latter under a 160-foot dome. Originally intended to hold the fruits of at least 150 years of collecting, the Jefferson Building was, in fact, filled up in a mere 13 years. It is now supplemented by the James Madison Memorial Building and the John Adams Building. In April 2008, the Library debuted its Library of Congress Experience, an interactive introduction to the museum and its highlights. Visitors enter into the Great Hall, proceeding to the orientation galleries in the hall for basic training in navigating the exhibits. Armed with instructions for the self-guided audio tour, visitors use touch screens and virtual interactives to zoom in on the art, architecture, and artifacts displayed within the magnificent Great Hall. Interactive features are available throughout other exhibit areas. The Library hosts a smorgasbord of events, including a free movie and concert series. Be sure to check the LOC website before you come. Concerts take place in the Jefferson Building's elegant Coolidge Auditorium. The concerts are free but require tickets, which you can obtain through Ticketmaster (tel. 800/551-7328). Across Independence Avenue from the Jefferson Building is the Madison Building, which houses the Copyright Office and the Mary Pickford Theater, a venue for classic film screenings. Anyone 18 and over may use the library's collections, but first you must obtain a user card with your photo on it. Go to Reader Registration in Room LM 140 (street level of the Madison Building) and present a driver's license or passport. Then head to the Information Desk in either the Jefferson or Madison buildings to find out about the research resources available to you and how to use them. Most likely, you will be directed to the Main Reading Room. All books must be used on-site.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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