On april 24, 1800, the library of congress was established when john adams, the nation's second president, signed an act of congress, which appropriated $5,000 for the purchase of such books as … On april 24, 1800, the library of congress was established when john adams, the nation's second president, signed an act of congress, which appropriated $5,000 for the purchase of such books as … On january 30, 1815, congress approved the purchase of thomas jefferson’s personal library of 6,487 books for $23,950.

The collection includes millions cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; Millions of manuscripts; The largest rare book collection in north america; And the world's largest collection of …