Library of Congress

noun

1. one of the major library collections in the world, located in Washington, D.C., and functioning in some ways as the national library of the U.S. although not officially designated as such: established by Congress in 1800 for service to its members, but now also serving government agencies, other libraries, and the public.

Library of Congress

1. The largest library in the United States, located in Washington, D.C. , and maintained largely by federal appropriations . Its original purpose was to provide research facilities for members of Congress ; today it serves the public as well. Most copyrighted publications are catalogued by the Library of Congress, whose classification system is used by major libraries around the country.