The Library of Congress is the oldest cultural institution and largest library in the United States, housing over 130 million items including books, manuscripts, films, maps, and other materials. The Thomas Jefferson Building, with its Italian Renaissance architecture featuring sculptures, murals, and artwork, houses the main reading room and collection. The Library of Congress has three buildings in Washington D.C. and its collections serve as an invaluable worldwide resource for scholars, researchers, and the public.

1. The Library of Congress is the oldest national establishment for culture in the USA, and it is the most extensive library collection worldwide. The majestic Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress Washington DC, with its Italian Renaissance design full of sculptures, mosaics, paintings and murals, is one of the US's most distinguished accomplishments in architecture. Today's US Library of Congress is an unequalled world resource. Its collection of over 130 million items includes more than 29 million cataloged books and print materials in 460 languages; more than 58 million manuscripts; the most extensive collection of hard-to-find books in North America; and the biggest assembly in the world of audio recordings, films, music scores, maps and legal documents.

2. The Library of Congress has three main buildings in Washington DC. The Thomas Jefferson structure is the most spectacular.

5. FOUNTAINS IN FRONT OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE

7. Very elaborate lights in front of the building

8. The ground floor has a nice marble pattern

9. Two magnificent marble stairways lead to the upper floor

10. The stairway and the railings are sculptures in themselves

11. Even the elevators signs are very elaborate

13. The spectacular Great Hall has stained glass ceilings that soars 75 feet above its marble floor. The stairways and columns are also made of marble. In addition there are many beautiful paintings and mosaics.

18. Each column has double marble round posts with beautiful capitals

21. The main reading room is open to anyone over 18 years old, however you must obtain a special entrance card to enter.

22. The main reading room is 4 stories tall and ends with a nice cupola

25. The side rooms have interesting exhibits and each one has nice ceilings and a center cupola.

29. Many walls are beautifully decorated with paintings and sculptures

30. Wall decoration

31. I hope you enjoyed walking with me in the Library of Congress in Washington DC Now go to your library and enjoy reading a good book. Photographs and presentation by Dan Calistrat [email_address] September 2007 If you are in the area, pay it a visit. It is open every day and is free .