Title 2 — The CongressRelease 119-73not60

§171 Congressional Declaration of Findings and Purpose as to Center for the Book

Title 2 › Chapter 5— LIBRARY OF CONGRESS › § 171

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Congress says it set up the Library of Congress on April 24, 1800. In 1815 it bought Thomas Jefferson’s library and called that the start of a national library. In 1930 it bought the Gutenberg Bible. By law and funding, Congress made the library open to the public, and the collection has grown into one of the world’s great libraries. Congress says books and the printed word have shaped American learning and democracy over our two hundred-year history. In 1977 it renewed that view and recognized the need for a Center for the Book to study and support the written record.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §171

The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Congress hereby finds and declares—

(1)that the Congress of the United States on April 24, 1800, established for itself a library of the Congress;

(2)that in 1815, the Congress purchased the personal library of the third President of the United States which contained materials on every science known to man and described such a collection as a “substratum of a great national library”;

(3)that the Congress of the United States in recognition of the importance of printing and its impact on America purchased the Gutenberg Bible in 1930 for the Nation for placement in the Library of Congress;

(4)that the Congress of the United States has through statute and appropriations made this library accessible to any member of the public;

(5)that this collection of books and other library materials has now become one of the greatest libraries in civilization;

(6)that the book and the printed word have had the most profound influence on American civilization and learning and have been the very foundation on which our democratic principles have survived through our two hundred-year history;

(7)that in the year 1977, the Congress of the United States assembled hereby declares its reaffirmation of the importance of the printed word and the book and recognizes the importance of a Center for the Book to the continued study and development of written record as central to our understanding of ourselves and our world.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 171

Title 2 — The Congress

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60