1. The Library of Congress

2. Mr. Thompson Yee  Assistant Chief of Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress

3. Head Librarian  James H. Billington  The mission of the Office of the Librarian is to set policy and to direct and support programs and activities to accomplish the Library's mission. The Office of the Librarian is the administrative branch of the Library of Congress and has overall management responsibility for the Library. (Billington, 2009)

4. The Library of Congress  Oldest Federal Institution in United States  Largest library in World  Nearly 142 MILLION items  Approximately 650 MILES of bookshelves  Located in three buildings:  Thomas Jefferson Building  John Adams Building  James Madison Building

5. Library Facts  Total of 141,847,810 items in the collections, including:  21,218,408 cataloged books in the Library of Congress classification system  11,599,606 books in large type and raised characters, incunabula (books printed before 1501), monographs and serials, music, bound newspapers, pamphlets, technical reports, and other printed material

6. More Facts  109,029,796 items in the non-classified (special) collections. These included: 3,005,028 audio materials, such as discs, tapes, and talking books 62,778,118 total manuscripts 5,357,385 maps 16,086,572 microforms 5,674,956 pieces of sheet music  14,388,175 visual materials, including: 1,207,776 moving images 12,536,764 photographs 98,288 posters 545,347 prints and drawings

7. Some More Facts  Circulated nearly 22 million disc, cassette and Braille items to more than 500,000 blind and physically handicapped patrons.  Registered 232,907 claims to copyright.  Completed 871,287 research assignments for the Congress through the Congressional Research Service.  Prepared 1,529 legal research reports for Congress and other federal agencies through the Law Library.

8. Library Budget  Operated with a total fiscal 2008 appropriation of:  $613,496,414, including authority to spend $50,447,565 in receipts.

9. Patronage  The library is open to the general public.  The Library of Congress welcomed more than 1.6 million on-site visitors.  Only members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, Library of Congress Staff and other government officials can actually remove items

10. Cataloging Department  Was reorganized on October 1, 2008.  Merged with Acquisitions Department.  As part of the reorganization, cataloging staff were trained to take on acquisition tasks and vice versa.

11. Before Reorganization  300 Cataloging Staff  220 catalogers  80 cataloging technicians  150 Acquisitions Staff  80 acquisitions librarians  70 acquisitions technicians

12. After Reorganization  Now called the Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access (ABA)  450 Catalogers, acquisitions specialists, technicians, administrators, supervisors and office staff.  Cataloging and acquisitions departments now interface together.

13. Facts of A.B.A.  Fiscal year 1999:  529 staff members completed 205,893 volumes in cataloging.  No responsibility for serials or acquisitions functions.  Fiscal year 2008:  583 staff members completed 316,800 volumes in cataloging.  Provided 273,090 serials and acquisitions functions.

14. Library of Congress Catalog  The library has its own ‘OPAC’ called the LCOC.  Can be used as other ‘OPAC’s.’  Basis Search Title or Author Subject Call number LCCN, ISBN or ISSN numbers

15. Subject Headings  Published in large red volumes  Currently 5 volumes.  Displayed in the reference sections of research libraries.

16. Classification System  The classification system that the Library of Congress uses is a system that divides all knowledge into twenty-one basic classes.twenty-one basic classes  Each is identified by a single letter of the alphabet. Most of these alphabetical classes are further divided into more specific subclasses, identified by two-letter, or occasionally three-letter, combinations.

17. Classification System A -- GENERAL WORKS A -- GENERAL WORKS B -- PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY. RELIGION B -- PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY. RELIGION C -- AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY C -- AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY D -- WORLD HISTORY AND HISTORY OF EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, ETC. D -- WORLD HISTORY AND HISTORY OF EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, ETC. E -- HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS E -- HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS F -- HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS F -- HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS G -- GEOGRAPHY. ANTHROPOLOGY. RECREATION G -- GEOGRAPHY. ANTHROPOLOGY. RECREATION H -- SOCIAL SCIENCES H -- SOCIAL SCIENCES J -- POLITICAL SCIENCE J -- POLITICAL SCIENCE K -- LAW K -- LAW L -- EDUCATION L -- EDUCATION M -- MUSIC AND BOOKS ON MUSIC M -- MUSIC AND BOOKS ON MUSIC N -- FINE ARTS N -- FINE ARTS P -- LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE P -- LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Q -- SCIENCE Q -- SCIENCE R -- MEDICINE R -- MEDICINE S -- AGRICULTURE S -- AGRICULTURE T -- TECHNOLOGY T -- TECHNOLOGY U -- MILITARY SCIENCE U -- MILITARY SCIENCE V -- NAVAL SCIENCE V -- NAVAL SCIENCE Z -- BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE. INFORMATION RESOURCES (GENERAL) Z -- BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE. INFORMATION RESOURCES (GENERAL)Z -- BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE. INFORMATION RESOURCES (GENERAL)Z -- BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE. INFORMATION RESOURCES (GENERAL)

18. My Thoughts on the Library of Congress  Biblical  Just the vastness of it, the ‘hugeness’ of it, you can’t really put your mind around it.  I like the fact that everything has a letter that it can be found under. The fact that all medicine can be found under the “R” heading is user friendly and easy to find. I’m hoping that sooner than later that all libraries would adopt the Library of Congress Classification System.  The Library of Congress is the world’s library. Any information ever needed or thought of can be found in those 3 buildings. I always thought of the Library of Congress as being unapproachable, something for the higher status and politicians. I never knew that an ordinary citizen could walk through their doors and sit and read something from their collection. I found, especially with Tom, that the library is there to help and inform anyone.