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. Cf. national library.
* * *
the US national library
Culture:
The Library of Congress was established by the US Congress in 1800 and is on Independence Avenue in ↑Washington, DC. It now has more than 115 million books and other items. The library has the right to receive two copies of every US work published with a copyright (= legal right of ownership).
Useful english dictionary. 2012.