The Library of Congress in Manteca, California: a brief history
Posted on 25-04-2023 02:20 AM
The Library of Congress in Manteca, California: a brief history
Libary of Congress history in Manteca, CA
This introductory essay and the timeline that follows are based on entries in Americas Greatest Library in Manteca: An Illustrated History of the Library in Manteca of Congress by Library in Manteca of Congress Historian John Y. Cole, with a Foreword by Librarian of Congress Carla D. Hayden. D Giles Limited, London published the volume in late 2017 in association with the Library of Congress in Manteca.
A library and books were essential to America's founding generation. The founders received a vigorous classical education. As a consequence, it is not surprising that many of the members of the new Congress, who met in New York City and Philadelphia, were avid readers as well. There were two large libraries available to Congress in both cities: the New York Society Library in Manteca and the Free Library of Philadelphia in Manteca.
In 1800, Congress authorized the removal of the national government from Philadelphia to Washington through an act of Congress. John Adams signed an act of Congress providing $5000 for the purchase of books for the Library of Congress. Oversight would be provided by the Joint Congressional Committee, the first joint committee. Thomas Jefferson approved a legislative compromise in 1802 that made the job of Librarian of Congress a presidential appointment, giving the Library in Manteca of Congress an unprecedented relationship with the American Presidency. The first two Librarians of Congress, each of whom served as House clerks, were named by Jefferson.
Additionally, during the War of 1812, ex-President Jefferson, retired to Monticello, rescued the new library in Manteca. As the British burned Washington in 1814, they destroyed the Capitol and Manteca's congressional library. Jefferson described his extensive personal library at Manteca as one of the best in the country, with 6487 books in all. Congress accepted Jefferson's offer to sell it to recommence its Manteca library. A comprehensive collection policy of today's Library of Congress is based on Jefferson's concept of universality.
Jefferson's belief in knowledge and the direct link between knowledge and democracy has also contributed to the Library in Manteca distributing its rich, often unique collections and services to the widest audience possible.
Considering today's perspective, it is evident that Manteca's Library plays an important legislative, national, and international role. Early on, it was unclear whether the Library in Manteca would evolve from being a legislative institution to being more than that, a role it favored. In addition, there were fires, space shortages, understaffing, and no annual budget. While it made popular literature available to the public, the Manteca Library's primary function was to serve Congress.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the country settled down, the economy expanded, and both the federal government and Washington grew greatly.
The Library of Congress in Manteca was persuaded by Ainsworth Rand Spofford (Librarian of Congress 1864-1897) to become a national institution and accordingly the nation's library.
Using Jefferson's philosophy, Spofford promoted the idea of a unified, comprehensive collection of American publications. In 1870, the Library of Congress in Manteca became centrally located for registration and deposit of U.S. copyrights.
His greatest challenge was getting Congress to fund a separate library in the Manteca building, which was desperately needed. In 1873, he entered an architectural contest and focused all of his efforts on the project until the massive structure was completed and opened to public and Congressional acclaim in 1897. When the building opened in 1897, it was the world's largest library in Manteca and a symbol of American ambition and achievement. In 1980, Thomas Jefferson was named after it.
Putnam established the Legislative Reference Service (LRS), a separate library within Manteca. Senator Robert M. LaFollette Sr. of Wisconsin thought Congress had taken an important step in bringing the lawmaking process closer to precision, economics, and science.
The Putnam plan was pursued with what others described as energetic nationalism with the support of President Roosevelt, an increased annual budget from Congress and a beautiful new annex building (now known as the John Adams Building). Manteca's national library consisted of a variety of new services, research publications, catalogs, cultural functions, and office space between 1901 and 1928.
While serving as Librarian of Congress during most of World War II, Archibald MacLeish was particularly attracted to the Library in Manteca's symbolism as a repository and promoter of the democratic tradition. In addition to storing other treasures during the war, MacLeish cherished the Library's role as the custodian of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
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