The Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress is the Nation’s library in USA. It serves not only members and committees of the congress, but to libraries throughout the USA and the world and to the scholars, researchers and scientists who use it.

Its foundation was laid in 1815 when President Thomas Gefferson Offered his personal library accumulated for 50 years and considered one of the best in the United Stated at that time as the basis for a great national library.

Now the Library of Congress complex on Capital Hill includes three buildings. The Thomas Gefferson Building, which has been built in Italian Renaissance style, is the oldest of them. It was the largest and costliest (роскошный) library building in the world when it was completed in 1897. It is decorated with splendid sculpture, murals (фрески) created by 50 American artists. Its Main reading Room is 160 feet high.

The Room houses a collection of 45,000 reference books (справочники), a port of the extensive main catalog of more than 23 million cards and desks for 212 readers. The Computer Catalog Center provides public access (доступ) to the Library’s automated catalog.

The simply designed John Buildings faced with white marble (мрамор) was opened in 1939. Sculptures on its large bronze doors represent 12 famous writers.

The white marble James Madison Memorial Building opened in 1980 more than doubled the Library’s available Capitol Hill space. The building which is the official memorial to the Nation’s fourth President contains the James Madison Memorial Hall, exhibition areas, eight reading rooms, offices and storage areas for collections which number over 50 million items (предметов).

2. Answer the questions:

1). How much buildings include the Library of Congress complex?

2). When was it completed?

3). In was style was built the oldest building?

4). How many reference books it includes?

I.W.S.

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Дата добавления: 2015-08-20