The first home of the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington was in the Capitol, and when that building was burned during the War of 1812, many of the library’s 3,000 books were destroyed. Former President Thomas Jefferson offered his huge personal library as a replacement, and Congress purchased it on January 30, 1815. Today, Jefferson’s books are on permanent exhibit in the Library of Congress for everyone to see. VOA’s Deborah Block reports.
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