Document (#33791)

Author

Conaway, J.

Title

America's library : the story of the Library of Congress, 1800-2000

Imprint

New Haven, CT : Yale Univ. Press

Year

2000

Pages

XIII, 226 S

Isbn

0-300-08308-4

Abstract

Founded in 1800 as a resource for lawmakers, the Library of Congress is one of the greatest libraries in existence, with more than 110 million items in holding, including books in 450 different languages, national documents and art works. Conaway (The Smithsonian) investigates the Library's history from the vantage point of the 13 Librarians of Congress, to illustrate how their experiences and contributions have reflected political and intellectual developments in the U.S. Several Librarians of Congress stayed on for decades, dedicating their lives to the institution. The first, John J. Beckley, appointed in 1802 by President Thomas Jefferson, was confronted with an enormous challenge when the original collection was engulfed in flames during the British's burning of the Capitol by the British in 1812. Aimsworth Rand Spofford, appointed by Abraham Lincoln, succeeded in securing copyright deposit at the Library, thus ensuring its place as the national repository. Appointed by William McKinley, Herbert Putnam made the cataloging system available to U.S. libraries, while Archibald MacLeish, appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, established the Library as an important cultural center through his acquisitions and literature programs. The current Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, appointed by Ronald Reagan, has made a good portion of the collection available electronically. This is an engrossing and comprehensive read, as much a history of the people who made the Library of Congress what it is today--a library to the world--as it is a rich chronicle of the magnificent institution.

Footnote

Rez. in: ZfBB 50(2003) H.4, S.234-235 (S. Kuttner): "Als 1800 die Library of Congress mit einer bescheidenen Sammlung von 740 Büchern ins Leben gerufen wurde, bestand ihre Aufgabe zunächst allein darin, das Parlament der Vereinigten Staaten mit »books as may be necessary for the use of Congress« zu versorgen, wie es in dem von Präsident John Adams am 24. April 1800 unterzeichneten Gesetz hieß. Während der letzten zwei Jahrhunderte wuchs die Parlamentsbibliothek zu einem der größten Wissensarsenale heran, dessen Bedeutung weit über Nordamerika hinausreicht. Sie verfügt heute über einen Bestand von annähernd 119 Millionen Büchern, Karten, Handschriften, Kunstwerken, Fotografien, Film- und Tonaufnahmen in rund 460 Sprachen. James Conaway erzählt in dem ebenso reich bebilderten wie anschaulich geschriebenen Band die turbulente Historie der amerikanischen Parlamentsbibliothek vor allem anhand der 13 Männer, die vom Präsidenten derVereinigten Staaten zum Librarian of Congress ernannt wurden und die Institution leiteten. Der Autor spannt so den Bogen der ereignisreichen Geschichte der Kongressbibliothek von lohn Beckley, den Thomas Jefferson 1802 an die Spitze der Bibliothek stellte, über Herbert Putnam, der 40 Jahre lang, von 1899 bis 1939, die Belange der Einrichtung nach innen und außen vertrat, bis zu James H. Billington, den Ronald Reagan 1987 ernannte. Den ansonsten streng chronologischen Aufbau der Darstellung lockert der Verfasser mit vielen Illustrationen und kleineren Essays über zentrale Persönlichkeiten der Zeit, großzügige Förderer und Mäzene, besondere Sammlungen sowie einzigartige Erwerbungen und größere Ereignisse auf, die der Entwicklung der Washingtoner Bibliothek ihren Stempel aufdrückten. Dabei spürt er den Erfahrungen und Beiträgen der einzelnen Bibliothekare nach, deren Leben und Leistung er bisweilen detailliert nachzeichnet. Gleichwohl beschränkt Conaway seinen Blick nicht allein auf die Verhältnisse innerhalb der Bibliotheksmauern; er bettet seine Geschichte der Library of Congress in einen breiten Zusammenhang mit der WeIt um sie herum ein und vermittelt so anschaulich,wie die einzelnen Sammlungen in der Zoo-jährigen Geschichte der Parlamentsbibliothek das politische und geistige Leben der USA widerspiegeln.
Jeder der Bibliotheksdirektoren sah sich mit einer besonderen Herausforderung während seiner Amtszeit konfron tiert: So wurde die gesamte Bibliothek durch den Brand des Kapitols während des britischen Angriffs auf Washington im August 1814 ein Raub der Flammen und mit Thomas Jeffersons Privatbibliothek ein Jahr später wieder errichtet. In den 40er Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts musste ein immenser Rückstand von eineinhalb Millionen Bänden katalogisiert werden. Die gigantische Aufgabe,den Kartenkatalog in einen EDV-Katalog umzuwandeln, war in den 80er Jahren zu bewältigen; und die 90er Jahre standen im Zeichen des National Digital Library Program. Gleichwohl prägten auch einzigartige Erwerbungen die Amtszeiten der 13 Bibliotheksdirektoren: Anschaulich erzählt Conaway unter anderem vom Spazierstock Walt Whitmans, dem Nachlass der Gebrüder Wright, den Fotografien aus der Zeit des Bürgerkrieges von Mathew B. Brady, den fünf Stradivariinstrumenten Gertrude Clarke Whitalls oder der Sammlung Leonard Bernsteins. Wer eine wissenschaftlich fundierte, gar kritische Geschichte der Library of Congress erwartet, wird diesen in der Tradition der nordamerikanischen coffee-table books stehenden Band eher enttäuscht zur Seite legen. Der Autor stellt die Einzig- und Großartigkeit der US-Parlamentsbibliothek in den Mittelpunkt seiner Darstellung, deren bisweilen recht ehrfürchtiger Erzählton insofern nicht Wunder nehmen darf, als sie in enger Kooperation mit dem Gegenstand des Buches entstand, der Bibliothek und ihren Bibliothekaren. Sein mit einer kleinen, überschaubaren Auswahlbibliografie endendes Werk richtet sich vor allem an ein interessiertes Laienpublikum, dem die zentrale Bedeutung der de facto zur Nationalbibliothek gewordenen Kongressbibliothek als Schatzkammer nordamerikanischer Kultur und Tradition nahe gebracht werden soll. Die große Resonanz, die Conaways Bildund Textband im Feuilleton einer beachtlichen Anzahl nordamerikanischer Zeitungen und Magazine erzielte, dürfte den Autor in seinem Anliegen mehr als bestätigt haben; und seine Lektüre ist auch für ein außeramerikanisches Fachpublikum, selbst wenn es mit der Geschichte der Library of Congress schon vertraut ist, ebenso unterhaltsam wie informativ."

Object

Library of Congress

Location

USA
Washington

LCSH

Library of Congress / History
National libraries / Washington (D.C.) / History / 19th century
National libraries / Washington (D.C.) / History / 20th century

RSWK

Washington <DC> / Library of Congress / Geschichte : 1800-2000

BK

06.41 Wissenschaftliche Bibliotheken

DDC

027.573 / dc21

GHBS

AYLW (W)
AYKV (W)

LCC

Z733.U6C595 2000

RVK

AN 88320 Allgemeines / Buch- und Bibliothekswesen, Informationswissenschaft / Bibliothekswesen / Bibliothekswesen in einzelnen Ländern und einzelne Bibliotheken / Ausländische Bibliotheken / Amerika, Indianische Welt / Nordamerika / USA / Oststaaten / New-England-Staaten (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut)
AN 88499(BVB)

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