The Congressional Library, as the Library of Congress was initially known, originated when the United States federal government moved to the new capital city, Washington, D.C., in 1800. Presidents John Adams and James Madison ensured that the Capitol building included a small apartment for books and a library of materials that Congress needed to conduct legislative business.

This period in the Library's history is documented by the Library in the Capitol series of the LC Archives. This series contains 50 bound volumes including ledgers, journals, receipt books and three boxes of documents and correspondence.

The Joint Committee on the Library administered the Library of Congress in this time period, delegating few responsibilities to the Librarian of Congress. The first two Librarians of Congress, John James Beckley, 1802-1807, and Patrick Magruder, 1807-1815, were also Clerks of the House of Representatives. The Librarians maintained the books for Congress in a part-time capacity.

During the War of 1812, the British attacked Washington and burned the U.S Capitol, destroying most of the Library of Congress collection. The online exhibition Out of the Ashes documents the Joint Committee on the Library's recommendation to purchase former President Thomas Jefferson's library in 1814.

George Watterston directed the return of the Library of Congress collection back to the U.S. Capitol from Blodgett's hotel in 1815, where it had been stored since the fire. Another disastrous fire in 1851 destroyed most of the Library collection, including the majority of Jefferson's library. Meehan reported the losses to the Joint Committee and purchased replacement copies of the books. Congress approved construction of a new fire-proof reading room and storage for the Library in the Capitol in 1852.

The John James Beckley collection contains 200 items including his correspondence (1791-1829) and memorandum book (1791-1799). His papers include a memorandum book containing notes on events in the House of Representatives with commentaries on the development of parliamentary procedures in the House. Beckley compiled the first catalog of the Library of Congress, which was published in 1802.

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

No collection of Patrick Magruder papers is available. It's possible Patrick Magruder's papers were burned by the British in 1814 when the first Library of Congress collection was destroyed.

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

The 300-item George Watterston collection consists of correspondence, memoranda and legal documents pertaining to his 14 years as Librarian of Congress, his prior work as publisher, and his involvement in Washington social life.

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

John Silva Meehan's papers were purchased by the Library of Congress Manuscript Division beginning in 1902. They document his 32 years as Librarian of Congress as well as social life in Washington, D.C. His collection of 150 items includes correspondence with Edward Everett, Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library.

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.