Thomas Jefferson's personal library at the Library of Congress

In 1815, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library of about 6,487 volumes to the United States government to re-establish the Library of Congress after the 1814 Capitol fire destroyed the earlier collection. Jefferson's books formed the core of a revitalized national library and remain a documented foundational collection within the Library of Congress. The Library's Thomas Jefferson Building interprets this acquisition and Jefferson's role in shaping the institution.