The 2000 Library of Congress Commemorative Coins were billed as "The Coins of Many Firsts" and were one of two commemorative strikes released by the US Mint in 2000. These strikes were issued to the public on April 24, 2000 and honored the United States Library of Congress.

Congress authorized the strikes with the Library of Congress Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-268). The act paved the way for these strikes to be "Firsts" by requiring them to be struck in 2000 making them the first commemoratives struck by the Mint in the new millennium and century. It also marked the first time a US commemorative coin honored a library. However, the most important first may be the fact that one of the coins struck as part of the program was to be bimetallic – struck from both gold and platinum – the first time this combination was used by the US Mint.

“We are honored to be part of a program celebrating the bicentennial of the Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution in the country and largest library in the world,” said U.S. Mint Acting Director John Mitchell. “As part of the celebration, the U.S. Mint will unveil two Library of Congress Commemorative Coins—a beautiful one-dollar silver coin, and for the first time ever, a skillfully prepared ten-dollar gold and platinum bimetallic coin.”

The obverse of the $10 platinum and gold bimetallic coin was designed by US Mint engraver/sculptor John Mercanti to show the hand of the mythical figure of Minerva raising the torch of learning over the dome of the Jefferson Building, one of the structures of the Library of Congress.

The reverse contains the logo of the Library surrounded by a laurel wreath. It was designed by US Mint engraver/sculptor Thomas D. Rogers, Sr.

The silver dollar obverse was designed by US Mint engraver/sculptor Thomas D. Rogers, Sr. shows an open book superimposed over the torch of learning.

The reverse is by Mint engraver/sculptor John Mercanti and shows an architectural rendering of the dome of the Jefferson Building.

Surcharges collected on the sales of these strikes were collected by the US Mint and forwarded to the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board to help support outreach programs to make the Library’s collection accessible to all Americans.