Here's why:
* The collection is constantly growing: The Library of Congress acquires new materials all the time.
* Different definitions of "book": The collection includes many items besides traditional books, like manuscripts, maps, photographs, music scores, and more.
* Counting methods: The Library uses different methods for counting its collection, making it hard to give a single, definitive number.
The Library of Congress itself states that it holds over 170 million items, including around 38 million books.
While that gives you a general idea of the scale, remember that the exact number fluctuates constantly.