Services & Programs

Learn how the Library of Congress collects, preserves & provides access to its universal collections. Get the free tools and standards used by libraries, archives, and publishers.

Services

Acquisitions
Discover how the Library of Congress acquires materials for its collections and for other research institutions.
Archival Description
Search & browse examples, standards, and help for creating catalog records and finding aids for discovery and use of personal papers, organizational records, and other archival collections.
Ask a Librarian
Have a research question? Need help using the Library? Get expert assistance from librarians & research subject specialists.
Cataloging, Classification
The Library's cataloging services include search vocabularies, classification, policy, products, training & cooperative programs.
Cooperative Cataloging Programs
The Library is committed to cooperative cataloging to benefit the world-wide library community. Shared standards & policies enable efficiencies & data sharing on a global scale.
Copyright
The U.S. Copyright Office, a department of the Library, administers the Nation’s copyright laws and offers services and support to authors and users of creative works.
Duplication Services
Providing digital, microfilm & paper copies, as well as custom reproductions for a fee from the Library’s collections.
Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division provides customized products and services using the Library’s extensive English and foreign-language collections on a cost-recovery basis.
Interlibrary Loan
Your local library can borrow materials from the Library of Congress on your behalf. Here's how.
Law Library
Comprehensive research & reference service to Congress & the public on foreign, comparative, international & U.S. law.
Library Card (Reader Registration)
Here's how you can get your Library-issued Reader Identification Card & begin research here in Washington, D.C.
Library Standards
The Library and associated organizations maintain key technical standards used in the library community.
Linked Data Service
Access and download controlled vocabularies & authorities useful for describing and indexing information resources.
Preservation
Learn about the research, science & collaboration involved in preserving the Library's collections.
Publishing
Resources for publishers, editors & the public interested in Library publications and co-publishing opportunities.
Resource Description & Access
Information on RDA implementation, including cataloging policy, practices, training & more.

Research & Reference

Interact with knowledgeable librarians & subject specialists -- online and in our reading rooms in Washington, D.C. Go beyond the digital collections.

Programs

American Archive of Public Broadcasting
A collaboration with GBH in Boston, preserving local and national public television and radio programs from the past 70 years and making them available online.
American Folklife Center
Preserving & presenting traditional songs, personal stories, regional culture & other aspects of American folklife.
By the People
Volunteer online with By the People. Transcribe, review & tag digitized material to make documents more searchable for everyone.
Center for the Book
Promoting books, reading, libraries & literacy through its national center in Washington & its affiliated centers across the country.
Concerts
Free performances by extraordinary artists in classical, jazz, folk & other genres.
Copyright Royalty Board
Overseeing statutory licenses of copyright law, setting rates & determining distribution of royalties.
Digital Preservation
Promoting and supporting best practices for the management of digital collections and services.
FEDLINK
Serving federal libraries & information centers as their purchasing, training & resource-sharing consortium.
John W. Kluge Center
Giving scholars access to the Library’s collections & engaging them in conversation with public policy leaders.
Library of Congress Literacy Awards
Honoring organizations that have made outstanding contributions to increasing literacy in the United States or abroad.
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled
Free braille, talking book & other audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the U.S.
Poetry & Literature Center
Home of the U.S. Poet Laureate with information on poetry & literature readings & events.
Veterans History Project
Collecting, preserving & presenting the personal accounts of American war veterans.