The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, and it serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with more than 162 million items. The collections include books, sound recordings, motion pictures, photographs, maps, and …

We’re excited to welcome you to the Library of Congress. Free timed-entry tickets are required to enter the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. We encourage you to take a moment to review our Know Before You Go page to prepare for a safe and enjoyable visit.

Discover the Library of Congress. Search millions of items in many formats and languages. Explore a growing treasury of digitized materials. Consult with staff online or in one of the research centers to find what you're looking for.

Welcome to the Library of Congress, your gateway to knowledge. Use our vast digital resources from anywhere or visit our specialized research centers in Washington, DC, to dive deeper. We are here to support your journey, no matter your level of experience.

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.

Launched in 2009, the World Digital Library was a project of the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO, and contributions from libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations around the world.

Searches against controlled lists of authors/creators, subjects, names/titles, and series/uniform titles used by the Library of Congress - along with cross-references. These controlled terms are referred to as "authorized headings."

Use quotation marks ( " ") to denote exact phrases: "library of congress" or "international print biennale" Note : because name headings are standardized, avoid quoted phrases unless you know the exact order of words in the heading.

What is the Library of Congress? The Library serves as the research arm of Congress and is recognized as the national library of the United States. Its collections comprise the world's most comprehensive record of human creativity and knowledge.

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.