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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 manuscripts.
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio 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.
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia), that serves as the library and research service for the two chambers of the United States Congress and the de facto national library of the United States of America. [3]
Today's Library of Congress is an unparalleled world resource. The collection includes millions cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; millions of manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America; and the world's largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings.
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.
The free-to-visit Library of Congress, the largest library in the world chronicling American and world history, makes for a fascinating experience in the nation’s capital. What and where is the Library of Congress?
Today the library is an essential resource for research that defines standards for in-person and digital use, as well as the curation of library collections nationwide. The worldwide reach of the Library of Congress continues to be seen and felt today.
What began in 1800 as Congress’s research library has grown into the largest book collection in the world. The Library's stated mission is “to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people.”
The Library of Congress provides Congress with objective research to inform the legislative process, administers the national copyright system, and manages the largest collection of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in the world.
