Library of Congress

About

The Library of Congress holds more than 173 million items — books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, films, music recordings, and digital materials — making it the largest library in the world by holdings. Its Thomas Jefferson Building, opened in 1897, is one of the most beautiful public buildings in America, with its elaborately ornamented Great Hall and famous domed Main Reading Room visible to all visitors on free guided and self-guided tours. The Library's public visitor program includes access to the ornate building itself, rotating exhibitions drawn from its extraordinary collections, and a Visitors Gallery overlooking the Main Reading Room where scholars conduct research. Exhibits frequently feature original documents of world-historical significance — early printed books, maps that shaped exploration, correspondence of founding figures, and rare manuscripts. As the research library of the US Congress, the Library of Congress makes its vast digital collections freely available online, but the physical building and reading rooms offer an experience that no digital reproduction can replicate. For families interested in history, literacy, music, film, cartography, or American political life, it offers a depth of primary source material unparalleled anywhere in the country. Free timed-entry passes are required for visits to the Thomas Jefferson Building and are available online up to 30 days in advance.

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