Operating Hours at the Library

Jefferson Building Closes Early Dec. 7

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:25:06 GMT

On Wednesday, December 7, the Great Hall, Exhibits and Library Shop within the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress will close at 3 p.m. for a special event.

Visitors will not be allowed in the Jefferson Building, however all reading rooms will be open to researchers, with their Readers' Identification Cards, for regular business hours. All other Reading Rooms and exhibitions within the Madison and Adams Buildings will be open as regularly scheduled. Entry for staff, researchers and persons with disabilities will be via the Southeast/2nd Street entrance of the Jefferson Building as well as the Adams and Madison building tunnels. Access to the Madison and Adams Buildings will not be affected.

The West Basement (Carriage) entrance/exit will only be available to Members of Congress and event guests/event staff/vendors, and Visitor Services staff as well as any prearranged tour participants. Additionally, the West Main doors and the Capitol Visitors Center (CVC) tunnel will be CLOSED to the general public, staff and researchers however, the Great Hall and Mezzanine Level will be restricted to event setup and restricted tours only. The Madison Building Snack Shop will not be affected. All building exits will be available for use in the event of an emergency.

Readers and LC staff entering the Jefferson Building via the Madison Building and Adams Building tunnels will be directed by signs to all the LJ reading rooms via the 2nd street elevators. Readers will be directed through the Hispanic Reading Room to the European Reading Room and will exit the same way. Readers will not be allowed to exit through the normal entrance on 1st street side but may exit through the Northeast 2nd Street Door. Readers to the African and Middle Eastern Reading Room will enter and exit through LJ 230 on the 2nd street side.

Normal access to the Great Hall and all other sections of the Jefferson building will resume on Thursday, December 8 at 8:30 a.m.

Holiday Schedule, Dec. 2011-Jan. 2012

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:39:21 GMT

The following is the holiday operation schedule, including building closures, for the Library of Congress for December 2011 and January 2012.

Jefferson Building Closes Early Nov. 22

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:58:37 GMT

On Tuesday, Nov. 22, the Great Hall, all exhibitions (including the Library of Congress Experience) and the Library Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will close to the public at 3 p.m. for a special event.

Jefferson Building Closes Early Sept. 30

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:28:35 GMT

On Friday, Sept. 30, the Great Hall, all exhibitions (including the Library of Congress Experience) and the Library Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will close to the public at 3 p.m. for a special event.

Jefferson Building Closes Early Sept. 23

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:31:19 GMT

On Friday, Sept. 23, the Great Hall, all exhibitions (including the Library of Congress Experience) and the Library Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will close to the public at 3 p.m. for a special event.

Main Reading Room Holds Open House on Columbus Day

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:30:18 GMT

Twice each year, the Library of Congress opens its magnificent Main Reading Room for a special public open house. The fall open house will take place on the federal Columbus Day holiday, Monday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Reading Rooms Open, Computers Down Aug. 27

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:34:09 GMT

All Library reading rooms will be open regular hours tomorrow, Sat. Aug. 27, but our websites (including computer catalogs) will be down all day. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Jefferson Building Restrictions March 2

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:02:06 GMT

On Wednesday, March 2, 2011, the Great Hall, all Jefferson Building exhibitions (including the Library of Congress Experience) and Library Shop will be closed to the public until 2 p.m. for a special event.

Jefferson Building Restrictions January 25

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:12:03 GMT

On Tuesday, January 25, the Great Hall, exhibitions in the Jefferson Building (including the Library of Congress Experience) and Library Shop will be closed all day to the public. No visitors will be allowed in the Jefferson Building. However all reading rooms will be open for researchers on a special schedule.

Holiday Schedule for Dec. 2010-Jan. 2011

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:25:29 GMT

Holiday operation schedule, including building closures, for the Library of Congress for December 2010 and January 2011.

Special Operations Constraints Nov. 13 & 20

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:48:44 GMT

Patrons are advised of two operational constraints at the Library on November 13 and 20.

Upcoming Drills Affect Building Status

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:03:30 GMT

The Library of Congress will conduct shelter-in-place drills in all Library buildings in October and November.

Main Reading Room Open House on Columbus Day Holiday

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:22:48 GMT

Jefferson Building Closes Early Sept. 24

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:29:43 GMT

On Friday, Sept. 24, the Great Hall, all exhibitions (including the Library of Congress Experience) and the Library Shop in the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building will close to the public at 3 p.m. for a special event.

Independence Day Hours of Operation

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:44:07 GMT

During the Independence Day holiday weekend, a special schedule will apply to the Library of Congress.

December-January Operating Hours

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:55:09 GMT

The following is the holiday operational schedule, including closures, for the public for the Library of Congress through January 2010.

Labor Day Holiday Hours of Operation

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:14:34 GMT

The Great Hall, exhibitions and the Library Shop within the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will be will be open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009.

Exhibitions, Other Public Spaces Open Most Federal Holidays

Thu, 21 May 2009 20:42:17 GMT

The Great Hall, Library of Congress Experience exhibitions and Library Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress are open to the public on most Federal holidays.

Jefferson Building Hours Restricted April 22-23

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:44:59 GMT

The Great Hall, the Library of Congress Experience exhibitions and the Library Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building will be closed to the general public from 6 to 11 a.m. on Wed., April 22 and from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thu., April 23.

Jefferson Building Closed to Visitors March 27

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:28:55 GMT

The Great Hall, all exhibits (including the Library of Congress Experience and "With Malice Towards None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit") and Library Shop within the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will be closed to the public all day Friday, March 27, for a special event. Visitors will not be allowed in the Jefferson Building. However all reading rooms will be open for researchers.

Library of Congress Special Hours Feb. 12, Feb. 13 and Feb. 16

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:15:42 GMT

Special events, openings and an open house have resulted in some changes in hours in the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building in February.

Library of Congress Releases Holiday Schedule

The following is the holiday operational schedule, including closures, for the public for the Library of Congress through January 2009.

New Visitor Hours in Jefferson Building

With the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center, the Library will be extending the Thomas Jefferson Building’s regular public hours to Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Beginning with Presidents Day 2009, the Library also will be open to visitors on all federal holidays except Christmas and Thanksgiving, which in total represents more than an additional 400 hours open to the public each year. (Reading room hours for researchers will remain unchanged.) The Library will be closed on Inauguration Day.

Jefferson Building Closed to Public Sept. 26

The Great Hall, all exhibitions and the Library Shop within the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will be closed all day, Friday, Sept. 26, 2008, to the public. No visitors will be allowed in the Jefferson Building; however, Reading Rooms will operate normally for researchers.

Madison Building Reopened 6/25

The scheduled drill in the Madison building of the Library of Congress has concluded and the building reopened. Thanks for your cooperation. (Wed., June 25, 10:45 a.m.)

Madison Building To Close for Drill 6/25

The James Madison Memorial Building of the Library of Congress will close to the public for a scheduled drill at 10 a.m. today, Wednesday, June 25. The building is expected to reopen at 11 a.m., and other buildings of the Library will be open to the public as usual. (Wed., June 25, 8:45 a.m.)

Adams Building Reopened 6/11

The scheduled drill in the Adams building of the Library of Congress has concluded and the building reopened. Thanks for your cooperation. (Wed., June 11, 10:48 a.m.)

Adams Building Closed 6/11

The John Adams Building of the Library of Congress has been closed to the public for a scheduled drill. The building is expected to reopen soon, and other buildings of the Library are open to the public as usual. (Wed., June 11, 10 a.m.)

Madison Building Reopens 6/6

The scheduled evacuation drill for the Madison building of the Library of Congress has concluded and the building reopened. All building occupants -- visitors, researchers, guests and staff -- are invited to return to the building. (Fri., June 6, 10:39 a.m.)

Madison Building Evacuation 6/6

The James Madison Memorial Building of the Library of Congress is being evacuated and closed to the public for a scheduled evacuation drill. All building occupants -- visitors, researchers, guests and staff -- must evacuate immediately. (Fri., June 6, 10 a.m.)

Jefferson Building Reopens 5/22

The scheduled evacuation drill for the Thomas Jefferson building has concluded and the building reopened. All building occupants -- visitors, researchers, guests and staff -- are invited to return to the building. (Thu., May 22, 3:10 p.m.)

Jefferson Building Evacuated 5/22

The Thomas Jefferson building is being evacuated and closed to the public for a scheduled evacuation drill. All building occupants -- visitors, researchers, guests and staff -- must evacuate immediately. (Thu., May 22, 2:35 p.m.)

Reminder: Jefferson Building Closures April 3-11

The Great Hall, exhibitions and Sales Shop in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress will be closed from Thursday, April 3 through Friday, April 11 in preparation for the opening of a new Library of Congress Experience for visitors. Ceremonies to celebrate the debut of the new Library of Congress Experience will begin at 11 a.m. on April 12. The Great Hall and exhibitions will reopen after the noon ribbon cutting.

Jefferson Building Closures April 3-11

Madison Building Front Door Reopened

The Independence Avenue entrance to the James Madison Memorial Building has been reopened after the conclusion of a police investigation. (Tue., Feb. 19, 9:35 a.m.)

Madison Building Front Door Temporarily Closed

The Independence Avenue entrance to the James Madison Memorial Building is now closed to staff and public due to a police investigation. Public and staff may still enter the building via the building's entrance at First and C Streets, near the Capitol South Metro. (Tue., Feb. 19, 9 a.m.)

Library of Congress Hours of Operation

List of hours of operation for Library of Congress buildings and reading rooms. Changes in these hours due to special events and/or emergencies will be made available through this RSS feed and email alert system.