Assistive Technology for Researchers

To access our collections, the Library of Congress provides a network of reading rooms and research centers in three separate buildings on Capitol Hill as well as other satellite facilities. For researchers with disabilities, many types of accommodation equipment are available through our Assistive Technology Demonstration Center. Because our materials are increasingly available in multiple formats (e.g. manuscripts, surrogate service paper copies, and electronic versions), please contact us in advance to determine a match between your research plans and your accessibility needs.

Before You Arrive

Before coming to the Library of Congress to use materials please ...

• Familiarize yourself with our facilities before your visit.
• Prepare a research strategy in advance of your visit.
• Plan time to obtain a reader registration card.
• Consider taking an orientation course offered by various reading rooms.
• Review basic accessibility services for visitors.
• Discuss and request accommodations in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]

Assistive technology is available to researchers on all Library's public access catalog and Internet workstations as follows:

• Built-in basic accessibility packages (basic voice output; basic screen magnification)
• ZoomText screen magnification software for persons with visual impairments

More extensive assistive technology is available to researchers by reservation; contact (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]:

• Closed-circuit television (CCTV) magnification system providing enhanced visual access to print materials from the collections
• Reading machines that use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to translate printed text into audible speech