Exchange of Library Materials | Frequently Asked Questions | Information for Vendors
Overseas Offices | Surplus Books Program | Transfers from Federal Agencies
Since 1962 the Library of Congress has maintained offices abroad to acquire, catalog, preserve, and distribute library and research materials from countries where such materials are essentially unavailable through conventional acquisitions methods.
In addition to serving the Library of Congress, the offices conduct Cooperative Acquisitions Programs (CAP) for over 100 participating institutions, primarily academic research libraries. MARC records are prepared for materials acquired by all of the overseas offices, and two offices--the New Delhi office and the Jakarta office--maintain large-scale micrographics operations for preservation microfilming.
Cairo Office
The Cooperative Acquisitions Program administered by the Cairo office acquires materials from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Gaza, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, U.A.E., West Bank, and Yemen.
Islamabad Office
The Cooperative Acquisitions Program administered by the Islamabad office acquires materials from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.
Jakarta Office
The Cooperative Acquisitions Program administered by the Jakarta office acquires materials from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma/Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Nairobi Office
The Cooperative Acquisitions Program administered by the Nairobi office acquires materials from Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Reunion, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
New Delhi Office
The Cooperative Acquisitions Program administered by the New Delhi office acquires materials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and Tibetan materials published in several South Asian countries.
Rio Office
The Cooperative Acquisitions Program administered by the Rio office acquires materials from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname.
West Africa Project
The Library of Congress is developing an acquisitions pilot with the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), the West African Research Association (WARA), and the West African Research Center (WARC) in Dakar, Senegal. This collaborative effort with the U.S. research community will attempt to survey publishing output in the region and to collect materials that are available either through purchase, exchange or gift sources. The work is experimental and no long-term commitment or decisions about the future of the Library's acquisitions in West Africa have been made. The project is limited at this time to acquisitions for the Library of Congress.
Cooperative Acquisitions Program
The Acquisitions, Fiscal, Overseas and Support Division (based in Washington) assists the overseas offices in the management of the Cooperative Acquisitions Programs. These programs are open to library and research institutions wishing to acquire publications from the countries covered by the programs.
Participating libraries deposit funds with the Library of Congress annually to cover the projected cost of the materials, binding, and shipping, plus administrative costs. The Cooperative Acquisitions Programs are operated by the Library of Congress on a cost-recovery basis. If your institution is interested in participating in one of the Programs, please contact the email address below for additional information:
