Get Your Library Card

The Library of Congress research centers are open to anyone 16 years or older possessing a valid government issued photo identification (e.g. driver's license, state-issued ID, or passport).

Reader Registration

Users of the Library's research centers, computer labs, and the Copyright Office Reading Room are required to have a library card issued by the Library. Cards are available to anyone age 16 or older and can be obtained by completing the online pre-registration form in advance of their visit and presenting a valid government-issued photo ID in person, for example a driver's license, state-issued identification card, or passport at a Reader Registration Station. The Library cannot accept registrations via mail, email, or telephone.

Researchers 16 & 17 Years of Age

Researchers 16 and 17 years of age will follow the standard registration procedure and must also provide a permission form signed by their legal parent or guardian (not a teacher or chaperone). Complete the Library of Congress Reader Card Permission Form– Minor Teenagers and bring the signed document to obtain a library card. For questions about this process, call 202-707-5278. Please note that the library card does not permit minors to access all materials in all Library research centers. Managers of individual research centers may have additional requirements to use their collections.

How to Register

We encourage new researchers to pre-register online prior to visiting the Library of Congress in person.

Go to the pre-registration form

Upon your arrival at the Library you will need to store your coats, bags, and other bulky items in a cloak room before reporting to a Reader Registration Station. Make sure you have your government issued ID before heading over to a station located in the Madison Building, Room LM 133 (in the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room) or in the Jefferson Building, Room LJ 139 (in the Microform and Electronic Resources Center) to complete the registration process and present your valid government-issued photo ID. Once your ID has been verified, Library staff will take a photo and issue your card.

View Library of Congress campus map

Reader Registration Hours

Madison Building (Room LM 133) 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday – Saturday

Jefferson Building (Room LJ 139) 8:30am – 8:00pm, Monday – Thursday, and 8:30am – 4:30pm, Friday and Saturday

Special Instructions for Registering Large Groups

Large groups seeking library cards for new researchers should contact Reader Registration in advance at 202-707-5278 to ensure quick processing of the group.

Renewal

A library card is valid for two years. You can renew your library card in person by presenting a valid government-issued photo ID (for example, driver’s license or passport) to the staff onsite at either of the two Library of Congress Reader Registration stations. Pre-registration is not necessary for card renewal.

Using Your Card to Access Reading Rooms and Collections

A valid library card is the minimum requirement for access to the Library's research centers. Some research centers have additional registration procedures and/or conditions of use. For more information about the requirements in a particular research center, contact their staff directly.

Researchers also can use their library card to request selected material using the Automated Call Slip (ACS) system from the Library’s general collections, the Law Library, and the Music Division. Collections that fall under these designations will be retrieved for use only in the Library’s Main, European, Hispanic, Science and Business, Performing Arts reading rooms and Law Library. Researchers requesting special format collections, archival material, or rare and special collections are strongly advised to contact the research center via Ask a Librarian before visiting. Many collections are stored offsite or may have access restrictions, and advance notice is needed to make these items available for research use. Contact individual research centers for more information about specific requirements.

To learn how to set up your library user account and request materials see the links below:

Remote Access to Digital Resources using your Library of Congress Library Card

Due to licensing, copyright, and other digital rights restrictions a Library of Congress library card does not provide remote access to onsite subscription products such as databases, ejournals, and ebooks. Those subscription resources are only available onsite, in Washington, DC.

Researchers with an active Library of Congress library card have the ability to use additional features in the HathiTrust Digital Library . Researchers can download full PDFs of public domain works that appear in HathiTrust by logging in using their active Library of Congress card number and password. In addition, researchers can use their library card to access HathiTrust's Collection Builder, a tool that allows users to create and share personal collections of HathiTrust items for private or public use. All of these Hathitrust functions are available to onsite and remote researchers. Note: Library of Congress library cards do not provide access to page images of "Limited (search only)" HathiTrust digitized items.

Research Centers