Microform and Electronic Resources Center (MERC)

Formerly the former Computer Catalog Center, LJ-139

The MERC is located on the first floor of the Jefferson Building (LJ 139), across the hall from the Main Reading Room. The Library of Congress is gradually reopening its doors with enhanced procedures and requirements that prioritize the health and safety of Library employees and users. Confirmed appointments are required for entry into Library facilities, and everyone must follow the health and safety protocols established by the Library, in consultation with public health professionals. These protocols are mandatory, regardless of vaccination status.  Beginning Monday, February 14, 2022, the MERC will provide access between the hours of 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – Saturday. To schedule an appointment, please submit a request via Ask a Librarian or call (202) 707-3399. For more information, see: loc.gov/about/pandemic-information/for-researchers

To schedule an appointment, please submit a request via Ask a Librarian or call (202) 707-3399. For more information, see: https://loc.gov/about/pandemic-information/for-researchers/

Workstations for searching the Library's online catalog are located in the Center. These workstations also provide general access to the Internet, including a number of Internet-based subscription services. The Center has special equipment for researchers with disabilities. Researchers are required to have a valid Reader Identification Card in order to use the public workstations in the Microform and Electronic Resources Center.

Photocopying and printing is available in the Center. See the Library’s Copying and Printing Services page for more details.

Access to the Internet

The Library provides access to the Internet for research and reference searching only. In accordance with Library of Congress Regulation 1812, "Conduct on Library Premises," recreational use of the Library's public Internet workstations is prohibited. Persons using public Internet workstations solely for recreational purposes may be asked to leave the premises. Before using the Internet at the Library of Congress, researchers should consult the Library's conditions for use for its public Internet workstations.

The Library's public Internet workstations are intended primarily for the use of patrons searching the Library's online catalog, as well as a collection of Internet-based database services to which the Library subscribes. Among these services is OCLC's FirstSearch, a collection of databases in the the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. It also includes catalog records for books from libraries worldwide (with some library holdings provided for libraries in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia); indexes to newspapers, government documents, and conference publications; and general reference databases. Further information on the FirstSearch databases is available from OCLC. The Library also subscribes to Eureka, a service of the Research Libraries Group (RLG). Eureka is a collection of databases in the arts, humanities, history, sciences and social sciences; it includes the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) bibliographic file, which provides catalog and holdings information for major research libraries worldwide. More information on Eureka is available on the RLG website. The Library subscribes to many other such services; an online list of Internet-based subscription services is available at the Library of Congress. The Library does not provide remote access to these services; researchers must be at the Library (or another subscribing institution) in order to use these services.