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Visiting the Library

We’re so excited to welcome you back to the Library of Congress. We continue to take precautions to ensure the health of our visitors, staff and volunteers, including requirements that all visitors reserve a timed-entry pass and remain socially distanced from individuals outside of their party during their visit. We encourage you to take a moment to review our Know Before You Go page to prepare for a safe and enjoyable visit.

Entry and Visiting

  • Every Library of Congress visitor must reserve timed-entry passes in order to maintain safe capacity levels in the Thomas Jefferson Building.

    Parties of 19 or fewer can reserve a timed entry pass here. external link

    Parties of 20 people or more must request passes by filling out this form.

Pathways

  • The Library is pleased to share a digital pathway through the Thomas Jefferson Building as a self-guided experience.

    The Library is a place where you can follow your curiosity – in addition to the digital guide, roaming volunteers are available to share information and answer your questions while you are on-site.

    Guided tours are not available at this time.

Exhibitions

  • Visit our exhibitions page to learn about the collections that will be on display for your visit. On December 16, 2022, a brand new exhibition, Join In: Voluntary Associations in America, opens on the Great Hall, Mezzanine Level.

Visitor Hours

The Thomas Jefferson Building is open to visitors Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Note: Last entry is at 4:30 p.m.

Closed: Sundays, Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Free timed-entry passes external link are required. See below for groups of 20 or more.

Live! at the Library

Join us for Live! at the Library every Thursday evening from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the Great Hall overlooking the U.S. Capitol. The series will regularly feature special conversations, music, performances, films, and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library. Learn more

Young Readers Center & Programs Lab (Room G51): Children & teens, along with their adults, are invited to visit the Young Readers Center & Programs Lab Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The YRCPL offers visitors an opportunity to participate together in activities based on Library collections. Please note that the maximum capacity for this space is 24 visitors at any given time.

Admission

The Library of Congress is free and open to the public with timed-entry passes. An individual can reserve up to ten timed-entry passes per day. Reserve your timed-entry pass here external link.

A limited number of same-day passes are made available online external link at 9 a.m. each day the Jefferson Building is open to the public.

All visitors must reserve timed-entry passes prior to entry.

Groups

Groups of 20 or more people should request their timed entry passes by filling out this form. Group reservations may be made up to 60 days in advance. Contact GroupVisits@loc.gov with any questions.

Note: The Library is not offering guided tours, however roaming volunteers are available throughout the Thomas Jefferson Building to answer questions, give directions, and share stories about the Library’s collections and building.

Visitor Information

Our Visitor Engagement Office team is here to help you plan your visit. Please contact us at visit@loc.gov or (202) 707-9779 with your questions.