Volunteer
Volunteer at the 2026 National Book Festival—Now Accepting Applications!
The National Book Festival brings together best-selling authors, illustrators and book lovers from around the world. This year’s event will take place from 9:00a.m. to 8:00p.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 801 Allen Y Lew Place, NW, Washington, D.C. Doors open to the public at 8:30 a.m. Morning volunteer shifts begin at 8:00 a.m. (with check-in at 7:30 a.m.). To learn more about this event, visit the festival’s official website.
Applications to volunteer at this year’s festival are now open. Click the link below to complete your application. Questions? Email nbfvolunteers@loc.gov.
Volunteer Virtually
Volunteer online at By the People, the Library's crowdsourcing project. By the People invites you to make documents more searchable for everyone by transcribing, reviewing, and tagging digitized images of manuscripts and typed materials from the Library’s collections. This work improves search and discovery of this important content. Read more or get started now!
Volunteer at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The Library of Congress relies on volunteers to greet visitors, help them navigate our historic buildings, and share information about the Library’s many treasures. As the only Library representative a visitor may meet, volunteers play an important role in creating positive experiences for all that pass through our doors.
The application for on-site volunteering at the Library’s Capitol Hill campus is currently closed, but we welcome you to check back later in 2026 for new opportunities to serve the Library’s visitors.
If you have questions about volunteering, please contact us at volunteer@loc.gov.