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INFORMATION FOR RESEARCHERS USING THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Humanities and Social Sciences Division
Library of Congress  
Washington, DC  20540-5550
1991

WELCOME TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Use of the Library

The primary function of the Library of Congress is to serve the
Congress. In addition, the Library provides service to government
agencies, other libraries, scholars, and the general public. The
Library welcomes public use of its general reference facilities and
endeavors to offer the widest possible use of its collections
consistent with their preservation and with its obligation to serve
the Congress and other government agencies.

All researchers preparing to come to the Library are strongly
encouraged to pursue preliminary exploration in appropriate public,
academic, or special libraries, so that they can make efficient use
of the Library of Congress. Anyone over high school age may use the
Library's reading rooms; a written introduction is not required.
However, readers should be prepared to present photo-identification
or LC user card when requesting materials from the collections stored
in closed stacks.

Researchers should limit the materials which they bring into the
Library. Only those items needed for that day's research will be
allowed into the reading rooms. In most cases lockers or checkrooms
are not available for use by members of the general public.

Orientation for First-time Users

First-time users are encouraged to seek assistance at the Information
Desk in the lobby of the Madison Building. There they will receive
an introduction to the facilities and resources of the Library and
brochures describing the Library's reading rooms, collections, and
services.

Reference Services

For help in planning specific research strategy, users are invited to
visit the Reference Assistance Room adjacent to the Main Reading
Room. Reference librarians are available there to assist researchers
in the use of the catalogs and reference materials, to refer readers
to other bibliographic sources and other libraries, and to aid in
locating materials not easily found. In some cases researchers will
need to go to a special reading room to use specific catalogs and
reference sources and to request materials. Reference collections
located in the reading rooms contain frequently consulted works,
including bibliographies, indexes, encyclopedias, and dictionaries,
and are intended for direct access and use by researchers.

Hours of Opening

Hours for the most frequently visited reading rooms are 8:30 AM to
9:30 PM Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday and, 1:00
to 5:00 PM Sunday. A full report of the hours of all reading rooms
is available on a telephone recording at 202-707-6400. Hours and
room locations are also published in a brochure entitled Public
Services in the Library of Congress: Locations and Hours of Opening,
which can be obtained at the information desk in the lobby of the
Madison building or at reference desks. The Library is closed on
holidays.


Reading Rooms

The Library's twenty-three reading rooms and special collections
centers are described here.

AFRICAN SECTION. Provides reference services pertaining to
publications of all areas of Africa south of the Sahara.

ASIAN DIVISION and African and Middle Eastern Division Reading
Room. Provides reference services for and access to all materials,
except law, in the languages of China, Japan, Korea, and southern
Asia. Materials in the Middle Eastern languages (e.g., Arabic) are
also serviced here.

BUSINESS REFERENCE SERVICES. Provides reference collections and
assistance in the fields of business and economics. Materials from
the general collections that are housed in the Adams building may
be requested at the adjacent book service area.

EUROPEAN REFERENCE DESK. Provides reference services and programs
pertaining to the cultural, political, and socioeconomic life of
all areas of Europe except the British Isles, Spain, and Portugal.

FOLKLIFE READING ROOM. A section of the American Folklife Center,
the reading room provides access to the Library's extensive
collection of non-book folklore materials.

GEOGRAPHY AND MAP READING ROOM. Provides reference assistance for
and access to special collections on geography and cartography,
including the largest map collection in the world--over four
million pieces.

HISPANIC READING ROOM. Offers reference and bibliographic services
pertaining to Spain, Portugal, Brazil, the Caribbean, and
Spanish-speaking America.

LA FOLLETTE CONGRESSIONAL READING ROOM. Reserved for use by Members
of Congress, their families, and their staff members.

LAW LIBRARY READING ROOM. Provides reference assistance and access
to the Law Library collection, one of the most comprehensive
collections of legal materials ever developed, in all languages and
covering all legal systems, both ancient and modern. International
and foreign law service is provided through the reading room or in
the American-British, European, Far Eastern, Hispanic, and Near
Eastern and African Law Divisions.

LOCAL HISTORY AND GENEALOGY READING ROOM. Provides reference
assistance and access to comprehensive collections in the fields of
U.S. local history, genealogy, and heraldry.

MAIN READING ROOM. Magnificently renovated and reopened in June
1991, this historic room is the primary entrance into the Library's
research collections. It provides access to and assistance in using
over 45,000 reference works and ten CD-ROM databases. Reader desks
are wired to accommodate the use of portable computers.

MANUSCRIPT READING ROOM. Makes available for inspection and study
over thirty-five million manuscripts and documents, including the
personal papers of twenty-three presidents and the papers of such
other great Americans as Clara Barton, Alexander Graham Bell, Felix
Frankfurter, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John J.
Pershing, Booker T. Washington, and Walt Whitman.

MICROFORM READING ROOM. Provides delivery of, and facilities for
viewing, items from the Library's four and one half million-piece
general microform collection. These holdings include preservation
monographs and serials, as well as specialized collections
containing early imprints, manuscripts, early state records,
pamphlets, doctoral dissertations, dramas, statistical
publications, press summaries, transcripts and/or translations,
trade catalogs, inventories of libraries and archives, biographies,
and oral histories. The materials available cover all subject
areas, but focus on the humanities and social sciences.

MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION READING ROOM. Offers reference
service for the Library's collections of films and television
materials. Access to items in the collections is restricted to
scholars doing research beyond the undergraduate level.

NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED.
Through a national network of regional and subregional libraries
(including libraries in Washington D.C. and suburban Maryland and
Virginia, for Washington area users) this part of the Library
serves those who cannot use ordinary printed materials because of
blindness or other physical handicaps (certified by competent
authority). The National Library Service also provides direct
service for music materials, and maintains a collection of print
reference materials on non-medical aspects of blindness and
physical handicaps.

NEWSPAPER AND CURRENT PERIODICAL READING ROOM. Provides reference
assistance and access to all newspapers, current and retrospective,
whether in print or microform, and in languages using Roman script,
excluding all issues in Asian and Middle Eastern languages and all
current issues of Slavic-alphabet materials. This reading room also
provides access to current unbound issues of serials and
periodicals except those in music and law, with the same language
restrictions indicated above. Current and retrospective federal
documents in the U.S. Depository Library Program are also
available, along with United Nations depository materials, both
current and retrospective.

PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARY (Terrace Level, John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.). Houses a six thousand-
volume reference collection, and microform, listening, and viewing
equipment.

PERFORMING ARTS READING ROOM. Provides reference assistance for and
access to music materials in the custody of the Music Division,
including rare books and manuscripts, special collections of
personal and organization archives, printed scores, literature
about music, and microforms. Major holdings include manuscripts by
virtually all important composers from the eighteenth century to
the present, opera full scores, vocal scores, and librettos, and
American popular sheet music. Facilities for audio playback of
sound recordings are available in conjunction with the reference
service offered in a contiguous reading room, the Recorded Sound
Reference Center.

PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS READING ROOM. Provides reference assistance
and delivery of materials for pictorial items such as prints,
drawings, posters, photographs, fine and graphic arts, and
pictorial documentation of American history and American
architecture.

RARE BOOK AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM. Offers reference
assistance for and access to rare books, rare Bibles, incunabula,
Americana, broadsides and pamphlets, and special collections in
such areas as gastronomy, Lincolniana, and magic. The division also
houses the libraries of such persons as Susan B. Anthony, Thomas
Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt (his hunting library), and Woodrow
Wilson.

RECORDED SOUND REFERENCE CENTER. Provides reference assistance
pertaining to sound recordings, including radio, and access to the
Library's vast audio collections. Commercial recording highlights
include extensive opera, chamber music, and American popular music
collections. Significant radio collections include NBC Radio,
National Public Radio, and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

SCIENCE READING ROOM. Provides reference service in all fields of
science and technology, from its reference collection of over ten
thousand volumes, with access to all major indexing and abstracting
services in the fields of science and technology. Current issues of
selected science journals, and a large technical reports collection
are also available. In addition, LC Science Tracer Bullets,
bibliographies on subjects of current interest, are distributed
here.


Computer Catalog

The principal bibliographic access to the Library's general
collections is through the Library of Congress Information System
(LOCIS), which is comprised of two search systems: MUMS
(Multiple-Use-MARC System) and SCORPIO
(Subject-Content-Oriented-Retriever-for- Processing-Online). Book
records may be searched via MUMS or SCORPIO. At the Computer Catalog
Center near the Main Reading Room, reference librarians provide
assistance to researchers using the computer system. Instruction
charts for searching are located at each terminal.

There is also a touchscreen system called ACCESS, which allows the
new user to search with ease for books by author, and title, and
subject. Formal classes in computer instruction are held regularly;
interested persons may register at the Computer Catalog Center near
the Main Reading Room.

MUMS and LCCC in SCORPIO contain entries for books in the English
language cataloged since 1968 and for those in most other Western
languages since 1973. Books in non-Roman alphabets have been added
to the computer files since 1980. Although each of the two search
systems has its strengths and limitations in providing access to the
collections, it is now possible to combine the searching capabilities
of both MUMS and SCORPIO together in one search by signing on to the
LOCIS system.

In addition, the PreMARC file, (PREM) which can be searched in either
MUMS or SCORPIO, exists to locate bibliographic information for
materials cataloged prior to 1968. Because of PreMARC's present
limitations and imperfections, readers searching for older materials
should also use the Main Card Catalog, located adjacent to the Main
Reading Room.


MUMS and SCORPIO

In the MUMS file, bibliographic information is found either by
keyword access to the cataloging record (subject, author, title,
notes) using the FIND command or by use of compression keys when
searching for authors or titles. In LCCC, the book file in the
SCORPIO system, access is very much like the card catalog. Subjects,
authors, and titles are interfiled in one "index" which is then
browsed on-line.

The MUMS system also contains bibliographic information for serials,
maps, music, audiovisual materials, and authoritative name forms.
Most special format materials (films, manuscripts, maps, microforms,
music scores and books, newspapers, prints and photographs,) may be
requested and used only in the special reading rooms. Note that
these special reading rooms have other indexes (usually in card
format) and finding aids, all of which should be consulted.

Special SCORPIO Files

** The Bibliographic Citation File (BIBL) lists selected periodical
articles, pamphlets, reports, and government publications issued
since 1976 on public policy subjects.

** The Cartographic Materials File (GMAP) includes records for maps,
globes, relief models, etc., cataloged at the Library since 1968 and
at other libraries since 1985.

** The Copyright Information Files contain entries for materials
registered for copyright protection since 1978. The files are: COHS
(serials); COHM (books, posters, sound recordings, etc.); COHD (legal
documents relating to copyright ownership).

** The IAC Magazine Index File (MAGS) supplies bibliographic
citations to journal articles in over four hundred popular magazines
from January 1983 to the present. MAGB covers 1980 through 1982.

** The Legislative Files (CG) provide information on public bills and
resolutions introduced in the House and Senate since the 93rd
Congress (1973).

All of the SCORPIO files use the same basic commands. Additionally,
there are special features and searching techniques that are
available, especially in the CG and BIBL files. Consult a reference
librarian for assistance.


Main Card Catalog

The Main Card Catalog, located adjacent to the Main Reading Room,
contains subject, author, and title cards for most books cataloged by
the Library through 1980. Each work cataloged is represented by a
card or series of cards showing the name of the author, the title of
the book, the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of
publication. This information is followed by the number of pages or
volumes, a brief description of the illustrative material, and the
height in centimeters. If the book is part of a series, the name of
the series is shown in parentheses after the size. A "call number,"
consisting of a combination of letters and numbers, appears in the
upper left-hand corner of the card and/or is printed in the lower
portion of the card.

There are three ways to look for a book in the catalog:

1. The author.

The author's last name or the name of the agency or organization
responsible for the publication.

2. The title.

The title will be typed in lowercase letters at the top of the card.

3. The subject.

Subject terms used by the Library are listed in Library of Congress
Subject Headings, large red volumes which are found in the catalog
areas. Subject cards are colored red on the top edge, and the
subject headings are typed in capital letters at the top of the
cards.

The arrangement of entries in the card catalog is basically
alphabetical. However, entries are not always filed in strict
alphabetical order. As shown in the examples below, personal names
are filed first, then place names, subject headings, and titles.
For example:

Orange, James / Author
Orange, Connecticut / Place name
ORANGE MARKETING / Subject heading
The Orange Cat / Title


Union Catalogs

The National Union Catalog (NUC) is a record of publications
held in more than 1,100 libraries in the United States and Canada,
including the Library of Congress. Major portions of the NUC are
published in two principal series: one covering post-1955
publications and the other pre- 1956 imprints. The NUC, an author
catalog, contains some entries for works in the Library's
collections that are not listed in its own general catalogs;
consequently, it should be consulted in any thorough examination of
the Library's resources.

The printed NUC is housed adjacent to the Main Reading Room in the
Jefferson Building and around the perimeter of the center room near
the Science Reading Room in the Adams Building.

The Chinese, Japanese and Korean Union Catalogs, the South Asian and
Southeast Asian Union Catalogs and the Near East, Hebrew and Yiddish
Union Catalogs are held by the Asian, the African, and the Middle
Eastern divisions.


Shelflist

A microfiche of the Library's shelflist (entries arranged by LC
classification number) through 1979 is located in the Microform
Reading Room and at the Book Service Desk adjacent to the Science
Reading Room. Consult a reference librarian for assistance.


Doctoral Dissertations

Bibliographic citations for unpublished doctoral dissertations can be
identified by using Dissertation Abstracts International and CD-ROM
indexes available in the Main Reading Room. The dissertations
themselves are available in the Microform Reading Room. Published
dissertations are listed in the card and/or computer catalogs. If a
publication is not found in the catalogs, consult a reference
librarian.


How to Request Materials from the General Collections

The general classified collections include books, pamphlets, and
bound (non-current) periodicals in all languages except non-Roman
alphabets (e.g., Chinese, Arabic) and all subjects in the
classification scheme except law (class K and LAW) and music (M, ML,
MT). Cyrillic materials, although in a non-Roman alphabet, are also
housed in the general collections. The general collections are
located in closed bookstacks in both the Jefferson and Adams
Buildings. In general, science and social science subject areas
(e.g. classes H, J, Q, R, S, T) are located in the Adams Building
and humanities subject areas (e.g. classes D, E, N, P) in the
Jefferson Building. To ensure that book delivery time is kept to a
minimum, readers should use the reading room located in the building
where the materials they are requesting are housed. For information
on the location of specific classes, see a reference librarian, a
book service staff member, or the back of the call slip.

Materials in classes MLC and Priority 4 are located at the Landover
Center Annex. Requests for materials housed at Landover can be
submitted to the Special Search Section in the Center Room, fifth
floor, Adams Building, or the Special Search desk in Alcove 1 of the
Main Reading Room. Delivery of requested materials from Landover is
provided once in the morning and once in the afternoon, Monday
through Friday. In general, materials are received in less than
twenty-four hours. In some cases, the wait is less than half a
working day. However, Landover materials requested on Friday
afternoon, Saturday, or Sunday will not be delivered until Monday.


How to Obtain a Book

1. Locate the entry for the book in either the computer or the card
catalog. Before requesting a book, be sure that the catalog entry
for the item in question has a Library of Congress call number. If
the entry is lacking a call number or if the call number appears to
be incomplete, ask a reference librarian for assistance.

2. Fill out a call slip for each item being requested. Supplies of
call slips are provided in the Center Room, Fifth Floor, Adams
Building, and at the book service stations in the Main Reading Room
and Local History and Genealogy Room Reading Room in the Jefferson
Building. A completed call slip should contain the following:

LC call number, 
author (if available), 
title, 
volume (if a multi-part work), 
the reader's name, address, and desk number

(see #3 below). It is not necessary to add the date of publication
for a monograph (book) to the call slip, unless the date is part of
the call number. If the date is part of the call number, include it
in the "call number" box of the call slip, not in the "volume or
date" box.

3. Select a vacant desk and write its number on the call slip. If
no desks are available, check the "Hold" box on the call slip so that
the book will be held at the designated hold area throughout the day.
Should readers wish to leave the reading room while waiting for
books, they may still check the "Hold" box even though desks are
available.

4. Give the completed call slip to the staff member at the book
service station in the Main Reading Room, Local History and Genealogy
Reading Room, or in the Center Room, Adams Building. The staff
member will stamp the request with the date and time it was received
and return one copy. This copy should be kept in the event that a
response to the request (either the book itself or the call slip
explaining why the book has not been delivered) is not received.

5. To request books one day in advance, complete a call slip for
each item, check the "Overnight" box, add the next day's date and
your last name, and give the slips to the staff member at a book
service station. No more than fifteen "Overnight" call slips may be
submitted. Information pertaining to the status of overnight
requests will not be provided by telephone.


How to Locate Articles in Periodicals

Indexes to and abstracts of articles in periodicals are located on
open shelves in the reading rooms. Reference librarians will assist
readers in selecting and using these materials. Call numbers are
needed to retrieve bound periodicals. Call numbers for approximately
three thousand of the most frequently requested periodicals may be
found in a publication entitled Commonly Used Periodicals. Copies
are available in reading rooms throughout the Library.

Titles and call numbers for many of the Library's periodicals can
also be found in the MUMS system. The Main Card Catalog lists many
periodicals, and two separate card catalogs contain records of
periodicals. One is located on the Fifth Floor, Adams Building, and
the other adjacent to the Main Reading Room. (Note that these
catalogs have not had cards added to them since 1982, nor do they
indicate which issues of a periodical have been received by the
Library).

To identify a periodical, first look under the title (such as Sports
Illustrated) or under the name of the issuing agency (for example,
American Mathematical Society. Bulletin). Use the call numbers
given and request the issue you want, giving as much information as
possible, including the day, month, year, volume, and issue or series
number. Note that this procedure applies only to bound (non-current)
periodicals. Issues for the current year and, in some cases, the
preceding year are available only in unbound form in the Newspaper
and Current Periodical Reading Room (see below). If a title is not
found, see a reference librarian.


How to Obtain Bound (Non-Current) Periodicals

Volumes of non-current periodicals, containing consecutive issues for
a year or number of years, are housed in the general classified book
collections. In preparing a call slip for a bound volume, only the
periodical's title, call number, and volume number or date
(preferably both) must be specified. No more than three separate
volumes of a periodical should be requested on one call slip; six
consecutive volumes may be ordered. (For more information on
requesting material, see above, "How to Obtain a Book.")

Individual issues of most current periodicals, government documents,
and all newspapers, including those on microfilm, are available in
the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room, Madison Building.
For further assistance, see a reference librarian.


How to Expedite Book Service

To expedite book service please observe the following:

@@ Request in the Main Reading Room only materials found in the
general collections. Do not request a title if the information
appearing with the call number indicates that the item is found in a
Special Collection (e.g. Rare Book, Geography and Map, Microform) or
a division housing non-Roman alphabet materials (e.g. Asian (Orien)
or AFR/ME).

@@ Request books in the reading room located in the building where
the materials are housed.

@@ Print or write legibly, preferably with a ball-point pen.

@@ For books, request only one title per call slip; for periodicals,
up to three volumes may be requested on a call slip, or six if they
are consecutive.

@@ Copy the complete call number, including any additional
information, e.g. folio, date.

@@ Include a destination on the call slip, either by filling in a
desk number or by checking "Hold" or "Overnight."

@@ Remember that during peak hours of service, patrons are limited to
six requests per hour.

@@ Plan to submit requests in the following time zones: Monday
through Friday: 8:30 AM-8:00 PM for inter-building delivery; and
8:30 AM-8:30 PM for intra-building delivery.

Saturdays and Holidays: 8:30 AM-3:30 PM for inter-building delivery;
and 8:30 AM-4:00 PM for intra-building delivery.

Sunday: 1:00 PM-3:30 PM for inter-building delivery; and 1:00
PM-4:00 PM for intra-building delivery.

@@ Patrons may hold up to five books for three days in the
Three-Day-Reserve area. Each three-day reserve slip must be
completed with the reader's name and date of the first day of
reserve. After use in the reading rooms, it takes approximately one
week before materials are reshelved.


If an Item Is Not Delivered ...

Delivery time may vary from forty-five minutes to an hour or more,
with the longest delays occurring during peak academic periods and on
afternoons and weekends. If the book or periodical requested is not
available, the call slip is returned to the reader with a report
indicating the reason. For further information on the meaning of the
report or to inquire about the possibility of a further search,
consult a staff member at the book service stations.


Special Searches

If a call slip comes back marked "N.O.S." (Not on Shelf), first
double check the call number and bibliographic information for
accuracy, completeness, and legibility. If the item was an issue of
a periodical, consult a reference librarian to find out whether the
Library has received the issue. After verifying the accuracy of the
call number:

1. Resubmit the "N.O.S." report to the staff member at the book
service station and ask for a check of the Central Charge File (CCF)
to determine if the book has been lent to another library, has been
assigned to a reference collection, is available on microform, or has
been charged to another location.

2. Should the response from the CCF read "N.C." (No Charge) or
"Internal Charge," or indicate that the item has been charged to a
reference collection, take the response to the Special Search staff
member at the book service station. A one-day search can be
initiated to determine if the book has been mislabeled or misshelved.
Extended searches can be completed within a month. The staff can
also help gain access to materials that are charged to offices within
the Library or are assigned to a reference collection or other
location; staff may also be able to identify other area libraries
which have copies of the book in their collections.


Admission to the Bookstacks

The Library of Congress is a closed stack library. The Library does
not allow access to the stacks for any purpose.

CDS Alert Service

A regular report of the current additions to the MARC (book and
serial titles) data base is available from the Library's Cataloging
Distribution Service on a fee basis. A profile consisting of subject
areas of interest is established. When records matching that profile
are added to the data base, subscribers are sent copies of them on
3x5 cards. Letters of inquiry should be addressed to the Library of
Congress, Cataloging Distribution Service, Customer Services Section,
Washington, D.C. 20541.

Special Facilities

To facilitate serious and extended research, the Library has
available a limited number of individual shelves where books may be
charged for long term use. Shelfholders must use the reading rooms
and their books at least once a week. Applications for a shelf
should be made to the Research Facilities Officer in the Main Reading
Room. Deliveries are made to research facility shelves three times
each day, at 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 6:00 PM.

Equipment

Silent portable word processors may be used in designated areas of
the Main Reading Room and the Science Reading Room. Other kinds of
word processors, typewriters, voice recorders, cellular phones, etc.,
are not permitted in the general reading rooms; however, researchers
should check in advance with the special reading rooms for their
policies. The Library does not maintain typing facilities or lend
equipment to researchers. All machines brought into the Library must
be registered with the Library Police when they are brought into the
buildings.

Copying Services

Self service, coin-operated and debit card-operated copiers and
change machines are available to serve readers in most reading rooms.
Prices vary depending on the material to be copied and the machine in
use.

The Library's Photoduplication Service can provide a wide range of
reproductions of the Library's collections, such as single-page
photocopies, microforms, or color slides. The ability of the Library
to furnish reproductions is subject to copyright law and certain
other restrictions; however, every effort will be made to fulfill
requests. The Photoduplication Service is open 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Monday through Friday. Further information about products, services,
and prices can be obtained by contacting: Photoduplication Service,
Customer Service Section, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
20540-5230. (Phone [phone] or Fax [phone]).

Free-Lance Researchers

The Humanities and Social Sciences Division, as well as other
divisions, can supply the names of individuals who will undertake
research for a fee. The Library cannot vouch for these individuals;
it simply keeps their names on file.

Loans

The Library is primarily a research library, and its lending is
restricted to official borrowers or to interlibrary loans, including
those made to government agencies. Under certain conditions, the
Library lends material from its collections to other libraries for
the use of their readers. Similarly, the Library will borrow from
other libraries books needed for extensive research by its own staff
and study desk holders. Arrangements may be made in the Loan
Division Reference Section between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through
Friday.

Sales Shop

Books, postcards, and publications of the Library, as well as other
gift items, can be purchased at the Sales Shop, main entrance, James
Madison Building (open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday).

Information Center

The public information center is located in the lobby of the James
Madison Memorial Building, Independence Avenue entrance. Visitors
are encouraged to obtain assistance at the center in order to take
full advantage of the Library's many educational opportunities.
Library staff, touch-screen computers, free publications, and
in-house phones are available here.

Visitor Orientation Theater and Tours

The Visitor Orientation Theater is located in Room 139 of the Madison
Building. A twenty-two minute film about the Library is shown every
half hour from 8:30 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Friday, and from
8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Saturday and Sunday. Contact the Visitor Services
Office at 202-707-5458 for the public tour schedule and to arrange
for group tours of ten or more.


Exhibits

Exhibit areas in the Madison Building are open from 8:30 AM to 9:30
PM Monday through Friday, and from 8:30 AM to 6 PM Saturday, Sunday,
and most holidays.

Exhibit hours at the Performing Arts Library in the Kennedy Center
are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; 10:00 AM to
8:30 PM Wednesday and Friday; closed Sunday, Monday, and holidays.

Personal Property

Individuals entering the Library do so with the understanding that
all property in their possession, including but not limited to
suitcases, briefcases, attache cases, handbags, large envelopes,
packages, and office equipment will be inspected by the Library
Police. There will be a similar inspection upon departure.
Privately owned office machines must be registered at the police desk
at a building entrance and checked out when leaving, preferably at
the same desk.

The Library is not responsible for the loss of personal property
brought into the buildings. All instances of loss should be reported
immediately to the Library Police Office, Room G23 in the Jefferson
Building. Readers are advised not to leave valuable property,
particularly handbags, unattended in the reading rooms or elsewhere
in the Library. Personal property left, or lost and subsequently
found, in the Library cannot be stored indefinitely. If the owner
has not claimed the property from the Library Police within sixty
days or cannot be reached for instructions within that period, the
item will be considered voluntarily abandoned and will be disposed of
in accordance with Library regulations.

Library Property

The theft, defacement, mutilation, or destruction of Library property
is prohibited by federal statutes which provide for fines or
imprisonment, or both.

Conduct on Library Premises

All persons using the buildings and grounds of the Library are
required to conduct themselves in a manner that will not
detrimentally affect the peace, quiet, and good order of the Library.

Persons using the Library must comply with official signs of a
restrictive or directory nature, with the orders of the Library
Police or the supervisor of the area, and with all Library of
Congress regulations.

Photographs

Cameras may be carried on the grounds and within the buildings of the
Library. Hand-held cameras may be used for copying Library material
when regular light sources are sufficient. Flashbulbs and electric
lights may not be used in any of the reading rooms. Photographs for
news, advertising or commercial purposes may be taken only with the
permission of the Library's Public Affairs Officer, who must also
approve the use of tripod or flash in the exhibition areas.

Entrance Ramps

Ramps are located at the northeast (Second Street) entrance to the
Thomas Jefferson Building, at the north (Independence Avenue)
entrance to the James Madison Building, and at the east (Third
Street) entrance to the John Adams Building.

Food and Beverages

For visitors to the Library, the cafeteria, located on the sixth
floor of the Madison Building, serves breakfast, lunch and morning
and afternoon coffee from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM and from 12:30 PM to
3:00 PM Monday through Friday.

Food and beverages in any form may not be consumed anywhere in the
building except in the cafeteria and snack bars. Library materials
may not be taken to the cafeteria or snack bars.

A coffee shop that also offers breakfast and lunch is located on the
ground floor of the Madison Building and is open to visitors from
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM weekdays and from 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM Saturdays.
Some vending machines are located in each building. Staff members
can refer readers to their locations.

Smoking

Smoking is permitted only in designated areas of the
buildings--cafeteria, snack bars, and some rest rooms. Smoking is
prohibited in all reading rooms, catalog and stack areas, halls,
corridors, study facilities, elevators, and auditoriums.

Subway/Bus Service

The Capitol South Metro station (First and C Streets, S.E.) on the
blue and orange subway lines is one block from the Library.
Information about bus service is available by calling Metrobus at
202-637-7000; several bus routes serve Capitol Hill.

Employment Office

The Employment Office, Room 107 in the Madison Building, is open from
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. Current job openings are
posted in the Employment Office, on the sixth floor of the Madison
Building at the cafeteria entrance, and in the west elevator lobby on
the cellar level of the John Adams Building.

Suggestions for Improvements

The administrators of the Library welcome suggestions for the
improvement of its collections and services, including the purchase
of books and other material not found in its collections.
Suggestions and comments should be addressed to the Public Affairs
Office and either given to a reference librarian or mailed to the
Library of Congress, Public Affairs Office, Washington, D.C. 20540-
8610.

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