According to Brad Sanzenbacher’s video, the Library of Congress has an incredible Digital Collection.  You can view online access to print, pictorial and audio-visual collections and other digital services by clicking on the link http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html   Brad then clicked on the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog at http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html  The Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) provides access through group or item records to more than 50% of the Division's holdings, as well as to some images found in other units of the Library of Congress. Many of the catalog records are accompanied by digital images--about one million digital images in all.

The next place Brad takes us at the Library of Congress is the American Memory Project at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html  American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.  They have made it very easy to browse and search by topic.

No way!  The Library of Congress is an incredible resource and each day they are putting more and more online. 

If you are in the Washington DC area you can conduct research at the library for free!  The Library of Congress is a research library, and books are used only on the premises by members of the public. Anyone over high school age may use the collections. All patrons using the Library's reading rooms and/or collections must have a user card with a photo on it. User cards can be obtained at the reader registration station in Room LM140 of the Madison Building by presenting a driver's license or passport and completing a brief self- registration process.  You can learn more about the different research centers by going to http://www.loc.gov/rr/research-centers.html  They even offer general research orientation classes for free to help you learn how to use the resources at the Library.  To learn more about the classes go to http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/inforeas/orient.html

If you can’t get to Library of Congress or want to be prepared when you arrive, you can search the Library of Congress’ Online Catalogue at http://catalog.loc.gov/  Many of the Library's non-book materials are listed in catalogs available only in the appropriate Library of Congress reading room; consultation with reference staff in the reading room is necessary to locate materials. A list of the Library's reading rooms, with information about their collections and links to their web pages, is available on the Library of Congress website at http://www.loc.gov/rr/rrbrief.html

The Calendar of Events is filled with exciting events hosted by the Library.  To view the calendar go to http://www.loc.gov/loc/events/  There are movies, poetry readings, lectures, and more.  You can also call the Library at 202-707-8000.

If you absolutely cannot find the material you need anywhere else, you can request an Interlibrary Loan.  The requested materials must be used on the requesting library’s premises.  This year the Library of Congress will respond to over 60,000 requests from libraries throughout the world for book loans and article photocopies.  To learn more about how to request an Interlibrary Loan go to http://www.loc.gov/rr/loan/

The Library of Congress is also home to the U.S. Copyright Office.  Copyright is a form of protection to prove authorship of not only literary works, but also music, drama, artistic, and more.  It extends to both published and unpublished works. 

To learn how to obtain a copyright, contact U.S.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is also housed at the Library of Congress.  You can request a free catalogue and tape recorded through this service.  This is a library program of Braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers by postage-free mail. 

To learn more about this program contact

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,
Library of Congress,
Washington, DC  20542;
202-707-5100; 888-657-7323;
http://www.loc.gov/nls/index.html

Do you need a copy of something at the Library of Congress?  Some reading rooms have self-service copy machines and you will need to contact the Research Room directly to learn about those services.  The Library also offers a Photoduplication Service that can make copies of 35mm microfilm, original filming, cartographic scanning, digital images to CD-ROM and all formats of photographic reproduction. 

To learn more about this service and the fees involved contact

Library of Congress,
Photoduplication Service,
101 Independence Ave.,
SE, Washington, DC  20540;
202-707-5640;
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/pds/

Fun stuff for Kids and Families can be found on the Library site at http://www.loc.gov/families/  This site was developed with fun in mind, and covers topics from American history to everyday mysteries.  And if that isn’t enough, check out the Historic Baseball section at http://www.loc.gov/topics/baseball/ that contains every from baseball cards to historic trivia.