library of congress guided tour

Visiting the Library of Congress in Washington, DC

The largest library in the world makes for a fascinating historical and literary experience in the nation’s capital..

What and where is the Library of Congress?

The Library of Congress is housed across three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC: the Thomas Jefferson Building (10 1st Street SE), the James Madison Memorial Building (101 Independence Avenue SE) and the John Adams Building (2nd Street SE, between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street). The library houses more than 164 million items, from books to photos to recordings to maps to…much, much more. It also serves as a museum, with numerous exhibits inside the incredible Thomas Jefferson Building.

Adam Sorensen

All the Library of Congress’ buildings can be entered free of charge. The Thomas Jefferson Building is open from Monday – Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. The building is closed every Sunday and on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The James Madison Memorial Building and the John Adams Building are primarily used for research – learn more about the Library of Congress’ buildings , including tours and current exhibitions, and check out the hours for reading rooms across the three buildings.

The easiest way to reach the Library of Congress is via Metrorail or the DC Circulator’s Union Station-Navy Yard Metro route. The closest Metro stop is Capitol South station on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines. Simply exit the station using the main exit and walk two blocks north on First Street SE. The Union Station-Navy Yard route stops on First Street, making for a short walk to the Library of Congress’ buildings.

What’s inside the Library of Congress?

The best visitor experience can be found inside the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building. You will be dazzled upon walking in the door of the Jefferson Building. Gilded Age architecture makes its interior a visual masterpiece, a work of art worthy of housing the immense amount of knowledge that it holds. Once you’re done snapping photos for Instagram, it’s time to explore the building’s many exhibits.

Mr.TinDC via Flickr

Currently, seven of the Thomas Jefferson Building’s exhibits are ongoing. Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin reveals the lives of the sibling duo and their powerful influence on modern music. The Swann Gallery is a fun dive into political cartoons, comics, animation art and caricatures, while the Herblock Gallery reveals the imaginative work of political cartoonist Herbert L. Block. Thomas Jefferson’s Library is a stunning recreation of the Founding Father’s immense collection of books that founded the Library of Congress.

Exploring the Early Americas chronicles Native American culture and their conflict with Europeans. Notably, the exhibit features Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map of the world, the first to feature the word “America”. Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture focuses on the career of Bob Hope and many other entertainers who have engaged with politics in their work, and how this intersection impacts American society. Mapping a Growing Nation: From Independence to Statehood showcases the first map of the independent U.S. compiled, printed and published in America by an American (his name was Abel Buell).

There are also numerous exhibits inside the Jefferson Building that rotate regularly. Make sure to check out all of the current exhibitions at the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress also frequently hosts events and tours – take a look at the events calendar for your planning. The institution also curates the National Book Festival every year, and often hosts an outdoor film festival on its grounds during the summer.

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VISITOR HOURS

Visitor hours for the Thomas Jefferson Building:

Monday | CLOSED Tuesday | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., last entry at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., last entry at 4:30 p.m. Thursday | 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., last entry at 7:30 p.m. Friday | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., last entry at 4:30 p.m. Saturday | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., last entry at 4:30 p.m. Sunday | CLOSED

The Library buildings are  closed  New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.

While the Library is closed for research, the  Thomas Jefferson Building is open for visitors  on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

A limited number of same-day passes are made available each open day at 9:00 a.m. EST. An individual can reserve up to (20) timed-entry passes for their visit.

Please note: your timed-entry pass gains you entry to the Library’s public spaces and exhibitions. If you are interested in research, please visit this page to learn more.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Information for, accessibility, sign in/sign up.

Contact Person Information *

Secondary person contact information, group escort information *, group address.

Visitors must abide by all Library guidelines, including those listed below and/or guidelines posted at the Library. If a visitor or a member of their party fails to follow these guidelines, they may be denied entry or be asked to leave the premises.

Please review the following requirements and acknowledge your compliance below:

• TIMED ENTRY: Every Library of Congress visitor, regardless of age, must reserve timed-entry passes in order to maintain safe capacity levels in the Thomas Jefferson Building. Please bring your digital or printed pass to be scanned with a touchless device when you arrive at the Library.

o A limited number of timed-entry passes are available for each open day.

o Visitors can reserve timed-entry passes up to 30 days in advance on a rolling basis.

o Same-day timed-entry passes are released online at 9:00 a.m. EST each open day.

o Timed-entry pass reservations can be made for up to 20 people.

o Timed-entry passes may not be sold or transferred. Passes are valid only for the issued date and time and are void if altered.

o If you cannot visit the Library on your scheduled date, you may cancel your pass by contacting [email protected]. Passes cannot be transferred to alternate days.

o Please do not arrive before the entry time on your timed-entry pass.

o Visitors with timed-entry passes will be able to enter the Library until thirty minutes prior to building closure.

• MASKING: Masks are optional.

• GROUPS: Groups larger than 20 must contact [email protected] prior to reserving passes. Group reservations may be made up to 60 days in advance. Please be advised – voice amplification systems are not permitted inside the Thomas Jefferson Building.

• YOUNG VISITORS: Visitors under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

• GUIDED EXPERIENCES (TOURS): The Library of Congress is not currently offering guided experiences or tours. Your visit will be self-guided. Volunteers are stationed throughout the building to provide directions, answer your questions and share stories about the Library’s building and collections.

• SELF-GUIDING THROUGH THE LIBRARY: Please be aware that navigating the Library’s public spaces in their entirety will take approximately 90 minutes, and will require about .5 miles of walking. Our highest visitation is from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. daily. During this timeframe, there may be long lines to access the Main Reading Room Overlook.

• SECURITY: All visitors must navigate “airport-like” security to enter the Thomas Jefferson Building. We encourage you to limit the number of personal belongings and bags you bring into our facilities as they will be subject to a thorough search. Limiting the items you bring will increase your speed through security checkpoints, helping us all maintain a safe social distance.

• PERSONAL BELONGINGS: There is a coat check station available on the Ground Floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Backpacks, bags, coats, strollers, and other personal items may be checked at no cost to the visitor.

• SHOPPING AND DINING: The Library Shop is open whenever the building is accessible to visitors. The Madison Cafe (6th Floor of the James Madison Building), Subway (Ground Floor of the James Madison Building) and Dunkin’ Donuts (Ground Floor of the James Madison Building) are open until 2pm for visitors.

• PRIVACY: The Library of Congress will safeguard the personal information that you submit on this form and use it only for the purpose of facilitating your visit. More on the Library’s Privacy Policy at https://www.loc.gov/legal/privacy-policy.

Visiting the Library of Congress

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Capitol Hill Walking Tour

Explore the home of the us capitol, library of congress, and us supreme court includes entry to us capitol and library of congress, see and learn more with an expert guide, includes reserved entry to the us capitol and library of congress.

Join your personal guide in a small group of less than 20 people on this walking tour exploring the seat of 2 federal branches of the US Government and its supporting facilities, known collectively as Capitol Hill.

Meet your guide at the Neptune Fountain in front of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, in the famed Capitol Hill.

Explore the architecture of the highest court in the land and learn its history. Discuss the evolution of the US Supreme Court, its current operations, and key historic cases and opinions.

Tour the halls of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building with your guide, where you will learn about the largest public collection of knowledge in the world. Hear stories of the foundation of the library, its connection to founding father Thomas Jefferson, and learn the process for conducting research from their archives.

Continue to the US Capitol grounds and explore the exterior characteristics and artwork that make up the people’s house, while learning its role in the United States republic, both in history and current day operations. Continue inside the Capitol with your guide and reserved entry passes and join a docent lead tour of the rotunda, crypt, old house chambers/statuary hall, and other historic areas of the home of US Congress.

Group Tours Adult – $89 Child – $79

• Things to Know
• This tour DOES enter the US Capitol and Library of Congress
• There will be a moderate amount of walking involved. Dress accordingly
• Umbrellas recommended (great for rain or to escape the sun)
• Reservations required
• Meet your guide Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress
• All Weapons are Prohibited
• No Food or Drink is allowed inside the Capitol. Refillable water bottles are allowed.
• What You'll See
• Tour inside the Library of Congress
• Tour inside the US Capitol
• Tour outside the US Supreme Court
• Thomas Jefferson’s original library
• Capitol Rotunda
• Statuary Hall

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Reserve Your Spot with Confidence! Full Refunds with 24 Hrs Notice. Reschedule at any point, even after tour, if space allows!

Capitol Hill & Library of Congress Tours

Tour Information

Capitol & library of congress, capitol & library of congress highlights.

This page provides details of our Capitol Hill & Library of Congress Walking Tour, including tips on directions, times, and sights covered.

Our Capitol Hill & Library of Congress Tours bring you to the top of "the Hill." A trip to DC would not be complete without a visit to the seat of our legislative and judicial branches.

As the government holdings and staff expanded, the Library of Congress' Jefferson Building, the Supreme Court Building, and Congressional office buildings were built here.

Join DC by Foot as we explore these beautiful buildings and the meaning behind them.

We offer TWO TYPES OF CAPITOL HILL TOURS:

CAPITOL HILL SELF GUIDED AUDIO TOUR

This self guided audio tour takes you around Capitol Hill at your own pace.

We discuss the Supreme Court, Library of Congress and US Capitol.

The audio tour includes a Google Map to help navigate through the area.

You can explore the buildings interior on your own.  Find out how to get tickets here.  

PURCHASE AUDIO TOUR HERE

CAPITOL & LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (TICKETS INCLUDED)

In partnership with VISITDCTours we offer a tour that has reserved tickets to tour Library of Congress and US Capitol for you.

This is semi private small group tour and does have a ticketed cost.

You will enter Library of Congress and the US Capitol.

Your guide will tour the Library of Congress with you and then give you tickets to the the US Capitol tour after our tour.

Allow an additional 50 minutes after the tour for the Capitol tour.

Capitol Hill & Library of Congress Tours cover:

• Capitol Building
• Supreme Court Building
• Library of Congress' Jefferson Building
• and much more...

Want to visit the Capitol Building on your own? Check out our guide to touring the US Capitol.

Tour information

We do ente r Library of Congress and US Capitol on our ticketed tours.

Reservations:  REQUIRED.  Click here to reserve .

Where:  Meeting spots vary based on which tour you're taking. Please check the confirmation email you received when you booked!

For planning purposes both our guided tour and our audio tour start and end at the top of Capitol Hill in the vicinity of 1st between Constitution Ave and Independence Ave.

Purchase a guaranteed parking spot in advance near the tour’s starting point with  SpotHero .

Duration:  Approx. 2 hrs and less than a mile.  This tour does include stairs and is not accessible for wheelchairs, scooters or strollers. Due to security procedures, please do not bring strollers on this tour.

Allow an additional hour after our tour for the US Capitol tour.

When:  View our full tour calendar of guided tours .

• This tour runs daily except Sundays and Mondays. (You can take our self guided tour whenever!)

If our schedule doesn't work for you, then try it as an audio tour or take our  self-guided Library of Congress Tours .

What Should I Bring?

• Comfortable walking shoes
• A water bottle
• Appropriate clothing / umbrella - tours are rain or shine!

What's Included

• Professional Historian/Tour Guide
• Recommendations for the best food, music and museums
• Advice on must-do experiences

And much, much more

North america, united kingdom & ireland, middle east & india, asia & oceania.

National Recording Registry adds songs from Abba, Biggie, the Chicks

The Library of Congress announced its 2024 selections, including The Notorious B.I.G.'s ‘Ready to Die’ and Gene Autry’s ‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer’

Abba’s “Dancing Queen” and Gene Autry’s “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” are among the 25 songs inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry this year.

The latest inductees bring the list of titles in the registry to 650. In all, the library’s collection contains more than 4 million items . Song choices for the registry are “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage,” according to the library. Recordings must be a decade old to make it into the registry.

“The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “We have selected audio treasures worthy of preservation with our partners this year, including a wide range of music from the past 100 years, as well as comedy.”

The Style section

For 2024, the registry’s newly added songs and albums didn’t have a central theme, but the list highlighted several popular albums from ’90s-era artists, including the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ready to Die,” the Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces” and Green Day’s “Dookie.”

“We always wanted to be in this band forever,” Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said in a news release. “I think in the back of our minds was to be able to play music together for the rest of our lives. So that’s quite a goal when you’re 20 or 21 years old. But, you know, we’ve managed to do it, and it’s just been an amazing journey so far.”

Abba’s 1976 album “Arrival,” which features the favorite “Dancing Queen,” also got the nod, alongside Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 single “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and Juan Gabriel’s breathtaking 1990 single “Amor Eterno.”

Another popular addition is “La-Di-Da-Di” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, a 1985 single that has been referenced and sampled by multiple artists in recent years, including Tupac, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West and Beyoncé.

In 2023, the library focused heavily on female artists, celebrating Madonna, Mariah Carey and Queen Latifah, among others. Mainstream music inducted into the library included Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and John Lennon’s “Imagine,” as well as Latifah’s “All Hail the Queen” album from 1989, making her the first female rapper to join the ranks.

Recordings selected for the 2024 National Recording Registry (listed chronologically)

• “Clarinet Marmalade” — Lt. James Reese Europe’s 369th U.S. Infantry Band (1919)
• “Kauhavan Polkka” — Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl (1928)
• Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946)
• “Rose Room” — Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian (1939)
• “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” — Gene Autry (1949)
• “Tennessee Waltz” — Patti Page (1950)
• “Rocket ‘88’” — Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (1951)
• “Catch a Falling Star” / “Magic Moments” — Perry Como (1957)
• “Chances Are” — Johnny Mathis (1957)
• “The Sidewinder” — Lee Morgan (1964)
• “Surrealistic Pillow” — Jefferson Airplane (1967)
• “Ain’t No Sunshine” — Bill Withers (1971)
• “This Is a Recording” — Lily Tomlin (1971)
• “J. D. Crowe & the New South” — J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)
• “Arrival” — Abba (1976)
• “El Cantante” — Héctor Lavoe (1978)
• “The Cars” — the Cars (1978)
• “Parallel Lines” — Blondie (1978)
• “La-Di-Da-Di” — Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick (MC Ricky D) (1985)
• “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” — Bobby McFerrin (1988)
• “Amor Eterno” — Juan Gabriel (1990)
• “Pieces of Africa” — Kronos Quartet (1992)
• “Dookie” — Green Day (1994)
• “Ready to Die” — the Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
• “Wide Open Spaces” — the Chicks (1998)

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A recent post on the Music Network of Maine Facebook page by singer-songwriter Anni Clark about an upcoming show.

Maine music fan and guitarist John Perry started the Music Network of Maine Facebook page about a decade ago. It’s described as a place for videos, photos and events involving Maine musicians and shows in the state.

On any given day, you can see anywhere from a handful to dozens of posts about upcoming performances by musicians and bands happening at venues all over the state.

Singer-songwriter Anni Clark is an active contributor, and her most recent post shared info about a May 9 show in Westbrook. Another recent post had details about a Fleetwood Mac tribute show scheduled for May 18 in Bath.

Account: Music Network of Maine

Platform: Facebook

Followers: 12,700

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