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 Reference Correspondence Policy
The primary mission of the Library of Congress is to serve Members of the Congress and thereafter, the needs of the government, other libraries, and members of the public. The Library's staff will respond to reference and information requests in accordance with this mission.
Correspondents are encouraged to use local and online resources. For those seeking further assistance from the Library of Congress, the staff will respond to their reference and information needs to the extent possible. Because the Library participates in a global network of librarians working electronically to answer questions, your online reference question may be submitted to this global network for reply.
Please note that the scope of the services does not include: compilation of extensive bibliographies, requests for information connected with contests, completion of school or work assignments, translations or research in heraldry or family history.
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Digital Collections & Services
Access to print, pictorial and audio-visual collections and other digital services:
| Featured Digital Collections & Services |
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American History & Culture
A digital library of historic maps, photos, documents, audio and video from American Memory.
Historic Newspapers
Enhanced access to America's historic newspapers through the Chronicling America project.
International Collections
Materials and bilingual presentations from overseas libraries from Global Gateway.
Legislative Information
THOMAS provides searchable full text of bills, Congressional Record and more.
Browse By Topic
Browse selected collection content available online by Topic. |
Performing Arts
Collections, articles and special presentations on music, theater and dance materials.
Prints and Photographs
Catalog of about half of the Library's pictorial holdings with over 1 million digital images.
Veterans History
Experience first-person stories of wartime service through personal artifacts.
Web Site Archiving
Searchable archives of historic Web pages including national elections, 9/11 and more. |
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| Additional Digital Collections & Services |
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Ask a Librarian - http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/
An online reference service from the Library of Congress
Virtual Reference Shelf - http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/virtualref.html
* Alcove 9: An Annotated List of Reference Websites - Main Reading Room
The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress has eight alcoves. This ninth "virtual alcove" is a collection of websites selected and annotated by Humanities and Social Sciences Division subject specialists. All of these websites have components that are free and available to the public; some might require user registration, or may have links to fee-based services.
* Librarian's Index to the Internet - Websites You Can Trust
Librarians' Internet Index (LII) is a publicly-funded website and weekly newsletter serving California, the nation, and the world. Every Thursday morning we send out our free newsletter, New This Week, which features dozens of high-quality websites carefully selected, described, and organized by our team of librarians. Topics include current events and issues, holidays and seasons, helpful tools for information users, human interest, and more. You can subscribe to our newsletter by RSS or read us on the Web. You can also search and browse our website for the best of the Web. We have over 20,000 entries, also maintained by our librarians and organized into 14 main topics and nearly 300 related topics.
* Refdesk
Reference, Facts, News - Free and Family-friendly Resources - Refdesk.com |
- Abbreviations
- Almanacs and Fast Facts
- Arts and Music
- Associations
- Awards/Prizes
- Books, Periodicals, and Publishing
- Business
- Calculators
- Calendars, Clocks/Times
- Children, Teachers & Parents
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- Consumer Information
- Current Events On the Web
- Dictionaries/Thesauri
- Directories
- Education
- Encyclopedias
- Genealogy, Biography and Archaeology
- Government
- Grant Resources
- Health/Medical
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- History (General)
- Language and Literature
- Law
- Libraries
- Maps/Driving Directions
- Political Science and Government
- Quotations
- Science, Technology and Engineering
- Statistics
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Virtual Programs and Services - http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/
The Digital Reference Section (DRS) of multidisciplinary reference specialists responds to reference questions about the Library's online resources; creates electronic guides and bibliographies to the Library's digital resources; writes and edits historical features for the Library's Web site; and presents a variety of electronic and in-person workshops, presentations, and other virtual services for members of Congress, educators, librarians, historians and other scholars, researchers, and the general public.
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