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The Library makes hundreds of
special format, language, and subject collections available through
a variety of cataloging and reference tools in its specialized
reading rooms:
As with printed materials published in the United States, Copyright
deposits are the core of many of the special format collections,
particularly in map, motion picture, music and recorded sound,
photograph, and print formats. Many other special collections
were acquired through gifts, bequests, or purchase.
All researchers must have a Library-issued
Reader Identification Card to use these collections. All collections
are stored in areas that are off-limits to the public and to staff
without authorization. This "closed stack policy," like
the reader identification program, ensures the security of the
Library's collections. Researchers new to the Library are encouraged
to take the "Research
Orientation to the Library of Congress" course offered
by the Humanities and Social Sciences Division. This 90-minute
class, offered throughout the year, is a basic introduction for
researchers using any of the Library of Congress collections and
resources.
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