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ContentsPlease Note : There is limited paid visitor parking at NLM and on the NIH campus. All visitors are encouraged to use public transportation. If driving, visitors are encouraged to park by the NIH Gateway entrance and walk or take a campus shuttle bus to NLM. The NIH Gateway parking, MLP-11 is open Monday thorugh Friday 6am - 9pm (entrance), 6am - 11pm (exit). On weekends, visitors can park in lots on the NIH campus after vehicle inspection.
General InformationNLM Address: The National Library of Medicine is located approximately five miles from the District of Columbia in Bethesda, Maryland. The NLM (Building 38) and the Lister Hill Center (Building 38A) are at the southeast corner of the campus of the National Institutes of Health. The NIH, like all Federal Government facilities, has instituted safety and security measures. Visitors must enter the campus through the central location for registering and orienting visitors (the NIH Gateway Center) and show one (1) form of identification (a government-issued photo ID--driver's license, passport, green card, etc.); visitors should continue to wear their identification prominently at all times while on campus. The NIH Gateway Center is accessed from NIH Gateway Drive and is near the exit of the Metro system's Medical Center stop. All visitors are encouraged to use Metro or other public transportation if at all possible. Parking for visitors is always in short supply at NIH, especially during conferences, and parking regulations are strictly enforced with tickets and tow trucks. Several NLM divisions are off-campus. They are the Specialized Information Service (SIS) and Extramural Programs (EP). See SIS directions and EP map for off-campus locations. Additional NIH and NLM information is available from the following pages:
Taking Public Transportation to NIH/NLMThe NIH visitor entrance, the Gateway Center (66) is located on South Drive by the Medical Center stop served by the:
Upon exiting the Metro or bus, visitors enter the Gateway Center (66) for security inspection, and receive visitor passes, then head to NLM by walking or taking the "NIH Limited Campus" shuttle bus. See below how to get to NLM from the Gateway Center via pedestrian path or campus shuttle bus: Walking to NLM from the Gateway Center (66)
Taking NIH shuttle bus to NLM:
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Printable Map (PDF) |
After passing the intersection of Rockville Pike and South Drive, visitors follow the directions below to park by the NIH Gateway entrance and to get to NLM:
Walking to NLM from the Gateway Center (66)
approximately 10-15 minutes:
Taking the NIH shuttle bus to NLM:
Taxis must go through the security check point. Follow the car directions to the NLM. Advise the driver to stop either at the main entrance of NLM (facing Rockville Pike) or the ten-story Lister Hill Center (building 38A) adjacent to the main building (refer to map on this page).
The NLM/NIH is accessible by train via Washington DC's Union Station, which is on the Red Line of the Metrorail system.
The NLM/NIH is accessible from any of the three major regional airports; travel time is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Dulles International Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Last reviewed: 25 August 2008
Last updated: 25 August 2008
First published: 14 November 2005
Metadata| Permanence level: Permanence Not Guaranteed