Library of Congress Reviews

Beautiful interior and educational pieces like the Jacob Riis exhibit and the Civil Rights one. Check it out!

The most greatful and awesome library that I ever seen

The Library of Congress, a personal favorite, is the largest library in the entire world as ranked by both shelf space and number of books. Among its several buildings, the oldest is the Thomas Jefferson Building, which just might be the most beautiful structure in the library system. Completed in 1897, the library's neoclassical style features some of the most intricate interiors of any building in the U.S., including murals and sculptures from a variety of classically-trained American artists. Interestingly, the building s exterior was even more lavish than it is now, as it was originally gilded, but this was criticized as it was believed to draw attention away from the Capitol Building. These days, the roof consists merely of copper that has aged to a sea green shade.

Best quote of the day in the main reading room from the guide
"this room used to be full of people before the handheld devices and internet"

The most beautiful and spectacular library I have ever seen!

You can take the tour or just stop at areas and listen to the tour. The highlight for me was seeing the Bible of Mainz which represents the end of handwritten BIbles and the Gutenberg Bible next to it representing the beginning of print BIbles.

In a city of grand proud government buildings I know of no other as beautiful and graceful as the Library of Congress. The Jefferson Building is a national treasure.

Beautiful building - a must visit for anyone interested in literature! Great exhibits on maps & pre-Columbian American as well.

It is so big and great place in USA. It has 100 millions books, 1000 km of its shelves and 5000 employees. I think it is wonderful and i will visit it oneday

This is s really beautiful building. A must visit if youl ike to see good architecture. The reading room is accessible only if you used a library card. We made library card and then saw the great reading room. Overall one of the stunning underrated monuments in DC area.

Beautiful building full of history! Our tour guide was amazing and could answer everything we could think to ask!

The library is so beautiful, and a large collection of books is here. It's so impressive and worth visit.

A wonderful building, beautifully decorated and holding a marvellous collection. Good exhibits, helpful staff. Free to enter. A global treasure.

It's inexpensive, the customer service reps are top notch and you cannot beat the protection that the Library of Congress affords your work.

One of the most beautiful buildings I ve been in. There is a free tour worth taking. Ask the front desk.

Beautiful building. You can leave your coat/bag while you explore the exhibits comfortably. There s even yellow pages and pay phones in the bathroom (what are those? Lol) Toured this with no guide and had a blast!

Really beautiful, building with entertaining educational exhibits.

Multiple buildings; amazingly expansive collection. Borrowing privileges require a short process with the creation of a photo ID.

We started out to be surveyors for the District of Columbia. I completed some renderings that even do the library of congress justice.

Amazing place to visit if you are in Washington. Don't miss it!

Thank you for correcting the awkward Bible in pseudo-Russian on the map! This is a really good library, located in several buildings connected by underground corridors, one of the American real "places of power")! I love the Jefferson bestiary in the basement and the Christmas tree in the round hall! An excellent electronic catalog, a lot of digitized, a bunch of useful webcasts ... I recommend!

Such an impressive building. It'd be nice if you could actually browse every tome...

A must go when in DC. Make sure to take one of the free public tours. It's greatly enhances the experience of the place.

The say it is public but you cannot look at any books hands on unless you have authorization from someone in the Senate bldg in advance. Our tax dollars our paying for this. As long as there is security we should be able to browse freely.

Good tour, check the website for times. I would recommend to do after visiting the Capitol as there is an underground passage between the two.

monument to knowledge -longest running concert series endowed and free to the public

The Library of Congress was quite neat. The building itself was impressive as was the history. A surprise for us was a small museum with a number of very interesting exhibits including Women's Voting and the history of Baseball which we really enjoyed. It is a multimedia display that highlights some of the most memorable events from baseball's history. You dont need to spend a ton of time here, but it is enjoyable.

This is hands-down the most beautiful location in the entire D.C. area. The interiors are decorated like nothing I have seen before.you even get a glimpse into the reading room from above.

I don t even have words to describe this place. It is AMAZING. You can go by yourself or take the guided tour. I m definitely going back to actual read and live the experience. God Bless America

Brilliant place to visit! If you're coming from the Capitol make sure you use the underground tunnel to avoid having to go through security again.

Not just an ordinary library - amazing books, paintings, architecture. We joined a free guided group of one of the exhibitions and she was so knowledgeable and answered any questions we had.

I went to the library first and then from the underground passage to the Capitol Hill. The security check began under the library and could not bring food and water into Capitol Hill. The library is very exquisite, there are two treasures of the town hall on the first floor. You can see it on both sides. The second floor overlooks the library hall. The whole is very beautiful and subverts the view of the library.

Having fun isn't hard if you have a library card. Its fun to watch the tourists looking in on you from behind the glass if you have access. Lovely place.

BEAUTIFUL place, walk in see if you can get on a tour, if not just walk around and check it out.

A marvelous working library full of treasured books particularly the leather-bound collection of Thomas Jefferson. The ornate library is adorned from floor to ceiling with mosaics, marble columns, Italian statues, cherubs, and frescos with Italian Renaissance design. Can't believe it took Congress only 2 years to complete the world' largest library in 1897 with a budget of only $6.5 million!

Although the grandiose Reading Room is impressive, Jefferson's library adorned with his original collection was my favorite part - giving birth to the Library of Congress. From the tour, I learned that Jefferson sold all the books from his personal collection - 6,487 across different subject areas to Congress for $23,950 after the original building was destroyed by the British in the War of 1812. He was a stiff negotiator and wouldn't accept payment for part of his collection - all or nothing.

Jefferson's precious books are protected in a temperature-controlled glass display case. The green tabs mark the original collection from the early 1800's while the yellow are duplicates (about 500 books) that got burned from a fire.

Don't miss the hidden gem Librarian Office of Congress tucked on the left side towards the back of the 1st floor.

Definitely recommend the 1 hour long tour. Luckily, I caught the last one at 3:30pm and learned about the history of the library and that Congress paid $1.5 million for the Gutenberg Bible (there's a copy in Germany and France) and $5 million for a map!

Interesting to know that the majority of the 169 million collection isn't all books. The bulk are manuscripts, recordings, photographs, sheet music, etc. The library gets upwards of 15,000 donated items by per day and keeps a handful of them!

There are a couple of small temporary exhibits of baseball and Bob Hope worth checking out.

You can easily spend a couple of hours admiring the marvelous architecture, collection of maps, artifacts, books, and walking through exhibits.

Definitely worth checking out the world's largest library in the nation's capital (technically right across the street from it!)

Admissions is free. Take your time to look at all the beautiful architecture. It is amazing! Ask questions. If you are 16 years old or older, and you are doing research, you can use the Library. No food or drinks are permitted, however, they do allow bottle water. While we visited there was an America Baseball exhibit.

It's small and very very beautiful. It's too bad the visitors can't go inside the actual library and reading rooms, but I can understand that. I was also surprised by the pieces of Mayan, Aztec and Inca history they have on a special display here.

The fundamental building. It is very easy to get lost. Extensive funds and many events

Super great experience to see the library of Congress please make time to visit

This is probably one of the most amazing and architecturally-impressive buildings in DC. You cannot visit the LOC without taking a free tour--you will miss so much of the details! Also, don't forget to pad in some time to explore the exhibits, which aren't included on the tour. My favorite piece is the earliest map of the United States!

A very beautiful building from the inside, less so from the inside. Stunning ceilings and architecture. Well worth a visit.

Also love the reding books.
I want to go

It is the most beautiful building I have ever seen, the architecture and art on its walls makes it unique. It is a must see in the center of Washington DC.

This building is, in my opinion, the most gorgeous architecture in DC. The Library of Congress, called the Jefferson Building, was built in the late 19th century and is elaborately detailed both inside and out. Take a guided tour of the building if you can (see the front desk): the docents are very knowledgeable and help explain the many intricate stories and details of the art and architecture inside.

Truly amazing. Take some time to really check out the details on the architecture.

A little excessive in decor in the lobby but all in all an interesting building with lots of history a a few interesting exhibits. Worth an hour visit.

Amazingly breathtaking interior and exterior architecture. If you're a local, you can get a library of congress library card!

I was the child who got "lost" in libraries and bookstores as a kid, so this was a dream. Make sure you wander around and take in the art as well as the books. Make an appt. in advance for the rare collections.

A national treasure, and a must see when visiting DC. Great exhibits that really enrich your knowledge about the history of this country.

Quite possibly the most amazing and wonderful place on earth. Can spend countless hours reading and researching!

Very beautiful place with intricate designs and murals.

What a beautiful building.. It's all so detailed, the ceiling, floor, pillars, paintings... Go there and fall in love with the most beautiful building of DC. I heard that the guided tours are very good too, so I mean to go back and attend one of those.

If you're going to the Capitol, don't miss the Library of Congress. The classical features of the building are even more ornate than most of the other structures in Washington, DC. The architecture alone is worth the visit. There are also special displays (there was one on graphic arts in early 2018). There's also a room that contains Thomas Jefferson's personal collection. The reading room is huge and although you can't access it, the glassed in overlook gives you a view of the space. Outside is a spectacular fountain with a sculpture of The Court of Neptune.

I don't really have word on it, other than I went here during a field trip in April of 2009. It was okay, I guess... except for that impatient tour guide we had that day.

This is a must see attraction.
It is surprising to witness that the place has no recycling available, only garbage cans.

This building is really amazing. From the amount of our culture it holds to its architecture, it's really a masterpiece. This is another place every American should come and see.

Biggest library in the world. Leader in techniques in Library and Information Science, such as MARC-21, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), and Library of Congress Classification (LCC)

I am a reader, speaker, and I have kept written, oral, and video journal since age 15, and in October ,I will be
74, so I will donate all to this library, or any library, that will share it with the public, once I am dead. I never wanted money, for I am a giver, and my journals etc. are my gifts to people all over the world.

Google: Judi Grace StoryCorps.

Some amazing exhibits, and great staff. Give yourself a load of time to see everything.

There are some spaces that are off limits to tourists, but that's to be expected. It is a functioning library after all.

Incredible exhibits, gorgeous architecture, and helpful staff.

Library of Congress of the United States of America

Este edificio es la Biblioteca de El Capitolio y supone un registro de todos los libros y documentos con los que cuenta el gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Consta de una sala central en la que los estudiantes, investigadores o gente que lo More

A beautiful place to visit which is often overlooked. It is right next to the Capitol (there is even a tunnel that connects them) so be sure to take a few minutes to visit. We did not take a tour, but it is not very large so you can look around at the exhibits, but the actual building is what is really worth seeing. From the ceiling paintings to the actual library (which you can only see from a small viewing room) it is a must see.

Beautiful place. Tours are informative and the library is also beautiful with a large variety of books.

This is a must see in Washington DC. We waited for the free tour hoping it would take us into the reading room. It doesn t go anywhere that you can t explore on your own and unless you have specific questions I would skip this tour. They only send about 15-20 people with each guide but there is no easy way to tell who was assigned so it would be easy to just tag along with a guide group.

I would recommend getting your library card so you can go into the reading rooms. You have to go to a lower floor (just ask, everyone was super helpful) and provide photo id. Large bags are not allowed so plan to check them at coat check or leave them with a member of your group and take turns looking around. Your library card is valid for 2 years so you can look at their online books too.

One of my favorite attractions in Washington DC. It is a great for couple of hours where you get to experience amazing architecture, beautiful views and well curated exhibits.

I would recommend spending around couple of hours to full experience the whole library. Please note the you can only view the actual library area throw a screened terrace. The line can get long depending on the time and tourist season.

Inside and out the Library of Congress is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

The exterior architecture is incredible but when you step inside you may not believe your eyes. The central reading room is absolutely incredible!!!

In addition to the reading room the LOC offers rotating exhibits on a regular basis.

If you're in to photography you won't want to forget your camera (and be sure to pack a wide angle lens).

Beautiful facility with very educated representatives! A must see.

Stunning. Probably one of my favorite places in D.C. I'd say it's a must-see if you are into architecture. Also had some great exhibitions while I was there.