Library of Congress Review

You'll need to have a library card to access the main reading room to work out of but it's well worth it to work in the oldest library in the country. I think you need to be a DC resident to get your library card or at least a local, and yes, they require you to bring proof of residency. After 5 pm, you can still access the library until 9:30 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with a library card at their back entrance on Second Street SE (Thomas Jefferson building)

Wow, the architecture in this building is amazing! Our visit was a bit rushed, but we could have easily spent 3 hours inside. The Jefferson Library was the highlight of the visit. Seeing all of the old books was so awesome to me. You can sign up for a tour or choose to walk through the building on your on. We did it on our own, but had we known the tour groups had priority, we would have done that. In one part of the building, security basically told us to hurry up and get out because a tour was coming up. It was a bit rude in my opinion.

The research staff security guard is super rude. She is either incompetent or undertrained.

On Columbus day, the reading room and library catalog was available for self guided tours. Really enjoyed overhearing a librarian explain to a child that "this is google on paper," while pointing to the card catalog room.

We recently visited DC and spent a day seeing attractions at Capital Hill and the west end of The Mall. The Library of Congress (free to visit) was by far the best of the area attractions and one of most enjoyable places we ended up visiting during this trip to the city.

The Library of Congress is open from 8.30-5pm, making it one of the earliest attractions to open in the city, ideal for those who like to get an early start. It is further linked to the U.S. Capital building via an underground tunnel. By visiting these two government buildings, back-to-back via the linked passageway, you can avoid having to clear long security queue twice,

As for the visit, very much enjoyed our time at the Library of Congress, finding the permanent fixtures and temporary exhibitions well worth seeing when visiting Washington. Make sure not to pass up visiting the ground floor Bob Hope and Gershwin galleries, each well worth 10-15 minutes minimum.

Then you can make your way to the first floor Great Hall, which is stunning, resembling the princely halls of European palaces. Here you can pass by the Bibles room and take glimpse of an extremely rare Gutenburg Bible. There is also a side room showing some lovely historic maps. Lastly, you can step up and enter an elevated viewing platform area, overlooking the famous Reading Room, another stunning room to see and take pictures of. You can spend 30 to 45 minutes on this floor and will be quite in awe of what you see here.

Next, you proceed to the Second floor to see the impressive Thomas Jefferson book collection as well as temporary exhibitions that might be on display. We were luckily to catch the Magna Carta exhibition as well as the Explorers and Encounters exhibition, both of which were worth another 20-30 minutes of time each. Check the Library of Congress website to see what temporary exhibitions are being held during the time of your intended visit.

In the end, we spent just over 2.5 hours at the Library of Congress and left very impressed with what was available to be seen there. This ended up being one of the very best attractions we visited during our visit to Washington D.C., a place we would gladly return to during future visits to the city.

This is heaven for book lovers! Seeing Jefferson's personal collection of books is a unique experience. The art work on the ceilings is breathtaking and the quotes written on the walls are inspiring. Mosaic work in the walls, floors, and ceilings is superb. A must see!

Amazing architecture! There is no public access to the reading room; yet had a glimpse of it through the glass. Enjoyed the exhibits on the collections of Aztec and Florida history. The self guided tour on the paintings was done very well.

Majestic building! It is worth visiting and see all the art on the roof.

The Library of Congress is beautiful! The exhibits that they have are very interesting. Jeffersons library is a must see.

A rich and nigh unparalleled experience. The facility does an excellent job of catering to the researcher and the tourist alike. Long and generic institutional hallways hold untold treasures behind their simple doors- an explorer armed with a registered reader's card can find a world of incredible material stewarded by extraordinarily knowledgable specialists.

A fantastic collection of content. The library has the largest collection in the world with 170 million artifacts. The architecture of the library is exquisite with very unique large spaces in the gray Hall and the reading room. Time permitting, take advantage of the guided tours. Currently there is a timely special exhibit on women suffrage and the related struggle that won women the right to vote a hundred years ago.

I visited here 2 time and each i had great experience . I like their attractive infrastructure and the way they place all the stuff which is easily visible to all. The book were superb with lot's of knowledge. The seats were also comfortable. overall nice place for book lover.

Is this open to the public... like everything in there

The library is a wretched misnomer. You may not take out any books at all. There is also no public parking, so if you are trying to visit, you must contend with DC parking.

Definitely worth going. The Main Hall is absolutely stunning, which is worth going to see alone

The Jefferson building of the LOC is one of DC's underappreciated (by tourists) gems. It's gorgeously stunning on the inside and well worth a visit. Like all government institutions, it has the added benefit of being free. Take one of the tours. Shhhh.

Great as part of the Library of Congress, but not as much to see if you are looking to take pictures.

A must visit. One of the most impressive rooms I have ever seen in the US

Gorgeous inside and outside and even more exciting it contains thousands of books in many languages, magazines, newspapers, and historical documents that you can see in person.

I really love the architecture and design of this building, its beautiful. You could spend hours in there and never get bored, the amount of history and the amount of information stored inside this masterpiece is so eye opening. This should be on the bucket list for anyone visiting Washington D.C.

Beautiful place to visit if you like looking at antique books and the ornate building itself. They had an exhibit about the drawings that are done in court, it was very enjoyable and not crowded. It has an underground hallway that connects to the Capitol Visitor center, which allows you to not have to go through security again. We spent a little over an hour.

Such a huge grand library that is so old!. Free entry. You can take pictures. Very very very old books. They have the copy of first book ever printed on the earth!. Great honor to many writers around the world by scribing their name on the wall. Except that I didn't find any ASEAN writers name.

Beautiful, beautiful building both outside and inside!! Amazing how many manuscripts are on file here! Its the largest collection in the world! I plan to visit again!

It was so awesome to get a reader card and actually go into the reading rooms instead of staring through a glass. This place is an incredible resource that should be used more!

Beautiful, too crowded when I went so couldn't get on the tour.

Very beautiful library, security is very strict, you have to take off your belt ~

Every citizen of the United States of America should visit at least once in their lifetime. Not only is the content awesome, but the architecture is absolutely amazing.

Amazing, amazing, amazing. This place is a wealth of knowledge and like a candy shop to a reader no matter where they are from. As a college student it's kinda far but it's worth the trip. Quick ride on the metro or Uber and your there. Use this knowledge to your advantage people!

"I cannot live in a world without books" Thomas Jefferson. We took the tour. It was difficult at times to hear our guide.

Visiting the Congress was a wonderful experience, I was amazed at how immaculate it is!

Beautiful monument connected to the capitol, it is a beautiful discovery is superb

Check out the public tours they have every hour from 8-4.

A must-see monument in DC. The basic tour tells you about the building, the major history, and lets you see the main chamber under the dome. They had great exhibits on baseball and the outbreak of WWI. They also have a bag and coat check which is a great convenience.

This was actually a really enjoyable place, but it got a tad bit boring throughout the whole thing. There wasn t much for kids to do except stare at the walls maybe. But art in the place was absolutely amazing. The walls were painted beautifully and the ceiling had an amazing design to it. The main halls were incredible and the exhibits were informative with real historical artifacts from people, like Martin Luther. You could see the reading area where the members of Congress would sit and read, but it was a rather limited view.

Beautiful library. You can spend hours just looking over every little detail it has to offer. They do have security, so make sure that you do not bring any drinks or food with you.

Calm place with positive atmosphere. The reading room was superb and the books here were well placed so that anyone can easy find the stuff they want which's a good point. Staff was also decent and take care of the needs of people. Everything was great!! Must recommended place

A must visit spot in DC. It's an amazing place to checkout.
loved the architecture work. There are many things to see and learn the history in the library and depending on when you come there will be some activity or another happenings.
Best recommended to take a tour with the local

Biggest waste of time a person can do. I spend hours reading everything i can get my had on.the section on law is outstanding, for everything you have every wanted to know. get started in bring the popcorn. and the Drink to fire up the brain cells fired up lets get to work. Lets stop thios would from passim us us.

An architectural gem in the style of Italian Renaissance. Come for a free tour.

This building is beautiful inside. Take a tour, if you can.

The most gorgeous room in DC, and you too can visit it. Go on a tour, visit for a couple of hours, but it you really want to experience the majesty of the Library of Congress, make sure you get a reader's card so you can go in the reading rooms and peruse some of the Library's massive collection. Just do yourself a favor and spend as much time as you can in one of the most stunning buildings in the area.

Beautiful place but this rating is bad because of our tour. Don't go on the tour

Amazing architecture. There is a tunnel connecting the Library with the Capitol.

Lovely! Although it can only be seen from a balcony with a glass screen.

I went on a tour and the docent tells you a lot of details about the library and its history, very interesting. The main reading room is amazing, I wish I could stay there for longer to enjoy.

Take the guided tour. The place is fascinating and full of history.

The US Library of Congress is the largest in the world. With some 40 million books in 470 languages, 60 million manuscripts and 8 million scores. More one of the four copies of the Gutenberg Bible

This has the biggest reading room in the world. It's a must visit if you are in DC and you are a book lover. You donot get to see much but it just a flavor of quality and taste that u can feel.

The largest library in the world it was great to go here I got a free readers card which was the coolest gift I came back from DC with. For me books are very special & this was a journey for reading & education.

Stunning building and free to walk around inside. There a few exhibits to see and make sure to queue to see the reading room

Was lucky enough to go on Columbus day (main reading room and exhibits open). I have a long and everlasting love for libraries. I almost cried the experience was that amazing.

Captivating and informative. Plenty of information for young and old.

Must visit for any tourist. Beautiful building with several special exhibits. I highly recommend the guided tour, which will help you make sense of all the artwork and architecture.

Loved taking the tunnel from the capitol - so easy! Beautiful mosaics and fascinating exhibits. Sadly we missed the tour but overheard a bit - sounded very worthwhile.

The architecture alone is enough of a reason to visit.

I want to take my first Vacation to the Most Prestigious type of Learning institute

The place is wonderful and it's like being inside a story going on. I went there from the Capitol, going through an underground tunnel that is worth the ride. The cool thing about going through the tunnel is that you skip the need to get a new queue and you don't have to go through the process of scanning, x-ray and so on all over again. It saves time and hassle. Visit the Capitol first and make your way to the library through the tunnel!

The History of the place saves the experience. Not much you can actually access without being allowed into the library itself. Jefferson books are interesting.

Hard to explain with words, see my phones, then you know how amazing this place

2nd visit and STILL need more! Absolutely beautiful with awesome exhibits!

The largest library in the world! See the Gutemberg bible

Lovely space. Beautiful architecture and decorations. The exhibits they have are fascinating. You can reserve a ticket to go into the reading room. There is also a tunnel linking the Library to the Capitol building.

The Library of Congress, the world's largest library of books and references, consists of three buildings: the Thomas Jefferson Building, the John Adams Building, and the James Madison Memorial Building. The most famous is the Thomas Jefferson Building, next to the Supreme Court. It is known for its white marble lobby and spectacular rotunda.

The library is intended for parliamentary representatives and researchers from all over the world, as well as students preparing a thesis. It is also open to the general public (if it has an identification card) but the loan is reserved for certain people: Library employees, members of Congress, Supreme Court judges and other government officials high ranking.

The tour is so much information as they point out what you might miss just walking around

A great place within DC! The tour, in my opinion, is drawn-out and boring, but to each their own (it just had too much information that wasn't pertinent to what I was expecting to get out of the Library). Here's what I recommend: speak with a guard or desk-worker about getting a library card. They're 100% free, and you're allowed to tour the entirety of the library (the tour only lets you see the main reading room from a high balcony, having a library card lets you walk on the floor). Walking around with the card is a million times better than the tour. However, do take the time to visit the exhibits, seeing the first map that has "America" and Jefferson's library is truly extraordinary. Overall, I highly recommend visiting the LOC!

Wow, surprisingly beautiful and saw much more here then I expected to see.

Pros: Stunning architecture. Fascinating exhibits. Conveniently located near other attractions. Very helpful staff.

Pro tip: look for the stairs to the basement and take the small tunnel to the Madison building. Take the elevator to the top floor to get to the cafeteria. Eat a nice lunch overlooking D.C., away from the tourist crowds. There is another tunnel that goes to the Capitol building, if you want to take a tour there.

Worth a visit for anyone who values knowledge.

Though, as a tourist you only have limited access.

WOW! Just stunning. I do not think there are words to describe it. The architecture is absolutely amazing! I was geeking out about the architecture and history of this place. So fascinating and so much history here. Just...WOW! Definitely come here if you are in the DC area!

This was not my favorite place to be personally, though it did have some merits and others would give it 5 stars. The architecture was hands-down the best and most beautiful of all the places I've seen in DC, and the history is interesting, but there wasn't actually that much history in the tour and seeing architecture isn't too meaningful to me personally. There were a lot of people there, so it was very crowded and noisy, and for the architecture, you see it and take your pictures and that's it. However, your experience really depends on your tour guide, because there's actually a lot to see and read about, yet my tour guide was hard to understand and didn't take us to nearly as many places as there were to see.

I would like to share some important information too.

1. The entrance is on 1st St on the Jefferson building. The tours are of the Jefferson building.

2. You can take as many pictures as you want wherever you want, but some places you can't use flash.

3. I know lots of people who loved the tour; if you love touring historical European buildings and/or history, you'll love the LoC. It's not great for kids though.

4. You can easily spend a long time here. The tours are 45 minutes long, but you can break off and explore extra as much as you want, and there's an incredible amount to see.

5. You don't get to explore the actual library and read the books there; you only get to see it from a top view. You can only go into the actual library if you are 16 or older with a card, and you reserve books online and read them in the reading room. (They do have a kids' library that you don't need a card for).

All in all, this is a place where you can do many things, and the most common thing to do here (tour) is not for everyone, but it's amazing for the people it is best suited for.

I found the books in here to be a bit outdated and old. Also, it is rather loud and crowded for a library.

Much better than I expected! It's very beautiful on the inside.

Nice place to visit
One can go from Tunnel to LOC from Capitol Building
Closes at 4.20pm

Polite and helpful guide are available.