Library of Congress Reviews

If you are a historian, than take the time to come here because you will more than definitely get your times worth. Simply amazing to have that vast variety of history all in one place.

You have to take your time to really appreciate the art & painting on the walls and ceilings. Free. Cool in the summer.

Guided tour of 60 minutes with Mr. Tom Hoban very interesting.

It is not a library. It is a palace! You can sign up for a free library card to get into the main reading room after the guided tour.

This is such a beautiful building! The architecture is very ornate and awe-inspiring. From the fountain out front to the marbling inside, this building is amazing! It's free to visit and the museum is very informative. They have numerous artifacts from our nation's history and beyond. You will not be disappointed when you visit. Unfortunately, in order to enter the actual library you need to make an appointment. I completely understand that as it allows the library to be an actual library and not become a tourist trap. Please visit this beautiful place.

storytime for young kids , are momentarily interrupted ... so , you can inform on your website families .

Probably the best interior architecture of all the buildings inDC

The library of Congress is located in Washington DC, USA. with over 167 million items in its collection. The library of Congress is the largest library in the world. the collection includes over 39 million books and other printed materials, 3.6 million recordings, 14.8 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 8.1 million pieces of sheet music, and 72 million manuscripts. The library was established in 1800 A.D. and contains materials is over 450 languages. some of those materials include one of the smallest books in the world (you have to turn the pages with a needle) stradivarious violins, and digitally archived tweets, the library grew and expanded after the American civil war, and started accumulating literature and important applications from all across the world.
Thank you.

As the Library is connected to the Capitol visitors centre, it makes sense to combine the two on your visit.

The gallery is a must see looking down into the reading room. Some of the exhibitions are detailed and informative.

The building itself is stunning, with marble floors, staircases and beautiful plasterwork ceilings

I have been to Europe and seen some incredible architecture. This is hands down the most breathtaking place I've seen this side of the Atlantic and rivals anything youll see in Europe. Can't speak to anything else as we didn't have time for research.

Library of Congress is biggest library in the world. It is making great efforts in disseminating information about Resource Description and Access (RDA), a new library cataloging standard replacing AACR2.

#LIBRARYOFCONGRESS #RDA #CATALOGING

Such an imposing building. I hope lots of people using the library. I am told in India the parliament library is hardly used by any of the elected members.

If you're seeking a library card for the Library of Congress this is the place. Come in the front door go through security take a left and then it's the room on the left about 3 Doors Down.

Before I moved to the DC area, I visited once as a tourist. I was not interested in visiting the Library of Congress because I didn't know anything about it. My travel companion insisted, and I was blown away by the beauty of the building. Now that I live here, I always recommend it to visiting family and friends. Don't miss it!

Wonderful experience! You can enter directly from the capitol hill through an underground path. Zero row despite it being August and entry is free. The various rooms are all very beautiful, with great designs and decorations (if you look up in the main room you will also see the writing of Dante). The Gutenberg Bible is also on display. But the most beautiful room is the view of the library itself. To be speechless!

Awesome experience. Recommend getting a reading card and checking out the reading rooms to get the full experience. This building is beautiful and it's inspiring to see the volumes of material stacked on every shelf. Must see if you're a book worm!

A historical place. We were there on a busy day for the library but would have liked to return to browse and explore more leisurely when it is quieter.

A Mecca for bibliophiles. A giant collection with all material available upon request. Helpful staff, a large main reading room, with specialty reading rooms for microfilm, youth, Hispanic, Asian, and other materials.

The building itself was a work of art! I ceilings through out the building were gorgeous. I truly loved the reproduction of Thomas Jefferson's library. I, also, liked the way they denoted the individual volumes as to weather it was an original (ie the one on display was the one in his library), another copy of the original book, or a mock up until one can be found. The Guttenberg Bible display was very well done.

Gorgeous spot to visit; Jefferson's library was wonderful to see and the building itself is beautifully guided. I also signed up for a card to do a little research and experience was quick and easy with such wonderful staff.

I think this is my favorite place in all of DC! The architecture is simply stunning, probably the most beautiful in the city. All over the place are little quotes about knowledge and reading, and the hallways are long and colorful, and cool statues are ubiquitous. It's free, and there are no additional tickets to buy for anything. It is not the most popular place for tourists, because not many people know about how spectacular it is, so it is totally not crowded. Even if you don't get a library card pass into the reading room, you can see it from a window up above, and there is a pleasant little reading room for kids that I would have loved to spend a few hours in. There are also a few exhibits, including Thomas Jefferson's personal library, a temporary showcase of the Gutenberg Bible, and some smaller ones down a sort of secret hallway that nobody knows about so they are totally empty. (These include a Gershwin exhibit, something about cartoons, and a Bob Hope room.) If you are in town, definitely pay it a visit. I would probably come to read in the kids' reading room every day if I lived in DC, but even if you are not a reading person, you will enjoy the magnificent building!

Absolutely stunning architecture and painting! One of my favorite attraction when in Washington DC. You can spend the entire day here just to look at the decoration and the paintings on the wall and the ceilings. The library staffs were very friendly to tell every tourist want to go to get the best view of the library.

Stunning art and architecture. The imitation Jefferson library is amazing.

Interesting and free entrance. After visiting the Capitol, make sure to visit the Library of Congress. The biggest library in the United States. A copy of all publications and books must be available there. I didn't wait in any line. It was so easy, fast and worth it. Exhibitions and projections are launched there for various memories and topics. Take the stairs to have a look over the library. Beautiful place and highly recommended.

If you haven t been, you need to go. The building itself sends you back to time when European architecture, the arts, and education held sway over science and technology. It s beautiful to see and makes you want to be back in college so you can just sit inside the reading room for a moment. The movie National Treasure put this landmark on the map again, and it doesn t disappoint. Even the bathrooms are pretty!

To see Thomas Jefferson s library up close is definitely a highlight of my visit to DC.

To prove to European that America was cultured,jhon Adams plunked the world's largest library on Capitol Hill.
The loc motivation is simple: universality the idea that all knowledge is useful.

The architecture in this building is stunning. Perhaps the most beautiful interior in all of Washington, D.C. and certainly one of the finest Beaux Arts style buildings in the United States. This is a must visit location and you would be doing yourself a disservice if you do not go inside.

To me this is one of the most virtually appealing building in DC. It's actually 3 buildings connected through tunnels and there is an additional tunnel that runs underground to the Capitola Building. One of thier many center pieces is the Gutenberg Bible. The top floor has a view of the reading room that will blow you away.

Why there is a guy looking like a bouncer in the Library of Congress profile picture?

Beautiful architecture, and it was awesome to see Thomas Jefferson's 6,400+ collection.

Staff was extremely rude to me. I tried getting a Library of Congress card to study in the main room, had a terrible experience, and never ended up getting in.

So cool, this building houses so much knowledge. Amazing architecture. You can get a library card if you are over 18, (they do expire every 2 years) this will allow you to check out books to read. I personally spent 3 hours reading everything from Buddhism to effects of illegal immigration to modern jewelry. They have the largest collection of books in the world so there is at least something that will interest you.

Amazing photography sites, beautiful architecture, and culture rich, as well, like all of this area.

Reminds me of the nice historic building back in England. Was located 5min away :))

Big collections of book and you can see where the people work inside of it. Beautiful architecture.

Simply Amazing! This is, in my opinion, the most beautiful building in DC. It should not be overlooked. The Gutenberg Bible, the Jefferson Library, and the new baseball exhibit are definitely worth the trip.

Staff was amazing, really enjoyed the tour, beautiful building and tons to see

One of the biggest an best library's ive seen in my life.

Most beautiful building in DC. Should Always be your first stop when you come to washington.

This is supposedly the world's largest library. Although I haven't been to the reading room, I was able to see the reading room from the viewing area.

There is a Guttenberg Bible on display in addition to other historical artifacts. A gift shop is on site as well. Visiting hours when I visited in Jul were from from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Just found out it was a "international trade" law library.....even though it doesn't say neither on the building.

An underrated attraction in D.C., the Library of Congress should be on every tourist and Washingtonian's list of places to see. This is the nation's first established cultural institution and the largest library in the world. The LoC is an unrivaled resource of knowledge, with over 160 million books, photos, posters, prints, sound recordings, maps, microforms, sheet music, and manuscripts in its collections.

Most of the books are shelved within the three buildings of the Library and in storage facilities. All the stacks are closed to the public. Some items from the Library's collection are on display in the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building. Current exhibitions include the Thomas Jefferson's original library, the Gutenberg Bible, the Giant Bible of Mainz, and Mapping a New Nation (featuring the map that first used the word "America" for the New World) just to name a few. There are traveling exhibits too, and you can see what the current displays are on their website.

The highlights of visiting the Library are the Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building and the Main Reading Room. The Great Hall extends more than 70 feet from its marble floor to the stained glass ceiling. With its marble columns, staircases, mosaic tiles, and paintings, the Thomas Jefferson Building is one of the most historic and beautiful public buildings in the U.S. Inside, you can visit the Main Reading Room Visitor Gallery and overlook the gorgeous primary reference and book service for the general collections. The Main Reading Room is open to researchers age 16 and above, and you can study in the Main Reading Room as long as you have a Reader Identification Card. To get one, you register and provide ID in person at the Madison Building next to the Thomas Jefferson Building.

Be careful with taking photos! It's allowed in the public areas, but for a lot of the exhibits they ask for no flash.

This place is so beautiful! The building, the colors, everything is beautiful! If you're a bit of a library-nerd like me you should definitely go here and take a look. It's so impressive.

It is a wonderful and unimaginable creation of god's gift not only for the present generation but also for the future generations. Every citizen in the world can avail the library and information facilities available in the library.

The children's reading room is the best curated collection for children citywide.

This is very beautiful. I will cherish
This forever. Thank You.

So I was lookin for some books the other day and i went to my local library of congress to find the newest hunger games novel. Everyone was so nice, very beautiful place. One Star, Bravo.

The interior is elegant, elaborate, and very beautiful. It's the most beautiful interior of a building I've seen in America. Also, obviously, tons of fascinating history. A must see in DC.

Nice place where we spent almost two hours. You can make free guided tours in groups. Highly recommended because they tell very interesting things. Each hall has a different theme and inspiring sentences. Highly recommended

A must see after the tour of the Capitol. The Beaux Arts style of architecture here is aesthetically pleasing. The Great Hall consists of many murals and around the Main Reading Room is the real treasure - the largest library in the world! Easily one of D.C's finest buildings.

Beautiful library in the pillars and ceiling and marble work

Lovely building on Capitol Hill. The entrance is free and you can enjoy the grand architecture inside and outside. Don't miss out in the impressive fountain just under the entrance stairs by the main road.

On The ground floor you'll find one of the first bibles printed in Latin. Also the secretaries office.

Take the stairs and go to level 2 to see the library hall from the balcony.

Nice to visit, but the guided tour is not worth a lot, as the visitors around you wilol be extremely (americanly) loud.

A bibliophile's dream come true. Beautiful architecture too

Closes for visitors half hour before closing time. Couldn't get in. Will come back.

This building is the one that has more architectural details of great beauty and large size. giant marble columns, huge mosaics on floors and walls, large windows and attractive staircase with handrails impressive. Well lit and beautiful decorative lanterns. The collection of books and documents is perhaps the largest in the world. They exhibit a complete Bible printed by Juan Gutemberg in Germany and certain Mixtec and Mayan ceremonial vessels and statues, such as the rain god Tlaloc. This place is a must-see when in Washington DC.

An amazing and inspiring place to be. You get to learn so much about American history. You feel nostalgic about a time you never lived and that's quite special.

For some reason, probably because I'm an idiot, I believed that you could actually sit down and read books here, which is not the case. There is a glass booth where you get to look at the reading room, but it has more crowd control than most museums in the area and they don't let you look for long. Its It's a great place, but there isn't all that much to see and do.

What a phenomenal place. The main lobby is stunning and you can spend a while just staring upwards. I recommend taking the tours that are offered several times daily. They ll take you to places that are available to people just walking around, but you ll get a lot of background info that s useful. Be sure to see the Gutenberg Bible, the first map with the word America on it, and get your library card to access the main reading room!

It is the biggest library of world and opened in 1880.It is called as 'library of Congress '.Many books, C.D's,ancient leaflets,maps and videos are here. 470 types of language books and 21reading rooms are here for readers. Braille books and recordings are here for visually challenged persons.

If you visit Washington, you should visit the Library of Congress and tour its departments and learn some information that may not be known about the history of the beginnings of America's origins, as well as see the architecture of the building.

Great site to visit. Several very well done exhibits which include a discussion of the US involvement in WWI and Thomas Jefferson's library. The exhibits rortate so check the website to see what's current. The main lobby of the building is gorgeous with numerous symbolic and metaphorical statues, friezes and murals. It is quite beautiful. The second floor mezzanine / balcony has kiosks to help visitors decrypt the images and symbols. The lobby is quite beautiful and you can easily spend 30 minutes gawking. The main reading room and the children's reading rooms are well regarded.
If you are performing research you can obtain a "reader's" library of congress card. Make sure you bring a driver's license or passport. You can save time by filling out the application on line. In person it takes less than 5 minutes to apply. Card issuance takes 5-10 minutes if there isn't a long line. We found the card processor to be unnecessarily curt. All other staff were gracious and polite.
There are quite a few interesting trinkets at the gift shop. Copies of the constitution and Declaration of Independence are great gifts for middle age children.

Amazing!!!!
Gostei muito de conhecer!

Mind blowing. Get a reading card and take in the full, real, experience.

My favourite building in DC. The actual library is fantastic. Very old school. The architecture is excellent as are the views of the Capitol. Always an interesting exhibit going on. My kids love the children's rooms. Today my love for this building went even higher when the librarian showed my son and I the secret spiral staircase to the men's bathroom. So cool!

amazingly ornate building, did not expect to see anything like this is USA

And if the house just keeps on winning - I ve got a wildcard up my sleeves

You need to see the Gutenberg Bibles and go all the way up the the balcony under the dome inside the library. The view from there is beautifull.

The Library of Congress (LC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. The Library of Congress is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its "collections are universal, not limited by subject, format, or national boundary, and include research materials from all parts of the world and in more than 450 languages."

Arrived in Washington D.C. we had them take us by taxi right in front of the library of the Congress because we wanted to carve out most of the time inside the structure. The excitement of seeing the pages of the declaration of independence is incredible, but the true beauty is just seeing the congress library from above. Unfortunately you can't take pictures, but the only sight is satisfying.

It is a great architecture and a preservation of artistic building and a monument.

Every wall, ceiling and floor is a work of art in the Library of Congress. This is one of the hidden gems of DC.

The most beautiful building in DC. All the little things that have meaning in the designs and paintings. Nothing is there for no reason.