20 | The Writer • April 2020R
The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is part of the
U.S. legislative branch. Just as its name
implies, it serves as Congress’s library.
But it also bills itself as the world’s
largest library, with a vision that “all
Americans are connected to the
Library of Congress.”
The Library employs 3,000 staff and
has more than 168 million items in its
collections, including approximately
24.6 million cataloged books in its clas-
sification system. Other printed mate-
rials found in its “nonclassified print
collections” include such things as
incunabula (books printed before
1501), monographs, music, newspa-
pers, pamphlets, and technical reports.
The bulk of its holdings – more
than 128 million items – can be found
in its “nonclassified (special) collec-
tions.” This includes audio materials,
maps, microforms, visual materials,
and more. For example, the collection
holds around 15 million photographs
alone, from shots of women during the
Civil War and 20th-century African-
American activists to images depicting
historic covered bridges and Frank
Lloyd Wright buildings to several cen-
turies’ worth of cartoon drawings dat-
ing back to the late 1700s. Audio
materials range from recordings docu-
menting North American English dia-
lects to oral histories of former slaves.
There are also 900 free databases you
can access anywhere. Some subscrip-
tion-based databases that have been
purchased by the Library can only be
accessed onsite.
If all that seems intimidating, don’t
worry: The website offers a “Research-
ers” section that outlines the Library’s
collections and research tools and
serves as a starting place. In fact, all the
specific collections’ homepages contain
research guides.
It’s good to have patience and learn
how to navigate the Library’s pages, but
there are also librarians ready to help.
“Engage with us right away,” recom-
mends Nanette Gibbs, Library ofResearch is fundamental for nonfiction
writing, but it’s also important for fiction –
from anchoring a story accurately in a
time period to providing a realistic or even
true-to-life setting. National organizations
like the Library of Congress, National
Archives, and Smithsonian Institution are
treasure troves for writers. They offer mil-
lions of items in their collections – in
some cases, information you won’t find
anywhere else – and, best of all, most can
be accessed for free.
Contrary to what some may believe, you
don’t have to live in the Washington, D.C.,
area to access the resources of these insti-
tutions. While not all materials are digi-
tized, a substantial portion of what they
offer can be found online. Some other
organizations have facilities throughout
the United States and even beyond.Photo credits (previous spread): National Museum of Natural History by Kamira / Shutterstock.com, newspaper by I. Pilon / Shutterstock.com, envelope by jesadaphorn/Shutterstock, pamphlet by Mark Carrel/Shutterstock,
slides by Anan Kaewkhammul/Shutterstock, cassette by moviephoto/Shutterstock, Library of Congress hallway by Jennifer L. Blanck