In the event of a temporary shutdown of the federal government effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, all Library of Congress buildings will be CLOSED to the public and researchers. All public events will be cancelled until the shutdown is concluded and federal funding resumed. More information.
The European Reading Room is the primary public access point for readers and researchers seeking to use the vast European collections of the Library of Congress, including those from Russian-speaking areas of Asia. The reading room is staffed by reference librarians and area specialists from the European Division, who offer in-depth reference assistance and work with other Library of Congress units in developing collections that meet the research needs of a varied constituency. Researchers interested in Spain and Portugal should contact the Hispanic Reading Room; those interested in the United Kingdom and Ireland should consult reference librarians in the Main Reading Room. Reference assistance for Turkey is available in the African and Middle Eastern Reading Room.
