Frequently Asked Questions: General

The Library of Congress does not sell or remove books from its collections.

If you wish to locate a copy of a book in another library: many of the items listed in the Library of Congress online catalog are available in other libraries. We suggest you ask your local library to request books for your use through the Interlibrary Loan service. Your library may be able to borrow a book from the Library of Congress collection on your behalf. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.

To determine what libraries own a book: consult the Worldcat database, freely available at: Worldcat.org. This database provides information on the collection holdings of thousands of libraries worldwide).

If you wish to have a copy made: The Library's Duplication Services makes copies of materials from its collections within Copyright guidelines. To determine more about purchasing a copy of an item in the Library's collections, please contact the Library's Duplication Services. For more information, please see: Copying and Printing Services for Collection Materials at the Library of Congress

If you wish to purchase a personal copy of a book in the Library of Congress collections: we suggest that you contact your local library or a new or used bookseller for information about how to find a copy to purchase. To locate online booksellers, you can search for “booksellers” or  “used booksellers” or “used books” online.

To purchase a book published by the Library of Congress: The Library's sales shop sells Library of Congress publications and other items.