Frequently Asked Questions: General

Requests for Library records must be made directly by emailing lcfoia@loc.gov with the request. FOIA requests from the Copyright Office are detailed below.  

NOTE: The Library of Congress, an agency in the Legislative branch of the Federal Government, is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552). However, in the spirit of the FOIA, and in keeping with our own regulations regarding the release of records, the Library of Congress makes the fullest possible disclosure of records consistent with the functions and duties of the Library. 

For Copyright Office FOIA requests:

The U.S. Copyright Office is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 USC § 552, which requires agencies to make their records available to the public either proactively or in response to a request, subject to certain conditions and exceptions. FOIA also has nine exemptions and three exclusions that permit agencies, including the Office, to withhold a record in part or in full in limited circumstances. You can email copfoia@loc.gov directly to make your request.   More info: https://www.copyright.gov/foia/

For Other FOIA Requests:

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for an agency of the executive branch must be filed with that particular agency. Most agencies have FOIA-related information on their websites. The Library of Congress is part of the legislative branch, which is why FOIA information is not featured on our website.

Many declassified U.S. government documents have been made available in a large collection called the Declassified Documents Reference System. This collection is held by many large research libraries across the U.S., either in microform or as an online subscription service. The Library of Congress has the microform version, which must be used on site at the Library's MERC.