WiserEarth Editors

Welcome Message from the Librarian of Congress

The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.

The Library's mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations. The Office of the Librarian is tasked to set policy and to direct and support programs and activities to accomplish the Library's mission.

As Librarian of Congress, I oversee the many thousands of dedicated staff who acquire, catalog, preserve, and make available library collections within our three buildings on Capitol Hill and over the Internet. I am pleased that you are visiting our Web site today, and I invite you to bookmark our URL and return to it often.

Sincerely,

James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress

Library Organization

An agency of the legislative branch of the U.S. government, the Library of Congress encompasses several integral service and support units, listed below. You may also download a PDF of the Library's organizational chart (PDF, 101 KB). Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view this document.

Office of the Librarian

The mission of the Office of the Librarian is to set policy and to direct and support programs and activities to accomplish the Library's mission. The Office of the Librarian is the administrative branch of the Library of Congress and has overall management responsibility for the Library.

Enabling Infrastructure

Several offices that provide essential services to all service and support units within the Library make up its enabling infrastructure. These include Integrated Support Services, Human Resources Services, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Congressional Research Service

The Congressional Research Service provides, exclusively to the U.S. Congress, objective and nonpartisan assessments of legislative options for addressing the public policy problems facing the nation.

Copyright Office

The mission of the Copyright Office is to promote creativity by administering and sustaining an effective national copyright system.

 Visit the Copyright Office Web site.

Law Library

Congress established its Law Library in 1832, recognizing its need for ready access to reliable legal materials. The Law Library has grown over the years to become the world’s largest law library, with a collection of over three million volumes spanning the ages and covering virtually every jurisdiction in the world.

 Visit the Law Library Web site.

Library Services

The mission of Library Services is to develop qualitatively the Library's universal collections, which document the history and further the creativity of the American people and which record and contribute to the advancement of civilization and knowledge throughout the world, and to acquire, organize, provide access to, maintain, secure, and preserve these collections.

Office of Strategic Initiatives

The mission of the Office of Strategic Initiatives is to support the Library's vision and strategy by directing the overall strategic planning for the Library and the national program for long-term preservation of digital cultural assets, leading a collaborative institution-wide effort to develop consolidated digital future plans, and integrating the delivery of information technology services.

 Visit the Web site of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP).

Other Offices

Other offices that operate independently of individual service units but are within the Library's organizational structure are listed here.

• Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
• Copyright Royalty Board
• Office of the Inspector General
• Open World Leadership Center

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Last Updated: 08/22/2008