LibGuides: Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs Division

General Information

Facility:	Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Address:	101 Independence Avenue SE Washington, DC 20540
Phone:	(202) 707-6394
FAX:	(202) 707-6647
Email:	See Ask a Librarian form below

About the collection:

The prints and photographs collection at the Library of Congress is housed in their James Madison Memorial Building. The third library building to be constructed, the Madison Building's planning began in 1957. Its construction was approved in 1965, and began in 1971. The building was officially opened on May 28, 1980.

For more information concerning Japanese items within the print and photograph collection, please contact the Prints & Photographs Reading Room at (202) 707-6394 or by submitting your question through their Ask a Librarian online form, see below.

Online Resources

Give Us Your Feedback

For all comments and questions about the Guide, please e-mail us:

mlaguide@nccjapan.net

Summary of Collections

Collection size: as of February 2015

The Prints and Photographs Division at the Library of Congress houses over 14 million individual items. These includes photographs, prints, drawings, posters, and architectural or engineering technical drawings. The holdings of the division are international in scope, but focus primarily on the history and interests of the United States.

Notable Collections include the links below and many others

Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar
A complete database of the over 200 photographs and negatives taken by Ansel Adams documenting the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California.
College Women's Association of Japan Print Show Collection
A collection of over 200 prints made by 180 different artists living in Japan.
Pre-1915 Fine Prints of Japan
A collection of over 2,500 Japanese prints, including woodblocks and drawings, from the 1600s-1900s. Strengths include ukiyo-e (浮世絵) and Yokohama-e (横浜絵).

Databases

Prints & Photographs Online Collections
A list of collections viewable online, including descriptions. Each collection includes a large number of items that have been digitized with appropriate contextual information.
Collection Guides and Finding Aids
A collection of guides, collection overviews, division overviews, finding aids, and subject overviews to the Print and Photographs Division's collections.

Access

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How to Use the Facility

Using the Collections

Information for Researchers
The Prints & Photographs Reading Room provides public access to the collections and services of the Prints & Photographs Division (P&P) and is open to patrons conducting research utilizing the Division's collections.

Patrons involved in complex research are urged to contact us prior to arrival.

Prior Arrangements must be made when patrons expect to view more than 15 original items from the Division's collections of posters, drawings, master photographs, and fine prints; when requesting unprocessed material; when requesting fragile material requiring supervised handling or special preparation, such as many architectural drawings; for visits by a class or study group; or when the number of images required by a project will far exceed average use.
Reader Identification Card
All in-person researchers are required to have a Reader Identification Card, issued for free by the Library. These cards can be obtained at the Reader Registration Stations by presenting a valid driver's license, state ID, or passport and completing the registration process. Researchers must be at least 16 years of age to register. Items cannot be borrowed. See site for registration locations and hours. Please call 202-707-5278 with any additional questions.
Photocopying, Scanning, and Duplication Services
Photocopying stations are available within the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. However, many materials are too old or fragile to be photocopied. Handheld cameras that do not require additional lights (such as flash photography) or equipment may be used as a substitute for photocopying.
Scanning equipment is not allowed due to the light it emits.
Copies of images may also be obtained through the Library of Congress's Duplication Services. Click for more information or call (202) 707-6394.