Date of tip: 10 July 2006

Source: Luke Nichter, nluke@bgsu.edu 

Location: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, 101 Independence, S.E., Washington, DC 20540

How to get there: The easiest way to get there is by taking the Metro (Orange Line) to Capitol South stop.  Come up the escalators, continue straight ahead and up the hill (thus, “Capitol Hill”), turn right on Independence Avenue, and the entrance for researchers to the Manuscript Division is the Madison Building, first building on the right-hand side (enter with everyone else, including staff, tourists, etc.).  If you are completing research somewhere else in the Library of Congress (there are quite a number of buildings and research rooms) you can inquire here to find out where you need to go.  Once inside, go through security, and if you are a new researcher to the Library of Congress system, you will be sent down the first hallway on the left to registration.  At registration, you will have to complete a basic registration form (make sure to bring your passport or driver’s license) which is now done on the computer, and then have your picture taken for a researcher ID (I found the process similar to registration at the British Archives).  Finally, you can consult with an archivist to find out what you’re looking for, but if you already know which manuscripts you need, leave the registration room, turn right (returning to the foyer where you first entered the building), turn left, and the Manuscript Division reading room will be on your left. 

Contact Details: John E. Haynes, jhay@loc.gov, 20^th Century Political Historian, was particularly helpful; General phone: +1.202.707.5387; Fax: +1.202.707.7791

Language: English

Getting started: Once registered (see above), when you arrive at the Manuscript Reading Room, you’ll need to sign in.  Present your newly minted Library of Congress researcher ID, and you’ll be given a special endorsement for the Manuscript Reading Room in the form of a sticker on your ID, good for one year (but renewable thereafter).  Next, you’ll be issued a key for the free lockers located just inside your door, where you’ll have to leave all but the essentials.  Then, you’ll be shown how to fill out a manuscript request using the library card catalogue-sized cards, and it takes just a few minutes for your required boxes to arrive.  Please note that some manuscript collections are restricted access and some are completely closed without permission of the depositor!  I was doing research on several figures of the Nixon administration, and I have had varying degrees of success at accessing these. 

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm (although I would check the latest information on the website, as I believe they are also open later on Tuesday and Thursday)

General working conditions: The reading room contains plenty of tables with power outlets beneath, as well as micro-form/fiche readers with printers.  

Consultation: As far as I know, there is no limit to the number of boxes you may consult in a day.  The general rule is one box on the table at one time, and one file from that box on the table at any one time.  They will issue a placeholder for your box when your file is on the table. 

Policy on technology: Laptops and digital cameras are permitted.

Photocopy policy: Since I was using a digital camera, I did not make photocopies, but I did see other researchers doing so without difficulty.

Particularities: There is a cafeteria located a few floors up, but it does close earlier than the reading room, so be sure to check the latest hours of operation when you arrive.  Also, car parking is very difficult in the Capitol Hill area, particularly after September 11, 2001.  There are very few metered spaces within a few block radius of the Library of Congress, but usually these spaces are only good for two hours.  The best bet is taking public transportation, which, in addition to the Metro as described earlier, Washington DC also maintains an extensive system of buses.  

How to apply for classified files: In my experience, because the Manuscript Division deals mostly with personal papers, there is not a streamlined process to apply for access to classified documents.  I was told I needed to write to each of the individual depositors of the papers and secure access directly.  In some extraordinary circumstances, entire collections of papers are closed and kept “in the vault, locked up”, according to one LoC archivist (i.e. Henry Kissinger or Al Haig’s papers, for instance).

Places to Stay: There are many places to stay in the greater Washington DC area.  Your best bet would probably be one of the many online travel portals.  Arrival into Washington Reagan-National Airport (DCA) is by far the most convenient since it is also on the same Metro system, next I would rank Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) second-most convenient (since it is easy to catch the train from the airport to Union Station in Washington), followed by Washington-Dulles Airport (IAD), which is some distance out in Virginia, and unfortunately not connected by any public transportation networks.

Funding: I am not aware that any funding is available.