The Library of Congress acquires materials in all formats--books, periodicals, maps, music, prints, photographs, recorded sound, videos, etc.--and in all subjects, except technical agriculture and clinical medicine, from all over the world. We use six methods to acquire materials--Cataloging in Publication, Copyright, Exchange, Gift, Federal Transfer, and Purchase. The collection is shaped by the Library's Collection Policy Statements and totals over 113,000,000 items.

PLEASE NOTE: The Library of Congress does not sell books or other materials from its collections to the public, nor is it able to provide directions to where such materials might be purchased. For information on how the Library disposes of its surplus books, see Surplus Books Program. For information on materials available for sale contact the Library's Cataloging Distribution Service.

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