Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC

Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC

It’s from this angle that most visitors to the US Library of Congress see the Main Reading Room in the library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. But visitors aren’t confined to the second-floor portico. The library is a public service, so as long as you’re 16 years or older, and have a Library of Congress ‘reader’ card, the Main Reading Room and other parts of the library are yours to use. Today, this lauded institution turns 217 years old, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the country.