How to Access Records

Rules of Access

The holdings of the Center for Legislative Archives are made available according to access policies set by the creator of the records. The Center holds both open and closed records. It is important to know the rules of access before planning your research visit to be sure the records you are interested in accessing are available. Some open records must be screened for privacy or other restrictions before they can be viewed.

Consult our page on the rules of access for more detailed information. We encourage researchers to contact the Center by email at legislative.archives@nara.gov or telephone at (202) 357-5350 before you plan your research visit.

Note: the records of the legislative branch are not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Planning Your Research Visit

The Center for Legislative Archives is located in the National Archives building in downtown Washington, DC. The research room is open by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please visit the A1 Textual Event Page to make an appointment and refer to our frequently asked questions for further information.

We encourage researchers to contact the Center by email at legislative.archives@nara.gov or telephone at (202) 357-5350 before you plan your research visit. This will allow our staff to ensure the records you wish to consult are open and available for research. Archivists are available to speak with you Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

For directions and additional information about conducting research at the National Archives, visit Information for Researchers at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.

The National Archives provides free access to several subscription databases while at a National Archives facility.

Research Hours for the National Archives Building in Washington, DC

The National Archives building is open for research Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal Holidays.

Legislative archivists are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and can pull legislative records from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Records in College Park, MD

Most of the Center's records are located at the National Archives building in Washington, DC. However, some legislative records are made available through the Research Room in College Park, Maryland, including Publications of the U.S. Government (Record Group 287), Records of the General Accounting Office (Record Group 411), and most audio-visual records, such as photographs, sound recordings, and videos. To access these records, contact the Research Room in College Park, Maryland.