Scholars in Residence

Legal scholars, law professors, practitioners and other legal professionals are invited to apply for resident scholar status with the Law Library of Congress. At the discretion of the Law Librarian of Congress, a work of publishable quality will be considered for publication by the Law Library. Because space to house scholars is limited, the Law Library reserves the right to limit the number of scholars participating at any given time.

Scholarly Exchanges

Senior scholars living abroad who are unable to travel to Washington but who wish to participate in supporting the Law Library’s research mission should contact the Law Library to explore suitable projects.

Graduate Internships

U.S. and foreign law students working toward advanced degrees in law or a related discipline may apply for an internship at the Law Library of Congress. Interns will be provided opportunities to perform independent projects or research (normally leading to an end-of-internship written product) under the general direction of a Law Library manager or staff member. Academic credit may be awarded if prearranged with the sponsoring academic institution. 

Facilities

Scholars in residence and interns will be assigned workspace and limited use of Law Library facilities; e.g., photocopy privileges. They will receive orientation to the Law Library and the use of the Library’s online bibliographic and legislative databases. To facilitate the scholar’s orientation, a member of the Law Library’s research staff may serve as a primary contact for individual scholars. Resources do not permit research assistance or secretarial services, however. Editorial services will be provided if a scholar’s work is to be published by the Library of Congress.

Scholars needing to consult the collections are urged to contact the Law Library in advance to ensure that the items will be available from the closed stacks: (202) 707-5080. This is especially important for rare items. You will need photo identification and a reader card to use the collection. To hear a recorded message regarding Reading Room access, call (202) 707-5079.

Application Process

For more information on how to apply for a Scholarly Program at the Law Library of Congress, please contact Cynthia Jordan.

Last Updated: 07/30/2012