DONATIONS
The Recorded Sound Section of the Library of Congress accepts donations of both commercial and non-commercial sound recordings in all audio formats.
Please be aware that, before a donation is accepted by the Library, many factors have to be considered. There are over 3,000,000 itmes in the recorded sound collection and unnecessary duplication must be avoided. This means that only a few, or no items at all, in any collection of commercial recordings may be of interest to the Library. For example, the Library has copies of most US-produced recordings of standard classical repertory.
Non-commercial recordings of music, oral history and other actualities may be of interest, depending on their content.
The Library must also take into account the condition of all items. Generally speaking, items in less than top condition can only be accepted if they are rare, such as certain early 78s and cylinders.
In order to offer a donation to the Recorded Sound Division, please send an e-mail to: sounddonations@loc.gov. In your message, please provide the following information:
--Your name
--Your address
--Your phone number
--Title or description of the item(s) you wish to donate (for large collections, please provide us with a complete inventory or at least a list of 10-20 random items), including title, artist, record label and an approximate count of the total number of items in the collection
--The general physical condition of the material, noting obvious wear, scratches and other issues.
Written correspondence can also be sent. Please send to: Sound Donations / Library of Congress / 19053 Mt. Pony Road / Culpeper, VA 22701.
Once received, your communication will be reviewed in-house and you will be contacted.