August 19, 2025 Library of Congress Reaches Major Milestone in Bringing Collections to Users

The Library of Congress has publicly launched the next phase of its generational effort to replace legacy systems and revolutionize core functions — including cataloging, acquisition and collections access.

The Library Collections Access Platform serves as the heart of the Library’s collections discovery, description and management operations. It will ultimately enable users to seamlessly discover and access all collections materials, whether the content is digital or physical, owned by the Library, or licensed.

“Every person who uses the Library will touch this system in some way, from members of Congress to researchers to our staff,” said Robin L. Dale, deputy librarian for library collections and services. “This moment represents a key moment in this multiyear, organization-wide endeavor that brings us toward our goal of being a library for all.”

In 2022, the Library selected the open-source platform FOLIO as the foundation of the new Library Collections Access Platform, which replaces the Library’s group of integrated systems and applications. Since then, a cross-agency team of librarians, subject matter experts and Library technologists have collaborated to adapt this well-known platform to meet the unique needs of Library users.

The Library awarded a contract to EBSCO Information Services to implement the FOLIO platform alongside the Locate catalog and other EBSCO products, as well as continue to develop FOLIO to meet the Library's requirements.

Because the FOLIO platform is open source, all improvements will be shared with other institutions using FOLIO, and the nation’s library community will benefit from these investments.

The first phase of the Library Collections Access Platform, focused on new acquisitions work, was completed in October 2024, followed by e-resources management and discovery in December 2024. On June 2, the Library successfully implemented the new platform for the Congressional Research Service and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.

On June 30, the Library debuted its new public catalog, the main access point for the Library's collections, the culmination of over two years of work on the new system. The enhanced, user-centered interface is powered by a modernized infrastructure that will support a new era of services.

With the new interface, users can apply facets to easily refine search results, which will update dynamically to narrow items by format, language, and other types. They are also able to reach Ask a Librarian support from any page and pre-register for a reader card through their accounts.

The Library looks forward to releasing new features and functionality — such as improvements to browsing and a dashboard that will allow users to save and organize records and searches  — in the catalog in the future.

“The Library Collections Access Platform is an investment in our users,” said David Brunton, director of digital services. “Adopting a flexible, open-source system like FOLIO allows us to change and grow over time. We’ll be able to customize the system to our needs while benefitting a broader community of libraries.”  

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States— and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.