"A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert."
Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919)
About the National Library of Education
Congress created The National Library of Education in 1994. The first Commissioner of Education Henry Barnard began the library when he brought his personal book collection on education to the Department in 1867. Congress appropriated funds for the Education Library, as it was known, in 1868. The Library maintains an historical collection including some 16,000 government reports on education dating back to 1870, education journals and monographs, and some 16,000 classroom textbooks on a variety of subjects.
Operating as a depository library under the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) of the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), the Library serves as the federal government's primary education information resource to the public, education community, and other government agencies. The Library's current collection, in print and electronic formats, focuses on education and includes subject matter such as economics, law, psychology, and sociology, as they relate to education.
Online Library Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
As part of our mission the National Library of Education welcomes members of the public to visit and utilize the collection for research. It is necessary to schedule an appointment as the National Library of Education is in a secure building. Please contact us via email at askalibrarian@ed.gov or by phone at 202-205-5015 to make an appointment.
Our address is 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington DC 20202; Lyndon Baines Johnson Building.
The library is open weekdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm, except for federal holidays.
Yes, the catalog is available for anyone to search via WorldCat at Search National Library of Education (worldcat.org)
National Library of Education does not directly lend its materials to the general public; however, you may contact your local public library and request to borrow materials via inter-library loan.
The National Library of Education's stacks are closed; therefore members of the public cannot browse the collection. When scheduling your visit to National Library of Education, our reference librarians will assist with identifying and making available materials to use in-house.
Yes, National Library of Education has a collection of historical textbooks mainly published in the 19th and 20th century. Some of the materials are available digitally via the Internet Archive and/or ERIC at https://archive.org/details/nationallibraryofeducation or https://eric.ed.gov/
Yes, the library collects reports and other materials produced by the Department of Education and its precursors, and education-related documents from other federal agencies or entities. Most current Department of Education publications are disseminated electronically and are available at www.ed.gov or on ERIC at https://eric.ed.gov/.
For general information about the Department of Education, please visit their FAQ at: https://www.ed.gov/answers?src=ft
U.S. Department of Education,
National Library of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
The library is open to the public by appointment. Please call or email the library to coordinate your visit with NLE staff.
Hours of Operation:
Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except federal holidays.
Contact Information:
Reference: 202-205-5015
Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339