My wife and I are traveling to Washjington D.C. next week to visit the Library of Congress (among other sights.) We plan to locate my book that is on a shelf in the Library of Congress. We are excited about the trip.
So we go to the Library of Congress. First, WOW. Then we look for my book. Had to get a reader's card (FREE). Walked through the tunnels of the Library of Congress (down in the cellar - reminded us of Natioanal Treasure, the movie.) Got the reader card but couldn't locate the book. We were sent to the copyright office of the LOB to get help. That was on the fourth floor of the Madison Building (Library of Congress has three buildings: Jefferson, Madison, Adams.) Found the book. It is stored at Landover, MD. It is registered with the Library of Congress - 2 books and a $40 fee when my book published. It's there for copyright protection. I guess it was available for a year and then it goes with the thousands of other books to Landover for storage and copyright protection.
I thought other writers would be interested in this information. It was not explained to me by my publisher. It was exciting, though, seeing the inner workings of the Library of Congress. We even saw a golf cart pulling a train of law books (12 tall wooden boxes labled law books.)
If you ever go to DC even if not as an author, the Library of Congress is a must to see. It's a beautiful building with wonderful architecture and art. Add it to your DC itinerary.