The Library of Congress Online Catalog contains about 12 million MARC records, which can be copied free of charge. The database includes records for both print and nonprint materials. When copying Library of Congress (LC) records, one should ALWAYS look at the item's physical description. LC staffers often catalog materials prior to publication and place the cataloging information in books as Cataloging in Publication (CIP). Typically, the physical description of the item is not included. Changes are often made between the time LC catalogs the item and the time the publisher distributes it. These changes will not be reflected in the LC record, and they may not be reflected in the OCLC record, since OCLC receives all LC records and relies on OCLC member catalogers to make updates. Changes are rare but do occur, and librarians should be diligent when examining MARC records, especially items' physical descriptions.

MultiLIS Users - INFOhio has developed a menu-driven procedure, "Library of Congress Record Load" that appears as a menu option, to enable MultiLIS users to load Library of Congress Records. This procedure will combine all of the records you download into a single file for loading. It is important that you name the records as directed in the instructions and that you FTP the records to the correct directory so that the records can be combined for you. If you have questions please contact your Instructional Technology Center (ITC) Provider.
    
Copying/Loading MARC Records From the Library of Congress, November 2005 [MS Word OR PDF 4 pg]

Non-MultiLIS Users - Step-by-step directions prepared by the MITINET/marc Software Company explain how to copy Library of Congress records and to create a "microlif.001" file that can be loaded into your local database. The directions include instructions for creating a "bookmark" or "favorite" to streamline record copying. These directions may be especially helpful for standalone systems.