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There are several ways to search for resources available at the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress Online Catalog provides searchable access to the vast and diverse collections available onsite at the Library. For archival collections, Finding Aids provide detailed descriptions of individual manuscript items in larger collections. Digital collections and resources on the Library's website can be searched using the search box available in the header area of all Library of Congress webpages.
The Library of Congress Online Catalog is a great place to begin your research since it provides bibliographic descriptions for the vast majority of collection items available at the Library.
All searches can be narrowed down by adding filters to your search using the "Add Limits" button. Limit searches with the following options:
The Library of Congress has been digitizing materials from its unique collections since the mid-1990s. The Library's homepage includes a search box as part of the header on the top right-hand corner. Use this box to search our digital collections.
It is also possible to browse a page showing all digital collections (by collection name):
If you are searching for Panama, you should search "Costa Rica" as a location in any of the Library's search portals to avoid irrelevant results.