Researcher assistance with the Technical Reports and Standards collection is provided by reference staff in the Science and Business Reading Room. Researchers looking for assistance with identifying and locating materials are encouraged to use the Library's Ask a Librarian Science & Technical Reports form or call the Science and Business Reading Room at (202) 707-5639 or they may ask for assistance at the Reference Desk in the Science and Business Reading Room for assistance. For in-depth research assistance, we recommend scheduling an appointment with a librarian.

For the purpose of locating technical reports, they are assigned report codes by agencies or organizations involved in their production or distribution. Typically, reports are assigned multiple codes and these codes help to identify the sponsoring agency, the organization performing the research or the organization disseminating the report. Most technical reports held by the Library of Congress are not cataloged and require the use of one of these codes to retrieve the titles. Providing staff with any known report codes, via Ask-a-Librarian, in advance of a research visit can expedite the process of locating and retrieving reports allowing researchers to make better use of their time at the Library.

To learn about the Library of Congress holdings of technical reports, visit the Technical Reports Collections page.

Like technical reports, standards are assigned numbers to assist researchers in locating them. In the case of standards, these numbers are assigned by an issuing agency or organization. Because standards are updated, sometimes frequently, the numbers generally include a date to describe an edition of a standard.

To learn about the Library of Congress holdings of standards, visit the Standards Collection page.

Technical reports and standards documents from the Technical Reports and Standards collection are serviced at the Reference Desk in the Science and Business Reading Room, located on the fifth floor of the Adams Building of the Library of Congress.

United States Copyright restrictions prevent copying entire copyrighted documents. However, the fair use provision does permit reproduction of relevant portions (small parts) of these documents. Photocopiers, microform reader/printers, and computer terminals are available for patron use in the Science and Business Reading Room. Technical reports and standards materials are non-circulating and are not to leave the Science and Business Reading Room.

Researchers may also contact the Library of Congress Duplication Services, a fee-for-service program responsible for copying and duplicating the Library's collections. Please note, there are restrictions on the availability of some materials for duplication, based on physical conditions of the material, copyright limitations, and legal restrictions imposed on particular collections.