---
kind: "section"
citation: "2 U.S.C. § 179m"
title: "2"
title_heading: "The Congress"
number: "179m"
heading: "Duties of Librarian of Congress"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/2/179m"
units:
  - "Chapter 5 — Library of Congress"
---

# §179m. Duties of Librarian of Congress

- (a) **Powers—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall, after consultation with the [Board](/usc/2/179u.md?p=2) established pursuant to [section 179n of this title](/usc/2/179n.md)—
    - (A) continue the implementation of the comprehensive national [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) preservation program for motion pictures established under the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Preservation Act of 1992, in conjunction with other [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) archivists, educators and historians, copyright owners, [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) industry representatives, and others involved in activities related to [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) preservation, taking into account the objectives of the national [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) preservation study and the comprehensive national plan conducted under the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Preservation Act of 1992. This program shall—
      - (i) coordinate activities to assure that efforts of archivists and copyright owners, and others in the public and private sector, are effective and complementary;
      - (ii) generate public awareness of and support for these activities;
      - (iii) increase accessibility of [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) for educational purposes; and
      - (iv) undertake studies and investigations of [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) preservation activities as needed, including the efficacy of new technologies, and recommend solutions to improve these practices;
    - (B) establish criteria and procedures under which [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) may be included in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry, except that no [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) shall be eligible for inclusion in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry until 10 years after such [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3)’s first [publication](/usc/2/179u.md?p=4);
    - (C) establish procedures under which the general public may make recommendations to the [Board](/usc/2/179u.md?p=2) regarding the inclusion of [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry; and
    - (D) determine which [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) satisfy the criteria established under [subparagraph (B)](#a-1-B) and qualify for inclusion in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry, except that the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall not select more than 25 [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) each year for inclusion in the Registry.
  - (2) **Publication of films in Registry—** The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall publish in the Federal Register the name of each [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) that is selected for inclusion in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry.
  - (3) **Seal—** The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall provide a seal to indicate that a [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) has been included in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry and is the [Registry version](/usc/2/179u.md?p=5) of that [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3). The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall establish guidelines for approval of the use of the seal in accordance with [subsection (b)](#b).
- (b) **Use of seal—** The seal provided under [subsection (a)(3)](#a-3) may only be used on [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) or other approved copies of the [Registry version](/usc/2/179u.md?p=5) of a [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3). Such seal may be used only after the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) has given approval to those persons seeking to apply the seal in accordance with the guidelines under [subsection (a)(3)](#a-3). In the case of copyrighted, mass distributed, broadcast, or published works, only the copyright owner or an authorized licensee of the copyright owner may place or authorize the placement of the seal on any [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) or other approved copy of a [Registry version](/usc/2/179u.md?p=5) of a [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) selected for inclusion in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry, and the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) may place the seal on any [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) or other approved copy of the [Registry version](/usc/2/179u.md?p=5) of any [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) that is maintained in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry Collection in the Library of Congress. Anyone authorized to place the seal on any [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) or other approved copy of any [Registry version](/usc/2/179u.md?p=5) of a [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) may accompany such seal with the following language: “This [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) was selected for inclusion in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry by the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Preservation [Board](/usc/2/179u.md?p=2) of the Library of Congress because of its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.”. The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) may authorize the use of the seal by the Library or by others for other limited purposes in order to promote in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry when exhibiting, showing, or otherwise disseminating [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) in the Registry.
- (c) **Coordination of program with other collection, preservation, and accessibility activities—** In carrying out the comprehensive national [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) preservation program for motion pictures established under the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Preservation Act of 1992, the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1), in consultation with the [Board](/usc/2/179u.md?p=2) established pursuant to [section 179n of this title](/usc/2/179n.md), shall—
  - (1) carry out activities to make [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) included in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) registry more broadly accessible for research and educational purposes, and to generate public awareness and support of the Registry and the comprehensive national [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) preservation program;
  - (2) review the comprehensive national [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) preservation plan, and amend it to the extent necessary to ensure that it addresses technological advances in the preservation and storage of, and access to [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) collections in multiple formats; and
  - (3) wherever possible, undertake expanded initiatives to ensure the preservation of the moving image heritage of the United States, including [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3), videotape, television, and born digital moving image formats, by supporting the work of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center of the Library of Congress, and other appropriate nonprofit archival and preservation organizations.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 104–285, title I, § 103, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3377; Pub. L. 109–9, title III, § 302(a), Apr. 27, 2005, 119 Stat. 224; Pub. L. 110–336, § 3(a)(2), Oct. 2, 2008, 122 Stat. 3727.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The National Film Preservation Act of 1992, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1)(A) and (c), is title II of Pub. L. 102–307, June 26, 1992, 106 Stat. 267, which was classified principally to sections 179 to 179k of this title and was repealed by Pub. L. 104–285, title I, § 114, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3382.

### Amendments

2008—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–336 inserted at end “The Librarian may authorize the use of the seal by the Library or by others for other limited purposes in order to promote in the National Film Registry when exhibiting, showing, or otherwise disseminating films in the Registry.”

2005—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–9, § 302(a)(1), substituted “film or other approved copies” for “film copies” and “copyrighted, mass distributed, broadcast, or published” for “copyrighted” and substituted “film or other approved copy” for “film copy” wherever appearing.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 109–9, § 302(a)(2), added subsec. (c).