---
kind: "section"
citation: "2 U.S.C. § 179p"
title: "2"
title_heading: "The Congress"
number: "179p"
heading: "National Film Registry Collection of Library of Congress"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/2/179p"
units:
  - "Chapter 5 — Library of Congress"
---

# §179p. National Film Registry Collection of Library of Congress

- (a) **Acquisition of archival quality copies—** The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall endeavor to obtain, by gift from the owner, an archival quality copy of the [Registry version](/usc/2/179u.md?p=5) of each [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) included in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry. Whenever possible, the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall endeavor to obtain the best surviving materials, including preprint materials. Copyright owners and others possessing copies of such materials are strongly encouraged, to further the preservation purposes of this Act, to provide preprint and other archival elements to the Library of Congress.
- (b) **Additional materials—** The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall endeavor to obtain, for educational and research purposes, additional materials related to each [film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) included in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry, such as background materials, production reports, shooting scripts (including continuity scripts) and other similar materials.
- (c) **Property of United States—** All copies of [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) on the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry that are received as gifts or bequests by the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) and other materials received by the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) under [subsection (b)](#b), shall become the property of the United States Government, subject to the provisions of title 17.
- (d) **National Film Registry Collection—** All copies of [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) on the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry that are received by the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) under [subsection (a)](#a) of this section, and other materials received by the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) under [subsection (b)](#b), shall be maintained in the Library of Congress and be known as the “National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry Collection of the Library of Congress”. The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall, by regulation, and in accordance with [title 17](/usc/17.md), provide for reasonable access to the [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) and other materials in such collection for scholarly and research purposes.
- (e) **National Audio-Visual Conservation Center—** The [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) shall utilize the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center of the Library of Congress at Culpeper, Virginia, to ensure that preserved [films](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) included in the National [Film](/usc/2/179u.md?p=3) Registry are stored in a proper manner, and disseminated to researchers, scholars, and the public as may be appropriate in accordance with—
  - (1) [title 17](/usc/17.md); and
  - (2) the terms of any agreements between the [Librarian](/usc/2/179u.md?p=1) and persons who hold copyrights to such audiovisual works.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 104–285, title I, § 106, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3380; Pub. L. 109–9, title III, § 302(c), Apr. 27, 2005, 119 Stat. 225.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is Pub. L. 104–285, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3377, which enacted this section and sections 179l to 179o and 179q to 179w of this title and sections 5701 to 5708 of former Title 36, Patriotic Societies and Observances, repealed sections 179 to 179k of this title, enacted provisions set out as a note under section 179l of this title, and repealed provisions set out as a note under section 179 of this title. Sections 5701 to 5708 of former Title 36 were repealed and reenacted as chapter 1517 (§ 151701 et seq.) of Title 36, Patriotic and National Observances, Ceremonies, and Organizations, by Pub. L. 105–225, § 5(b), Aug. 12, 1998, 112 Stat. 1499, the first section of which enacted Title 36. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

### Amendments

2005—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–9 added subsec. (e).