Title 2, The CongressRelease 119-110
§1702 Duties of Librarian of Congress
Title 2 › CHAPTER 27 — SOUND RECORDING PRESERVATION BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS › SUBCHAPTER I — NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY › § 1702
Summary
The Librarian of Congress must make rules for which sound recordings can go into the National Recording Registry. No recording can be added until 10 years after it was made. The Librarian must let the public send recommendations to the National Recording Preservation Board, choose recordings that meet the rules, and publish each chosen recording’s name in the Federal Register.
Full Legal Text
Title 2, §1702
The Congress, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Establishment of criteria and procedures
For purposes of carrying out this subchapter, the Librarian shall—
(1)establish criteria and procedures under which sound recordings may be included in the National Recording Registry, except that no sound recording shall be eligible for inclusion in the National Recording Registry until 10 years after the recording’s creation;
(2)establish procedures under which the general public may make recommendations to the National Recording Preservation Board established under subchapter III regarding the inclusion of sound recordings in the National Recording Registry; and
(3)determine which sound recordings satisfy the criteria established under paragraph (1) and select such recordings for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
(b)Publication of sound recordings in the Registry
The Librarian shall publish in the Federal Register the name of each sound recording that is selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
2 U.S.C. § 1702
Title 2, The Congress
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110