Check the book's library catalog records

Search the Library of Congress catalog

After the book has been cataloged, search the Library of Congress online catalog to see whether it holds a record for your book and whether the details match.

OptionalOwner: AuthorYou: Do itFreeAll publishing paths

Authors often hire help with this: library or cataloging.

Why it matters

An LC record with correct subject headings and a correct author form is copied by libraries across the country, so a good one helps every later catalog and a wrong one spreads. It is also the record most likely to carry the authorized form of your name, which matters for the authority items that follow.

Your part

What you do: Do it. You normally do this yourself.
Who normally owns it: Author. Author searches; the Library of Congress and the publisher's CIP contact control the record
When: After cataloging, typically a few months after publication (Check the book's library catalog records: after publication, then whenever a new format appears)Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Your part changes with your publishing route.

How to do it

The full walkthrough

The Library of Congress (LC) maintains its own online catalog of the books it holds and has cataloged. Books reach it through the Cataloging in Publication (CIP) program, through copyright deposit, through purchase, and through gifts, and not every published book ends up there. When a record exists, it is one of the most authoritative descriptions of the book, and it is widely copied by other libraries.

The search is by title, author, ISBN, and, if you have one, the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN). Check that the record's title, author form, publisher, date, and subject headings match the book. Note the LCCN and the call number. If your book had CIP data, the record will have existed before publication and may have been updated after the deposit copy arrived; if it did not, a record may appear months later or not at all.

Authors do not add or edit LC records. Publishers participating in the CIP program submit the prepublication data; the deposit copy completes it. If the record is wrong, the publisher's CIP contact is usually the route, and LC provides its own guidance for corrections. For a self-published author, whether a record exists depends on whether the book was eligible for the Preassigned Control Number (PCN) program and whether a copy was deposited; search, and if there is nothing, that is information rather than a problem to solve.

This is worth doing once cataloging has had time to happen, typically a few months after publication.

Common mistakes

Searching the week of publication and concluding the book was not cataloged.
Confusing the LC catalog with WorldCat, which aggregates many libraries.
Trying to edit or submit a record as an author.
Not recording the LCCN, which award forms and library forms sometimes ask for.

Identifiers for Search the Library of Congress catalog

Set a status on any record and it joins this step. All book identifiers.

Book and author identifiers
My status	Identifier	Why this matters	Cost	Yours
Not reviewed Learn more	Cataloging in Publication (CIP) A full Library of Congress catalog record prepared before printing and set on the copyright page, open only to publishers the Library admits.	The record is distributed to libraries before your book exists, so it shapes how the book is described in catalogs around the country, and a misspelled name or title in it is much harder to fix once the book is printed. Traditionally published authors normally read the data block when it arrives, check the spelling of their name and title, and confirm the printed copyright page matches it; a hybrid author normally has to ask first, because some hybrid publishers take part and some don't. If you publish the book yourself, this is not available to you under the program's current rules, and the Preassigned Control Number route is where to look instead. Review the data block early enough to raise a correction before the copyright page is final.	No charge. Participating publishers must send a complimentary copy of each book immediately on publication.	Nothing to record
Not reviewed Learn more	LCCN and the PCN program A free Library of Congress catalog number you can print on the copyright page, if you request it before the book is published.	A number printed in the book makes it easier for a library cataloger to match your book to a catalog record, and that is the whole benefit. It is worth being clear about what it isn't: having one doesn't mean the Library of Congress holds your book, it doesn't oblige any library to buy or catalog it, and it isn't copyright registration. Traditionally and hybrid published authors normally ask whether a number was requested, often as part of the publisher's Cataloging in Publication request, and record it when it arrives; a United States self-publisher who meets the program's rules normally applies through the Author Portal before the book is printed. Record the number, print it in the form the Library specifies, and send the required finished copy after publication.	No fee. Participants must send a copy of the published book to the Library of Congress.	Add your LCCN
Not reviewed Learn more	PrePub Book Link The Library of Congress website where prepublication catalog numbers and catalog records are requested.	This is the form, not the program, so it matters only once you have decided you need a Library of Congress Control Number. If your book has a publisher you will not use it; normally you ask which program they submitted your title through and what number or data came back. If you publish the book yourself in the United States and meet the program's rules, the Author Portal is your entrance, the Publisher Portal is not, and the request has to go in before the book is published. Keep access to the right portal and record the number issued for the book.	Free. Participants must send a copy of the published book to the Library of Congress.	Nothing to record

What done looks like

The LC catalog searched by title, author, ISBN, and LCCN a few months after publication.
Any record checked against the Book Identity Sheet, with LCCN and call number recorded.
Subject headings noted for use in library pitches.
Errors reported through the publisher's CIP contact or LC's stated route.
No expectation of a record for a book that was not eligible for CIP or PCN.

Evidence. Done means someone says the work happened. Verified means you checked the confirmation, link, or public record yourself.

Ask your publisher

Copy this into an email. Replace the bracketed parts with your details.

Hi [Name], I searched the Library of Congress catalog for [Book Title] and either could not find a record or found details that differ from the book (noted below). Could you tell me whether the title went through CIP and who the contact is for corrections? Thank you.

Sources and last checked

Official source: Official source (opens in a new tab)
Other sources: Library of Congress: Cataloging in Publication (opens in a new tab)
Last checked: September 13, 2026
How confident we are: Partially verified

Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.