Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.[1]
The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the United States government, the District of Columbia, and authorized federal contractors.[1] As expert users of the vast English and foreign-language collections of the Library of Congress, the Division's area and subject specialists employ the resources of the world's largest library and other information sources worldwide to produce impartial and comprehensive studies on a cost-recovery basis.
The Federal Research Program is run by the Federal Research Division (FRD), the fee-for-service research and analysis unit within the Library of Congress. The Federal Research Program of the Library of Congress was authorized by the United States Congress in accordance with the Library of Congress Fiscal Operations Improvement Act of 2000 (2 U.S.C. 182c).[2] Since 1948, FRD has operated on a "cost-recovery" funding (revolving funds[3]), providing "high-quality" and custom products to the entities of the Federal government of the United States.[1] Through the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR 51.1) and a comprehensive services agreement with the U.S. National Technical Information Service External Link, the FRD provides services to authorized federal contractors, the private sector, state and local government, international organizations, and others.[3]
Mission
[edit]The Federal Research Division's (FRD) "mandate is to support federal missions with outstanding and unbiased research"[1] in direct support of its mission: "provides directed research, analysis, and translation services on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the U.S. government, the District of Columbia, and authorized federal contractors."[1]
History
[edit]| Year | Names and Locations |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Established as Air Research Unit in Annex (John Adams Building); renamed Air Research Division. |
| 1949 | Renamed Air Studies Division |
| 1963 | Renamed Defense Research Division |
| 1967 | Moved to 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE |
| 1970 | Renamed Federal Research Division |
| 1982 | Moved to Washington Navy Yard |
| 1994 | Moved to Buzzard Point Annex |
| 1996 | Returned to Adams Building |
| FRD Division Chiefs | Years Served |
|---|---|
| John F. Stearns | 1940s |
| William T. Walsh | 1951-71 |
| William R. Dodge | 1971-80 |
| Earl Rothermel | 1980-86 |
| Louis Mortimer | 1991-97 |
| Robert L. Worden | 1998-2007 |
| David Osborne | 2007-13 |
| Mukta Ohri | 2015-17 |
| Kristian Hassinger | 2017-21 |
| Anna K. Rorem | 2021-Present |
**Please refer to citation [4] for location of information**
Address
[edit]The Federal Research Division (FRD) is located on the fifth floor of the John Adams Building in Washington, D.C.; the physical address is 101 Independence Ave SE, John Adams Building, LA 5281, Washington, D.C. 20540-4840.[1]
Contact number: 202-707-3900[1]
Products
[edit]- Primary research material including document delivery
- Foreign-language abstracting and translation
- Annotated bibliographies
- Organizational and legislative histories
- Studies and reports
- Books, such as the Country Studies series
Services
[edit]- Research and analysis
- Writing and editing
- Publishing
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "About This Service". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- ^ Library of Congress Fiscal Operations Improvement Act of 2000, 2 U.S.C. § 182c (2000).[1]
- ^ a b Library of Congress. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions: How can a federal agency or other entity obtain FRD’s services? Federal Research Division.[2]
- ^ Updated History of Federal Research Division (PDF, 198 KB) https://www.loc.gov/services/federal-research-division/about-this-service/history/
External links
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