2026 National Book Festival Volunteer Application

Eligibility

All National Book Festival volunteers must be at least 16 years of age to participate. Please select the option that describes your age. 

* All 16 and 17 year old volunteers must have a parent or guardian sign their Volunteer Services Agreement. Check this box to confirm that your parent or guardian will be able to accompany you to t-shirt pick up to sign your Volunteer Services Agreement.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for the National Book Festival. However, based on your age, you are not currently eligible to volunteer. We hope to have you volunteer in the future!

Current Library of Congress Staff

Check here if you are currently employed by the Library of Congress. If you are not a current Library of Congress Employee, please skip to the next section.

Please note: Employees performing certain required Festival functions may be approved for compensatory time or overtime as per Sections 8 and 9 of the governing Library of Congress Directive (LCD).

Library of Congress Staff Only

All Library of Congress staff working under the supervision of the National Book Festival Volunteer Coordinator(s) at the National Book Festival must commit to:

A minimum of (1) 4.5 hour shift on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at the Washington Convention Center.
Completion of (1) required National Book Festival virtual training session (90 minutes) in advance of the Festival.
Pick-up of National Book Festival t-shirt in advance of the festival.

By checking this box, I agree to the conditions above as a requirement of my participation as a 2026 National Book Festival staff member.

National Book Festival Volunteer Commitment (Required For All Applicants)

Please read the below statements and check the box next to each statement to indicate you understand and agree with the volunteer requirements as written.

* I certify that I will be at least 16 years of age as of August 22, 2026;

* I commit to working at least one 4.5 hour shift.

* I will attend a mandatory 90-minute briefing session in advance of the Festival.

* I will pick-up my t-shirt at the Library of Congress in advance of the Festival. Please note: t-shirts cannot be mailed or distributed the day of the festival and must be picked up in advance. 

* I will sign the Library's required Voluntary Services Agreement (not applicable for LOC staff).

Contact Information

* Legal First Name

* Legal Last Name

Preferred First name

* Email Address

* Phone (Home)

* Zip/postal

General Information

Please check here if you are a former Library of Congress employee.

Please check here if you have volunteered at a National Book Festival previously.

If you have previously volunteered at the National Book Festival, please select which roles you have previously filled:

Accessibility Booth

Assistant Stage Captain

Book Festival Gift Support

Donor Support

Entrance Greeter

Floater

Hall Chaperone

Hall Manager

Information Booth

Information Table

Library of Congress Pavilion Support

Library of Congress Pavilion Timekeeper

Line Monitor (Author Stages)

Lost & Found

Lost Persons

Lunch Monitor

Media Support

People Counter (Author Stages)

People Counter (Expo Floor Programming)

Other

Photography Assistant

Program Distribution

Roadmap to Reading Support

Selfie Booth Assistant

Sponsor Assistant

Stage Captain

STEM District Support

STEM District Timekeeper

Story District Support

Story District Timekeeper

Stroller Monitor Assistant

Survey Distribution

Timekeeper (Author Stages)

Usher (Author Stages)

Video Support (Author Stages)

Volunteer Manager

Volunteer Sign-in Assistant and Lunch Monitor

Welcome Table

Who Knew? Trivia Support

Do you have a role preference for the 2026 National Book Festival?

Please select up to three roles you would be interested in filling at this year's Festival. Seated roles are marked with an asterisk. Please note: we cannot guarantee that all volunteers will be matched to their preferred roles. If you no longer see a role on the list, it is currently full. We appreciate your flexibility.

Entrance Greeter

Expo Floor Wayfinding Support

Floater

Hall Chaperone

Line Monitor (Author Stages)

Open to any role needed

People Counter (Author Stages)

People Counter (Expo Floor Programming)

When can you volunteer? Select the shift for which you would like to volunteer. Please note: you must be available for the duration of the shift you choose.

Please check this box if you are available and willing to arrive earlier than 7 a.m. on the day of the Festival for your shift.

Please select your preferred t-shirt size (unisex sizing):

Additional Information

How did you hear about volunteering at the Library of Congress?