Access both current and out-of-date telephone directories at the Library of Congress, which houses a comprehensive collection of white and yellow pages for public use. Pre-1976 telephone directories are predominantly paper copies as of 2015, whereas those from 1976 to 1995 are exclusively on microfilm. Paper versions of phone books from 1996 to the present are available in the library stacks and are deemed current.
Except for the telephone directories of the District of Columbia, Chicago, and fourteen states, which have been microfilmed, all pre-1976 telephone directories are only available in paper format, but the Library of Congress continues to microfilm all pre-1976 telephone directories. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, and California are among these 14 states, as are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, and Georgia, as well as Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
The telephone directory is requested by filling out a call slip in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room. Enter “Telephone Directory” as the call number, the city and state as the title, and the required volume number as the year. Visit the Reading Room at LJ 139B and access the self-service microfilm collection, which also contains microfilmed telephone books from 1976 to 1995, to view telephone directories on microfilm.
On Deck 46 of the Main Reading Room, alphabetically by state, are the most recent telephone directories, which include the years 1996 to the present. This location also has numerous current foreign telephone directories, which are alphabetically organised by country. The reading rooms for area studies also contain current foreign directories.
