2. Multidisciplinary Nature. The NOAA Central Library's collection is multidisciplinary to serve the needs of NOAA, a multidisciplinary agency. The disciplines include oceanography, ocean engineering, marine resources, ecosystems, coastal studies, atmospheric sciences (climatology and meteorology), geodesy, geophysics, cartography, mathematics, and statistics. This library's mission is therefore different from that of other libraries, which tend to collect in only a single, or limited number of disciplines. The collection enables "one-stop" reference service for ecosystems studies and other interdependent, multidisciplinary studies.
3. Content of Collection. As evidenced by a search of international catalogs, 35-50% of the Library's collection is unique. Historically, 40% of the items catalogued are not found anywhere else. Many older books cannot be replaced. They are very valuable, but a specific monetary value has not been placed on them. The works include 17th century works of Francis Bacon and Robert Boyle; 18th century works of Daniel Bernouilli, Daniel Defoe, and Pierre Bougher; and 19th and 20th century works of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington Carver.
4. Historical Local Climate Data. The NOAA Central Library has a collection of Local Climate Data from all states, in many instances from prior to the turn of the century. In most libraries, these data are available only for the last five years.
5. NOAA Central Library and Information Network. The Central Library is networked to the NOAA regional and field libraries and has access to their specialized collections. This is particularly important because many items in those collections are not catalogued and therefore not available except through the personal knowledge of the librarian at the site. The depth afforded by these joint collections gives the library a status that few other libraries enjoy. This network allows us to interact with other major information sources, such as the Chinese Government and the Aquatic Science and Fisheries Information Service (ASFIS). The Library has had recent interactions with the Chinese Fisheries and Aquaculture Institutes. ASFIS produces the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA). The Library, as the official United States representative to ASFIS, is responsible for including publication from the entire United States into the ASFA database.
6. Gray Literature Collection. The NOAA Central Library has the most extensive collection of the agency's gray literature publications. These publications include technical memoranda, reports, circulars, and in-house publications.
7. Community Outreach. Professors of atmospheric sciences from the University of Maryland include, in their course outlines, reference and research materials available only at the NOAA Central Library. Although much of the collection is above the high school level, the library has been and continues to interact with high-school teachers and exceptional students to give them unprecedented access to a major library.
1. NCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research
2. Goddard Space Flight Center
3. U. S. Air Force, Air Weather Service Technical Library, Scott Air Force Base
4. U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
5. University of Arizona
6. Colorado State University
7. U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Other Libraries Noted for Oceanography:
1. University of Washington
2. Scripps Institution of Oceanography
3. University of Rhode Island
4. U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
5. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
6. University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
7. Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, Gloucester Point, VA
8. U.N. Naval Oceanographic Office, Stennis Space Center, MS
Other Libraries Noted for Fisheries Biology:
1. University of Washington
2. Oregon State University
3. University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
4. University of Illinois
5. Texas A&M University
6. U.S. National Agriculture Library, Beltsville, MD
7. U.S. Army Engineering Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS
Other Libraries Noted for Coastal Systems:
1. Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, Gloucester Point, VA
2. University of Delaware, Lewes, DE
3. Smithsonian Institution Center Library in Panama