Our Mission

The mission of the NOAA Central Library is to support and further NOAA’s mission of promoting global environmental stewardship in order to conserve and wisely manage the Nation’s marine and coastal resources; and describing, monitoring, and predicting changes in the Earth’s environment in order to ensure and enhance sustainable economic opportunities.  The NCRL provides scientific, technical and legislative information covering global climate change, aquaculture, coastal zone management, fisheries, meteorology, ocean/atmospheric interactions, remote sensing, cartography, geophysics, photogrammetry, GIS, and water resources to NOAA scientists, administrators, and others working in related disciplines in support of NOAA’s programs. 

The NCRL primarily serves the NOAA research community of federal and contract employees within the Department of Commerce as well as other government agencies.  In addition, we provide services and assistance to others within the scientific community and general public.  The NOAA Central Library is networked with the NOAA Library and Information Network which consists of 18 other NOAA libraries located throughout the United States each with its own uniquely-focused collection.  The NOAA Central Library can access the resources of these specialized libraries and broaden the services offered to its clients.  Please see the NOAA Network Libraries page for more information on the libraries included.