About the Library

For over 120 years, the MBLWHOI Library has been the intellectual heart of the Woods Hole scientific community. Today the Library is internationally recognized as defining current trends and practices in marine information sciences and informatics.

 

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) maintain a vital partnership in the day-to-day operation of the MBLWHOI Library. Within the MBL, the Library is part of the Center for Library and Informatics (CLI), created in November 2010 by bringing together several groups within the MBL that are taking innovative approaches in addressing emerging challenges in scientific data management, visualization, and analysis and joining them with the Library and its group of informatics specialists.  The CLI is committed to providing sustainable, flexible, innovative research and services based on collections of scientific information.

 

The Library continues to build one of the most unique print and electronic literature collections in the biological, biomedical, ecological, and oceanographic sciences. The Library has broken the physical barriers of the charming village and surrounding waters of Woods Hole, to serve the cutting edge information needs of affiliated researchers worldwide, often no more than a single email message away.

 

In addition to serving MBL and WHOI scientists daily, the staff and resources of the MBLWHOI Library are utilized year round by the distinguished resident research and education programs of the Brown University Marine Program, the MIT/WHOI Joint Program, the Sea Education Association, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, and the United States Geological Survey. The Library also supports a unique summer population of visiting researchers and students from more than 200 institutions worldwide.