History and Collections

The original library collection was formed from the Discovery Library, housed in Queen Anne's Gate, the Admiralty, London, where it supported the members of the Discovery Committee between 1925 and 1945. The collection is rich in special collection items including expedition reports and books dating from the 1770s, archives of the Discovery Committee and the Discovery ships, including over 2,500 images of the expeditions between 1925–1940. The collection moved and formed the basis of the Library at the National Institute of Oceanography in Wormley, Surrey after the Second World War.

The National Oceanographic Library was given its title in the 1980s in recognition of its importance as a significant collection of marine resources in the UK. Its value as a national library continued to be maintained and the management structure was put in place working within the University Library when it transferred to the Southampton Oceanography Centre in 1995. As part of the establishment of the Library in the new location, the collection expanded to include not only marine science with collections from the Department of Oceanography but also marine geophysics resources from the Physics Department and geology resources from the Geology Department.

The collection, which is comprehensive from the mid-19th century, includes books, reports, loose papers, expedition reports, journals, conference proceedings, maps, atlases and charts covering the subject areas of oceanography, deep-sea research and earth sciences including geology and geophysics.

The National Oceanographic Library includes resources on estuarine, coastal and shelf sea circulation, wind wave dynamics, sediment transport processes, global sea level science, geodetic oceanography, marine technology and operational oceanography.

To check the collections at the National Oceanographic Library, please use Library Search.

The National Oceanographic Library holds a unique collection within its archives and special collections.

Our physical collection includes scientific data, photographs, monographs, slides, videos and other media from the following sources:

• NOL Digital Archive
• NOL Archive Collection
• NOL Collection 1 (A) DI & Mostly NIO Late 1930s, 1940–1960
• NOL Collection 1 (B) Discovery Reports & FIDS
• NOL Collection 1 (C) Discovery Investigations 1930s & NIO 1949–1960
• NOL Collection 1 (D) Mostly 1950s (Discovery Investigation mostly NIO)-krill-Antarctic biology-non NIO Expeditions-DII & Wm Scoresby 1950s
• NOL Collection 2 Discovery Investigations Committee Files & Reports
• NOL Collection 3 DII. Discovery 1963- Papers, Building & Correspondence, Cruises, Captains Reports, Crew lists 1963
• NOL Collection 4 Log Books, Scientific Reports, Miscellaneous Reports Discovery II, Scoresby
• National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)
• Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (IOS)
• Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (Deacon Laboratory) (IOSDL)
• Southampton Oceanography Centre (SOC) (Listing in progress)
• National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS)
• Challenger Society for Marine Science Archives
• GEBCO (General Bathymetric Charts of the Oceans) Archives 1966–2004
• Records of the Office of Director NIO, IOS, IOSDL, SOC, NOCS
• Office of Director Charnock Papers
• Office of Director Deacon Papers
• Office of Director Deacon Supplement
• Office of Director Laughton Papers
• Office of Director Roe Papers
• Office of Director Shepherd Papers
• Office of Director Summerhayes papers
• Reimer Simonsen: Catalogue of Scientific Library on Diatoms
• WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment) Project Office Archives
• Expedition reports and monographs
• GLORIA (Geological Long Range Inclined ASDIC) Project
• UK Daily Weather Summaries
• MAST Marine Science and Technology Programmes (European Union Projects)
• Instrumentation and Technology Development Projects
• MIAS (Marine Information and Advisory Service)
• Dr John Swallow Collection
• Swallow cruise data boxes
• Swallow bequest listing
• Index to Swallow notebooks
• Honor Frost Archive
• Individual Collections
• Dr David Edgar Cartwright Collection
• Allan Crawford Collection
• James Crease Collection
• Professor Michael Fasham Collection
• Dr Nic Flemming Collection
• James Bisdee Malcolm Green Collection
• Catherine M.C. Haines Collection
• Dr Thomas John Hart Collection
• Professor Peter Herring Collection
• Commander A.L. Lawford, RN (retd.) Collection
• Douglas Lewis Collection
• Dr Neil McLeod Collection
• A.I. (Tony) Rees Collection
• Lewis Fry Richardson Collection
• Dr Ian West Collection

Data collections include:

• SBWR (Ship Borne Wave Recorder)
• Wave Data Report – IOSDL measurements over a period of a year or more at locations in the UK and adjacent waters

We also have an internal database; please contact the Library for materials not located on the list above.

You are welcome to come and use material from the archives and special collections. You will need to make an appointment to visit the library and request material in advance. Access to the Archive is not permitted and material will be brought to you in the main library. The archive opening hours are Monday to Friday, 09:30 - 16:30.

We are happy to help with any enquiries relating to our collections. Please email us, providing as much information about your enquiry as possible - the more we know, the easier it is for us to help.

Archive Reproduction

Archive material cannot be photocopied but you can request scanned copies, subject to the age and condition of the item. See Reprographic Services for a list of the types of copy available and charges.

Regulations for the use of the archives and special collections

For curatorial reasons, the following specific library regulations apply to the use of these collections:

• All visits are by prior appointment with the Library, and adequate warning must be given.
• All readers must sign in at the NOCS reception desk and wear their visitor badge at all times.
• Library visiting hours are from 09:30 to 16:30. The collections are made available by appointment only. No new material is produced for readers between 12:00-14:00 each day.
• All readers are required to complete a formal declaration that they will abide by these regulations and all other regulations for the use of and reproduction of materials held within the Archives and Special Collections. Infringement will render a reader liable to exclusion and could result in contractual liabilities.
• Readers' items are left in the Library at the risk of the owner.
• Normally access to the Archive is not permitted. Material will be accessed by library staff for use by readers (signed out and back in the Archive by library staff). Readers in special circumstances may have accompanied Archive access for a limited period only.
• Readers should use the reserved desks.
• All work must be done in pencil.
• Researchers must do nothing to damage any document, book or object. Any damage or accident must be reported at once to the Librarian or member of staff in charge.
• Documents, books and objects may not be removed from the Library.
• No eating, drinking or smoking is permitted.
• The number of documents, books or objects issued at any one time to a reader may be limited. Where a reader is allowed a number of items, they must ensure that they are kept in their proper order. Readers are required to follow directions given by Library staff for handling items. Fragile material may be withheld.
• Readers are required to follow the directions of Library staff for the evacuation of the Library in the event of fire or other emergency.
• No publication right is vested in any reader through the issue of a document, book or object. All publication right is reserved.
• Separate regulations apply for photocopying, photography, quotation from and publication of material in the collections.
• Researchers are required to supply the Library with a copy of any publication resulting from work on the collections.
• The Librarian may exclude or cause to be removed any person who contravenes these regulations or whose exclusion from the library is, in their opinion, necessary for its proper use and regulation.

Regulations for photocopying, photography, quotation and publication from the collections

• Photocopies and photographs of many items in the collections can be supplied. For curatorial reasons, all copying and photography is done by members of staff unless permission to do so is given.
• Copies and photographs are supplied only for private research and study. They are not supplied for publication or for the purposes of commercial research unless the prior written agreement of the National Oceanographic Library has been obtained and no infraction of copyright will result. No more than one copy of each item will be supplied, provided no copy has previously been obtained from another institution.
• No publication right is vested in any researcher through the supply of a copy of a document in any medium. All publication right is reserved.
• Documents and books will be copied and objects photographed only if no damage to the original will result.
• Photocopying is not normally undertaken on the same day: an estimate will be supplied and on payment the work will be carried out in strict order. For curatorial reasons, no more than 50 photocopies per annum will be supplied to each reader: requests in excess of this amount will be agreed on an individual basis. The estimate will be forwarded to the reader who must return this with the signed copyright declaration. (A return of a signed copyright declaration is acceptable by post or email. Completion time for photocopying is subject to staff available.
• Private photography of documents and books is permitted; the use of flash is not. Where there has been prior application and agreement, working photographs of objects may be made: curatorial staff are required to supervise the process.
• Commercial tariffs for filming are available on application.
• Some sections of the collections, including recent private correspondence, may not be copied at all. Library staff will advise you.
• The prior written approval of the Librarian is required for all publications quoting from or reproducing material in the Archives and Special Collections. Whilst as liberal an approach as possible is adopted, some of the collections remain private property and the permission of the owners for publication must be sought through the Librarian. Copyright clearance is also required in many instances.
• Where publication is concerned, the Library may charge a reproduction fee in addition to the costs of supplying copies.
• Readers should note that owners of items in the collections and/or copyright owners may also require payment for licences for reproduction. Library staff will advise you.