The National Marine Biological Library (NMBL) is responsible for supporting scientific work for MBA, SAHFOS and PML researchers, and MBA members. As well as being the custodians for the library collections (including the archives), library staff are able to provide a range of professional information services with an emphasis on knowledge exchange and information management. These resources provide essential support to the MBA’s education and communication strategies as well as the core research activities. Among other international positions, the NMBL is currently the UK partner for the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Information System (ASFIS) whose principal output is the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) bibliographic database which is an essential reference in the field of aquatic science globally. The NMBL has also constructed and maintains a bibliographic database for the South West Marine Science Forum which remains a focal point for research about the marine environment in the British South West. Finally, the NMBL’s website is itself a useful resource to explore the facility’s collections and services. It includes information on research outputs (though the Research Repository), more than 20 MBA occasional publications (see here) and full texts of relevant books and early issues of the Journal of the Marine Biological Association (here).

Through these knowledge exchange activities, the NMBL aims to maintain and develop its position as a key resource for the study of the marine sciences, both locally and beyond.