The NMBL’s library and information services provide research support for the marine life and environmental sciences. The library collection is one of the world’s largest of its kind, maintaining an up-to-date selection of books and journals as well as holding historical literature such as old books, expedition reports, conference proceedings and the personal libraries of past MBA researchers, including E. T. Browne, Ray E. Lankester, Marie V. Lebour and J. Z. Young. The library also holds long runs of periodicals, including grey literature, from all over the world. The author catalogue (card and online) facilitates retrieval of marine scientific information that is not otherwise readily available.

As well as being committed to providing high-quality professional information services to support its users, the NMBL is invested in knowledge exchange activities. In particular, it has been the UK focal point for the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Information System (ASFIS) since 1974, contributing to its principal information product, the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) bibliographic database.

Together, the NMBL’s collections and information services help support, develop and maintain the study of marine and environmental sciences in Britain and beyond. For further examples of the NMBL’s resources, please visit the NMBL’s website which provides useful ways of engaging with the collections and 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).