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Collection Branch

Consists of three program areas–Development, Management, and Access–whose interdisciplinary teams work together to build, steward, and make available a collection of biomedical information that is credible, equitable, diverse across content, time and format, and available to current and future generations.

Collection Development Program

Identifies, selects, and acquires biomedical information for the collection.

NLM staff use the Collection Development Guidelines of the National Library of Medicine to build the collection in accordance with the library's Congressional mandate. Staff review and update these guidelines periodically to reflect the evolution of health care and advances in biomedical research. Staff also coordinate their collection development practices with counterparts at the Library of Congress and the National Agricultural Library.

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Collection Management Program

Safeguards the NLM collection through conservation, environmental monitoring, and multi-formatted mass digitization initiatives, to ensure its long-term accessibility for current and future generations. Staff care for more than three million items in a wide range of formats, housed onsite in approximately 67 miles of collection stacks across three floors and at an offsite storage facility. Conservators repair damaged materials. Preservation specialists monitor environmental conditions in collection spaces and respond promptly to potential threats, including leaks, pests, and other hazards that could compromise the collection.

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Access Program

Facilitates access to the NLM collection and related products and resources.

Reading Room

Open to all by appointment Monday to Thursday 8:30am-5:00pm ET. In the reading room, visitors may access hundreds of databases, full text resources, and request NLM collection materials for study.

Customer Service

Meets the biomedical information needs of researchers, health professionals, scientists, health sciences librarians, and the public. For assistance with any of the resources, services, and programs of the Library, reach NLM customer service by email (nlm-support@nlm.nih.gov), telephone (1-888-FIND-NLM), or by writing to the NLM Support Center (https://support.nlm.nih.gov/support/create-case/).

Interlibrary Loan

Provides access to the NLM collection via DOCLINE®, NLM's automated interlibrary loan request, routing, and referral system.

Last Reviewed: May 6, 2026