I visited the special library at NASA Langley Research Center; the Floyd L. Thompson Technical Library. The library goes into the need of the people it serves and this is a joke. I hope that  it works. Just kidding, no redactions needed on this visit. Although, the ever present security measures on base made this an interesting and inconvenient place to visit. I initially wasn’t even sure it would be an option to come here. Luckily my husband works at NASA.  

SPACE

The original building that houses the technical library was built in 1942 but demolished in 2021 and the library was moved to another building in 2019 (Bradshaw, 2022). I was unable to find information about when the current building was built but it must be around the same time, 1940s. Most of the buildings on the base were built in the 40s or 50s. It is a very old building and felt like stepping back in time when entering. The library is on the second floor in a renovated area specifically made to house the library. Although the structure of the room is still from the 1940s/1950s the room itself is updated and does not have the same feeling as the rest of the building. The entrance to the library requires you to be buzzed into the space by an employee. There are three offices for the librarian and staff across from the entrance. Inside as you enter you are greeted with the information desk and a catalog computer for searching the collection. There is a seating area past the desk and to the right and left of that area is the general collections. There’s even a reading nook tucked back into the corner by microfilm. It has a comfy looking bean bag type chair. I got a chuckle imagining a NASA engineer cuddling up to a book about thermal dynamics on that beanbag.  There is a larger conference table as you go back into the main space. Off the main space is two rooms. One is a small reference room with two study desks. The second room is a document room. I did not have access to that room. You need certain security clearance and a librarian to let you into that room. The entire area is only one large room and the two rooms off the main room. Even though it is small, there are many windows lining the back and it feels open and bright. The shelving is new and movable with hand cranks. This makes for more room in the area.  There is no public wifi on base, unless an employee sponsors you to have wifi access and you go through their system of approval. There is no outdoor space associated with the library. With the building being so old, there is limited accessibility for patrons with mobility needs. They have done all the required things to the building such as ramps and an elevator but it would still be a challenge.   

DIGITAL ACCESS AND SERVICES

The website listed on the brochure that was provided upon entering the library does not work for anyone who does not work at Langley and can get behind their firewall. I searched the NASA website, the Langley NASA website and google for another way into the library website with no luck. Per the Technical Library welcome guide, the library provides an online library catalog, again I am unable to access, with a catalog of its physical and online holdings. The brochure indicates there are 210,563 electronic holdings from this library. There is also a NASA library request service for Interlibrary loans. The brochure also advertises research consultation with a librarian. The brochure emphasizes its large collection of historical documents. They indicate the documents are from multiple foreign and domestic sources.

COLLECTIONS

The Floyd L. Thompson Technical Library uses the Library of Congress organizational system. They have general collections that focus on mathematics, engineering and science, specifically aeronautics. They house a collection of historical documents about the Langley Research facility. There is a small section of microfilm and a reader. There is also a section of journals and a reference room. The collection houses documents that are accessible to only certain employees with assistance from a librarian. There was a 4 books display of a few mainstream nonfiction books all centered around the Langley base and NASA. 

PEOPLE

The Floyd L. Thompson Technical Library is open to employees of NASA Langley and vetted visitors. You do need a visitor badge from the NASA badge and pass office. This badge can’t be requested by the person wanting to visit, it must be submitted and sponsored by an employee at the base. Then once you get a badge, you are not technically needing to be escorted by a base employee but you can not enter any building without an employee badge. You would need an escort to access the library building. They do have occasional days for the public. Usually on public days there are only specific buildings that are open that day. There is a rotation of buildings that are open each public day. I am not sure if the library is part of this rotation. Visitors can not check out books from the library. 

The library caters to researchers and engineers working at NASA or interning on base. It appears there are five staff members for this library. Four librarians and one library technician. Three are women and two men. I could not verify the staff as I don’t have access online so this is based on the offices around the library and the name plates outside the offices. I did meet the library technician. She let me into the library. She did not go into the library with me and when I told her about my assignment she did not offer to answer any questions. I did ask her if she was a librarian and she told me her title and pointed to an office and told me a librarian was in there. The door to the office was open when we got there but when leaving the library the office door was closed. It felt very much that they were not interested in fielding any of my questions or assisting me in any way. Upon my initial email request to come to the library I was in contact with the lead librarian and he indicated I could come any time during open hours and would be assisted as needed by anyone in the offices. I told him when I was coming but when I went the library was temporarily closed. It was posted that the library was closed Wednesday to Friday of that week despite me telling him the date I was coming. A heads up that my picked date was not a good one would have been appreciated. I had to return the following week to do my visit when the library was open.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was a rewarding visit for me. Speciality libraries have become of greater interest to me as this semester has progressed. I enjoy the idea of having a narrow focus and speciality in a specific field. Even though the library is open to visitors, there are so many barriers to accessing the base and the library someone outside the organization would have to be highly motivated to make a visit here work. 

Rubin and Rubin (2020) discuss the need for special libraries to prove their worth to maintain funding (p.200). The Floyd L. Thompson Technical Library appears to be a well supported and thriving library. The recent upgrades to the library and abundance of staff for such a small collection indicate that it is a valued resource for NASA. 

---

REFERENCES

Bradshaw, J. (2022, April 5). Floyd L. Thompson technical library (building 1194). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/floyd-l-thompson-technical-library-building-1194/ 

NASA. (n.d). Technical library welcome guide [Brochure]. 

Rubin, R. E., & Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.