NASA's Largest Library To Permanently Close On Jan 2, Books Will Be 'Tossed Away'

NASA's largest library at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, which has been a central research hub for the global space agency since 1959, will be permanently closing on Friday (Jan 2). The closure of the 100,000-volume library is part of the Donald Trump administration's reorganisation drive, under which 13 buildings and over 100 science and engineering laboratories will be shut down on the 1.270-acre campus by March 2026

The NASA Goddard Information and Collaboration Center supported the development of major missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. Jacob Richmond, a NASA spokesman, informed that the agency will review the library holdings over the next two months, and some of the material will be stored in a government warehouse, while the remaining items will be 'tossed away', according to a report in the New York Times.

According to a statement posted on the website of the Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association, specialised equipment and electronics designed to test spacecraft have already been removed and thrown out.

“This process is an established method that is used by federal agencies to properly dispose of federally owned property,” said Richmond.

The closure of the library follows the shutdown of seven other NASA libraries in the US since 2022, with three of them shutting down in 2025.

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'Deeply Concerning'

Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, said he will continue to raise his voice against the Trump administration's haphazard closure of the library.

“The Trump Administration has spent the last year attacking NASA Goddard and its work force and threatening our efforts to explore space, deepen our understanding of Earth, and spur technological advancements that make our economy stronger and nation safer,” said Van Hollen.

“These reports of closures at Goddard are deeply concerning. I will continue to push back on any actions that impact Goddard's critical mission," he added.

After the library is closed on Friday, those needing research help can use the digital "Ask a Librarian" service or use the inter-library loan service to check out books from the federal-agency libraries.

Named after American rocketry pioneer Robert H. Goddard, the center was established in 1959 as NASA's first space flight complex.