Knowledge management at the National Oceanography Centre: perspectives from an information specialist

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The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is a newly established, national research organization, delivering world-class integrated marine science and technology from the coast to the deep ocean. Working in partnership with the UK marine research community, the NOC addresses key science challenges, including sea level change, the oceans’ role in climate change, predicting and simulating the behaviour of the oceans through computer modelling, development, the future of the Arctic Ocean, and long-term monitoring technologies. It is the UK’s leading institution for sea-level science, coastal and deep ocean research, and technology development. Its vision is to place UK marine science in a wider Earth system and socio-economic context, providing scientific knowledge that underpins policy development and wealth generation, and will aim to influence the European and global strategic research agenda. In this context, the National Oceanographic Library supports the mission of the organization and has developed and is developing strategies and processes to manage its knowledge and the knowledge needed to support the science. This includes managing research outputs, archives management, open access publishing, and knowledge transfer, desk-side training, bibliometrics, web delivery, collaborative work with data management, and access to published external information. This paper will present examples of these knowledge management strategies and processes, identifying strengths and challenges, as experienced within the National Oceanographic Centre.