About NWD Libraries
The Northwestern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates District libraries in Kansas City, Omaha, Portland, Seattle, and Walla Walla. Some of the libraries are open to the public. Please contact the library in your area to find out what access you might have to the collection.
Each library contains a specialized, technical collection of print and electronic resources representing the Corps' past and current civil engineering projects. Areas of emphasis include scientific and engineering publications, reports of research facilities, environmental studies, documents relating to District projects, District and Division reports, regional history, and Corps of Engineers history. The combined collection also includes a number of subjects including law, business management, history, professional development, fisheries, and more.
The Libraries provide assistance in accessing, purchasing, and indexing books, journals, technical reports, and other media for district offices. Our mission is to retrieve and disseminate information as well as to provide access to information resources and services with a firm commitment to delivering the right information at the right price in the right format to the right people at the right time.
Services for Corps Personnel
NWD libraries provide services to Corps personnel. These may include extensive research, fact checking, current awareness services, interlibrary loan and document delivery, instruction and training, citation verification for publications, journal routing, and more. Please contact your District Library to find out what services are available to you.
Policies and Procedures
Operational Policies:
Operational policies are established by each library in accordance with the procedures in place at each USACE facility. If you are interested in visiting a USACE library, call ahead to inquire about the policies specific to that facility.
Access: Electronic access to information about the library collections is available through the CELIO, the Library Program's combined catalog. Information about access to specific libraries is available through links located within this homepage. Some of the USACE libraries are open to the public, most during regular business hours, although specific hours of operation vary from one library to another. If you are interested in visiting a specific library, check with that library to confirm its hours of access.
Catalog: CELIO is the library catalog of the USACE libraries. It is a user-friendly system that is available via the World Wide Web.
Interlibrary Loan: Most of the USACE libraries participate in lending and borrowing activities on a library to library basis, via the telephone, electronic mail, facsimile messages, and mail. They also participate in reciprocal activities through regional networks and OCLC.
Photocopying: Most of the USACE libraries provide access to a photocopier. The libraries may or may not allow a limited amount of free copying.
Reference Service: Most of the USACE libraries provide limited reference assistance through a variety of mechanisms including e-mail, online forms, telephone, fax and mail messages, and face-to-face interaction.
Services for the Public
Some of the NWD Technical Libraries are open to the public, although hours and services provided vary from library to library. In some cases, making an appointment may be required. Contact the library before your visit.
In most cases, members of the public and staff from other government agencies are free to use the collections of NWD libraries during their visit. Some USACE materials are considered sensitive and access to them may require a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request or legal approval through the USACE Office of Counsel.
Some items may be available to check out via Interlibrary Loan by working with a requesting library. Some limited reference assistance is provided at most NWD libraries.