Virtual Library - About the
Library
Introduction
The MPA Virtual Library is a searchable database covering electronic,
print, and Internet resources, including publications (print and
online), websites, and multimedia resources. The resources cover
the United States and territories as well as other countries around
the world.
The library is a collaborative project of the NOAA Central Library
and the NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center. The library
offers the public and other stakeholders wide access to information
on the science, policy, and management of marine protected areas.
Terminology
In collecting resources for the MPA Library, the term “marine
protected areas” is used very broadly to include areas such
as marine reserves, no-take zones, marine parks, marine sanctuaries,
national parks with marine components, national beaches and seashores,
sensitive sea areas, ecological reserves, etc. In short, any area
of the marine environment that has been afforded some sort of
protection by regulation or legislation may be considered a marine
protected area.
Technical Aspects
The citations for each resource in the MPA Library are first entered
into a Procite database. The Procite database is subsequently
exported to MS SQL / ASP.Net, which enables web searching of the
database.
The MPA Library is accessible by a browsing theme bins function
as well as a search function.
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Keywords List
The MPA Library provides users with a Keywords
List to simplify searching. The Keywords List is comprised
of Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) terms, Aquatic Science
and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) terms from the ASFA thesaurus,
and uncontrolled keywords assigned by authors or the editors of
the library. Choosing to search the database with terms from the
Keywords List increases both precision of searching for the user,
but also guarantees the user will always retrieve at least one
relevant item from a search.
Copyright
Many of the records in the MPA Library provide links to online
publications and websites. Be aware that copyright protection
may apply to many of these resources. When you follow a link to
another site, you are subject to the copyright and use policies
of the site. Click here
for more copyright information.
Digitizing Journal Articles
Publishers have given the MPA Library permission to digitize about
80 science journal articles. When a link is provided to these
articles, a notice as to copyright permission given is prominently
displayed.
Collections in the MPA Library
The MPA Library is organized into four collections: Bibliography (Publications); Conferences and Workshops; Institutions and Organizations; and Web Sites.
Go to the Helpful
Resources section of the mpa.gov web site for links to MPA
websites, institutions and organizations, and conferences and
workshops.
For More Information
For more information, view the MPA
Virtual Library fact sheet, or contact mpalibrary@noaa.gov
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