Archive · 1 Jan 2026
NASA's Largest Library to Close Permanently
NASA's biggest library at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland is closing forever on January 2, 2024.
This library has been around since 1959 and has helped with important space missions like the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes.
The closure is part of a plan to shut down many buildings and labs at the center by 2026.
Some books will be stored, but many will be thrown away.
Senator Chris Van Hollen is worried about this and will keep speaking up against it.
After the closure, people can still get help through digital services or by borrowing books from other federal libraries.
The center is named after a famous rocket scientist, Robert H. Goddard.
NASA's largest library at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will permanently close on January 2, 2024.
The closure is part of the Trump administration's reorganization plan to shut down 13 buildings and over 100 science and engineering laboratories by March 2026.
The library, which has supported major missions like the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes, contains 100,000 volumes.
Some materials will be stored in a government warehouse, while the rest will be discarded.
Senator Chris Van Hollen has expressed concern over the closure and will continue to push back against actions impacting Goddard's mission.
- Who
- NASA, specifically the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
- What
- Closure of NASA's largest library, which has been a central research hub since 1959
- When
- The library will close on January 2, 2024, with other buildings and laboratories to close by March 2026
- Where
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Why
- Part of the Donald Trump administration's reorganization drive to shut down 13 buildings and over 100 science and engineering laboratories on the 1,270-acre campus
- Library Location
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- Library Size
- 100,000 volumes
- Closure Date
- January 2, 2024
- Campus Buildings to Close
- 13 buildings and over 100 science and engineering laboratories by March 2026
- Other NASA Libraries Closed
- Seven since 2022, with three more in 2025
- Alternative Services
- Digital 'Ask a Librarian' service and inter-library loan service
- Center Establishment
- 1959 as NASA's first space flight complex
- Center Namesake
- American rocketry pioneer Robert H. Goddard