A military library or base library, is a

special library A special library is a library that provides specialized information resources on a particular subject, serves a specialized and limited clientele, and delivers specialized services to that clientele. Special libraries include corporate librari ...

used by

military personnel Military personnel are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch (army, navy, marines, air force, space force, and coast guard), rank (officer, non-commissioned officer, or e ...

, their

dependents A dependant is a person who relies on another as a primary source of income. A common-law spouse who is financially supported by their partner may also be included in this definition. In some jurisdictions, supporting a dependant may enabl ...

, and civilian contractors located within or associated with a

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

or defense organization. The primary duty of many military libraries is to assist with professional development, personal education, and leisure.

Services

In the United States, military libraries often offer similar services to

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamenta ...

. They are often associated with a particular base, and their services are available only to the users of that base. Things like book borrowing, providing meeting spaces, computer access, and digital resources are all common services. Additionally, speciality material required of military members is often accessible in case the member does not have other access outside of their workplace. .MIL computers and computers with Common Access Card (CAC) card readers are some of these common services. Professional development and personal education are important features of military library services, with many libraries offering test preparation materials. The library and other education centers for the base may be combined. Many base libraries provide leisure programming for all ages. Storytime, homework help, and group activities are all common programs. Online services may be provided by the individual library or a larger organization.

Military OneSource Military OneSource is a U.S. Department of Defense program that provides resources and support to active-duty, National Guard and Reserve service members and their families anywhere in the world. The program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a ...

is a large provider of online resources that are available to many military-affiliated people. King's Bay Military Library is a joint venture of the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and Valdosta State University. Overseas bases of the United States also have libraries. For Europe, United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) Libraries manages a network of libraries for Air Force bases. Those assigned to a USAFE base, or a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) are allowed access to this network. USAFE Libraries also offers

InterLibrary Loan Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, interlending, document delivery, document supply, or interlibrary services, abbreviated ILS) is a service where patrons of one library can borrow materials and receive photocopies ...

(ILL) between their locations.

Staffing

Depending on the responsibilities of the library, it may be staffed by civilian librarians, military personnel with library or organizational training, or both. The

Special Libraries Association The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is an international professional association for library and information professionals working in business, government, law, finance, non-profit, and academic organizations and institutions. History The S ...

(SLA) has a Military Libraries Community, that brings together librarians and paraprofessionals working at Military Libraries all over the world. The Military Libraries Community holds a biennial workshop and virtual tours of military libraries. MLTW 2021
Military Libraries Training Workshop. Military Libraries Community.

References

{{Reflist Libraries by type Military education and training