The NIST Research Library is the publisher of the NIST Technical Series reports and the Journal of Research of NIST. Librarians ensure the discoverability and preservation of NIST publications.
The NIST Research Library occupies the unique position of serving NIST both as publisher of the NIST Technical Series, and in an archival capacity, responsible for collecting and preserving copies of NIST's grey literature. Over the last 15 years, the Library's publishing services have evolved from typesetting, printing, and editorial work to employing the best methods for improving discovery of NIST content, reaching new and ongoing audiences, and assessing impact and technology transfer.
The NIST Technical Series include a peer-reviewed publication, the Journal of Research of NIST, and 92 individual series of technical reports. The grey literature encompasses a wide range of formats and subjects. Some are brief, such as the NIST Internal and Interagency Reports, while some are much longer, such as the NBS Monographs and the NIST Special Publications. Examples of subjects include detailed information about materials used in low-cost housing construction during the New Deal era (the Technical Information on Building Materials for Use in the Design of Low-Cost Housing series) and investigations into the building failures that occurred following the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 (National Construction Safety Team Act Reports series).