The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) largest library at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, shut permanently after supporting major space missions for more than six decades.
The Goddard Information and Collaboration Center, which housed around 100,000 volumes, ceased operations on Friday, January 2. Established in 1959, the library played a supporting role in major projects including the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
The shutdown forms part of a wider reorganisation initiative launched during Donald Trump's presidency. As part of the plan, NASA is preparing to close 13 buildings and more than 100 science and engineering laboratories at the 1,270-acre Goddard campus by March 2026.
According to NASA spokesperson Jacob Richmond, the agency will review the library's collection over the next two months. While some materials will be transferred to a government storage facility, others are expected to be "tossed away", as reported by The New York Times.
The closure at Goddard adds to a steady reduction in NASA's physical library network. Since 2022, seven agency libraries across the United States have shut down, including three during 2025.
Named after pioneering American rocket scientist Robert H. Goddard, the centre was NASA's first dedicated space flight complex and has remained central to the agency's scientific work for decades.
The decision has drawn criticism from US lawmakers. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen described the closure as "deeply concerning", accusing the Trump administration of undermining NASA Goddard over the past year. He said the approach threatened space exploration efforts, weakened Earth science research, and put at risk technological progress linked to national security and economic growth.