Library services

The library will:

• answer your enquiries on the weather and meteorology, e.g. the weather on a specific date, data for a specific location, or answers to general questions such as "What is the jet stream?", "How do clouds form?" or "What role did the Met Office play during the Second World War?";

• maintain a comprehensive collection of meteorological books, journals and other materials to use in the library;

• offer an online catalogue for you to search at home or in the library;

• provide members with books to borrow and use at home;

• maintain a collection of photographs and slides depicting all aspects of meteorology. Many of the images are available via our online catalogue. If you would like to submit one of your images for possible inclusion in the collection, please email us: [email protected]. Include a copy of the image, your name and the date and location the picture was taken;

• offer on-site internet access and access to online journals;

•  provide photocopying facilities on site, Library and archive charges and copyright information will apply;

• provide copies of journal articles or book chapters as requested (see Library and archive charges and copyright information notes).

Borrowing items from our collections

We are happy to lend you a range of texts and reports from our collections but you will need to be a registered member of the library. We will need proof of your name and address (e.g. a copy of your driving licence, passport or utility bill) which we will accept by post or email if you are not able to visit us in person. Once this has been received, we will register you and send you a library card.

Membership terms:

• You will notify us if your address details change
• A maximum of ten items can be borrowed at any one time
• Items can be borrowed for a maximum of four weeks
• Items can be renewed by phone, email or in person unless they have been reserved
• You are responsible for returning the materials to the library either in person or by post before they become overdue
• You are responsible for the material you borrow from the Library
• If material is not returned or returned to us damaged then a charge will be made to you to cover the cost of replacement

We ask that:

• as a member you adhere to the terms detailed above
• when visiting the library you take care not to damage materials when handling and copying
• you refrain from eating and drinking in the library, and switch off your mobile phone

Our enquiry service

We aim to respond to non-commercial enquiries within 5 working days and will spend up to 30 minutes dealing with your request.

If your enquiry requires more time and research then you are welcome to come and use our resources in person.

We can provide a small amount of weather data for free but requests for larger volumes of data should go through the Contact us.

All information originating from the Met Office is subject to Crown Copyright and Data is provided according to Open Government Licence.

Data provided by the National Meteorological Library must not be used in any legal dispute or insurance claim. Data for this purpose can be obtained by contacting Met Office enquiries.

To view PDF documents you will need to have access to Adobe Acrobat Reader which is free to deownload.