Dive into the Pacific Ocean Library!

With over 6,000 records focused solely on the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Ocean Library is a powerful resource for managers and researchers.  Accessible from the Center for Ocean Solutions website, the library focuses exclusively on the challenges facing the Pacific Ocean, the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of those threats, and their solutions.  

This focus on a single region is what makes the Pacific Ocean Library so unique.  With an overwhelming amount of published information pertaining to the ocean, a centralized location that provides timely research and foundational readings on topics important to Pacific Ocean managers and researchers is a time-saving tool. It’s also a helping hand to those who may not know where to begin their search for information related to Pacific Ocean topics.  

This month, important articles added to the library include Tracking the Debate Around Marine Protected Areas: Key Issues and the BEG Framework by Thorpe, A. et al., Economic and Environmental Values in Marine Planning: A Case Study of Canada’s West Coast by Gunton T. & Joseph, C. and Island Villagers’ Willingness to Work or Pay for Sustainability of a Marine Fishery Reserve: Case of San Miguel Island, Philippines by Casuwab-Launio, C. et al.  With records added to the library monthly that include scientific articles, reports, government publications and gray literature, the Center for Ocean Solutions strives to keep the content current and pertinent. More than 50 articles were added just in October.

The library’s functionality includes a fully searchable database and the option to filter by one of the eight regions of the Pacific.  You can also apply dozens of search parameters such as language, place published, year or type of work; and these criteria can be combined in scores of ways to help you target your search.  

Also included in the library are foundational readings for each of the eight regions, the Pacific Ocean as a whole and for each of the major identified threats.  The library is a resource for individuals, offering with a breadth of knowledge. 

The library emerged from an extensive literature review done in preparation of the Pacific Ocean Scientific Consensus Statement, a document signed by 380 scientists around the world that prioritizes key threats to the health of the Pacific Ocean, highlights the impacts of these threats and outlines a road map for action.  “The product of the literature review was such an incredible resource that we wanted to make it available to others,” said COS Executive Director Meg Caldwell.  “We hoped that if critical information were compiled in one database for policy makers and resource managers, we could facilitate informed decision-making.”  This aspiration led to the creation of the Pacific Ocean Library  in 2009 and to its continued growth.

The library currently holds 6270 records and newly added articles cover popular topics including marine protected areas, tourism, food insecurity, and policy shifts.  You can visit the Pacific Ocean Library on the COS website at http://www.library.centerforoceansolution.org.  Add the link to your bookmarks for convenient access, and visit often to view the new ‘hot topic’ article of the month.

COS science communication intern Brynn Hooton-Kaufman can be reached at bhooton@mlml.calstate.edu