The IAEA makes freely available online thousands of scientific and technical publications for researchers, scientists and students worldwide. To mark World Book and Copyright Day this year, the Agency is celebrating the IAEA Lise Meitner Library and the three most popular IAEA publications of 2019.
The library, with over 1.3 million items in its collection, specializes in information resources related to nuclear energy and other nuclear applications. It meets the needs of users through a variety of library services and coordinates the International Nuclear Library Network (INLN), a consortium of nuclear libraries and organizations.
In addition to its hard copy collection, the IAEA makes available nearly 4000 scientific and technical publications for free online. These cover a wide range of topics on the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology, from uranium ore processing to mutation plant breeding.
“Especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, remote access to reliable information is essential,” said Andrea Cancellare, Head of the IAEA Lise Meitner Library. “Sharing resources and providing nuclear information that support IAEA’s programmatic activities in Member States are at the core of the IAEA Lise Meitner Library’s mandate.”
The IAEA Lise Meitner Library also provides access to subscription databases and to thousands of journals. It promotes open source resources, such as the International Nuclear Information System (INIS), one of the world’s largest repositories of published research on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
Accessible around the world free of charge, INIS boasts more than 4.3 million bibliographic records and access to more than 1.6 million full-text documents. Each year, more than 1 million unique users perform around 2 million searches and download 3 million pages.
In fulfilment of its mandate, each year the IAEA publishes scores of scientific and technical books and publications, including the Nuclear Energy Series and the IAEA Safety Standards, which are used by government organizations, regulators, researchers, scientists and students around the world. All the IAEA’s scientific and technical publications can be found online here.
In 2019, the three most accessed IAEA publications were:
- IAEA Safety Glossary: 2018 Edition
The IAEA Safety Glossary, originally issued in 2007, has been revised and updated to take into account new terminology and usage in safety standards issued between 2007 and 2018. It defines and explains technical terms used in the IAEA Safety Standards and other safety related IAEA publications and provides information on their usage. The revisions and updates reflect developments in the technical areas of application of the safety standards and changes in regulatory approaches worldwide.
- Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material: 2018 Edition
This publication is the latest edition of the IAEA Safety Requirements for the safe transport of radioactive material. It is supported by six IAEA Safety Guides which provide explanation and guidance for the requirements to facilitate harmonized implementation. These regulations apply to the transport of radioactive material by all modes on land, water, or in the air, including transport that is incidental to the use of the radioactive material.
- Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, 2019 Edition
The 39th edition of this annual publication presents the most recent data on nuclear power reactors available to the IAEA. It provides a detailed comparison of various statistics up to 31 December 2018, including technical data on reactors that are operating, under construction or shut down, and performance data on operating reactors. The data are generated from the IAEA's Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), a comprehensive database with information collected by the IAEA via designated national correspondents in countries with reactors.
