Are you looking for local environmental data sources or place-based environmental information? Do you have reports that you need to share with the public? If you answered yes to either question, you should visit the New Jersey Environmental Digital Library (NJEDL)-a web site that comprises an online catalogue of environmental reference materials, such as government reports, natural resource inventories, maps, brochures, videos and presentations not ordinarily accessed through traditional publishing sources. The library's web address is http://njedl.rutgers.edu.

Since 1997, the DEP has been helping to develop the NJEDL through a contract with the Rutgers University Scholarly Communication Center. Its mission is to collect, organize and make available digitized materials on New Jersey's environment (emanating from the state's government agencies, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, research institutes and academic departments) for use by students, scholars, citizens and government officials. The NJEDL also houses the searchable Directory of Environmental Organizations in New Jersey.

The NJEDL collects any information related to New Jersey's environment that is not part of the formal realm of publication. Much of the collection is research-level reports and studies. Other materials include local reports (e.g., natural resource inventories, environmental resource inventories, hazardous waste inventories), college theses, presentation materials (PowerPoint slide shows, digital videos), pamphlets, brochures, newsletters, maps and data sets (numeric data). As with all libraries, the NJEDL is dynamic and encourages the continual registry of documents and information. The NJEDL also supports the DEP's goal of Open and Effective Government by providing an outlet for the dissemination of DEP published research and public information. In addition, submissions are sought from a broad range of organizations and individuals that develop and distribute environmental information.

Because the NJEDL is a digital library, many of the documents cataloged on the site are available for immediate download. Currently, the collection includes over 1,500 records and approximately 500 full-text/image items. The site, which generates approximately 500 searches per month from outside of Rutgers University, averages approximately one hundred downloads per month.

The Directory of Environmental Organizations contains information on over 600 environmental groups in the state, including environmental commissions, watershed associations, and a variety of other local and citizen action groups. The directory is useful for finding out who is working on environmental issues in the state.