National Technical Information Service


The National Technical Information Service is an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The primary mission of NTIS is to collect and organize scientific, technical, engineering, and business information generated by U.S. government-sponsored research and development, for private industry, government, academia, and the public. The systems, equipment, financial structure, and specialized staff skills that NTIS maintains to undertake its primary mission allow it to provide assistance to other agencies requiring such specialized resources.

Overview

Under the provisions of the National Technical Information Act of 1988, NTIS is authorized to establish and maintain a permanent repository of non-classified scientific, technical and engineering information; cooperate and coordinate its operations with other Government scientific, technical, and engineering information programs; and implement new methods or media for the dissemination of scientific, technical, and engineering information, including producing and disseminating information products in electronic format and to enter into arrangements necessary for the conduct of its business.
NTIS serves the United States as a central repository for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information to assure businesses, libraries, academia, and the public timely access to approximately 2.5 million publications covering over 350 subject areas. The stated aim of NTIS is to support the Department of Commerce mission to promote the nation's economic growth by providing access to information that stimulates innovation and discovery.
Additionally, NTIS acts as the federal government's IT provider and consultant.

Operations

NTIS operations includes the acquisition and archiving in perpetuity of scientific and technical information. This information is freely available at no charge, by law. The cost of operating the site, however, must also by law be recovered from those using the site for anything beyond raw data access. There is a fee for use of the search tools.
NTIS also provides technical support services to other federal government agencies. These lines of business include:
In 2008, NTIS recognized the need to provide subscription-based access to the collection using an online platform. Incrementally in 2009, and 2012, National Technical Reports Library. Federal Science Repository Service followed V3 of NTRL.
NTIS has been working with Public.Resource.Org to digitize videos and to post content on YouTube.

Statutory authorities

NTIS' basic authority to operate a permanent clearinghouse of scientific and technical information is codified as chapter 23 of Title 15 of the United States Code. This chapter also established NTIS' authority to charge fees for its products and services and to recover all costs through such fees "to the extent feasible."