The National Academies Press (NAP)—which publishes reports produced by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and most divisions of the National Research Council—has announced that almost all of its publications will be available for complimentary download from the Internet in convenient PDF format.

TRB, which is part of the National Research Council, has had this type of publication dissemination policy in place since the 1990s. Free online access to virtually all TRB and NAP reports supports the goals of the Academies to improve government decision making and public policy, increase public education and understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, and medicine.

Excluded are some categories of National Academies publications—including journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, and reference books such as the Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals series and the Highway Capacity Manual—as well as older reports that are not available in PDF format.