Get to Know DOI

You’re joining a Department that reaches far beyond the walls of your office. Across the country, DOI employees work to protect our nation’s lands and waters, preserve cultural and natural resources, support communities, advance science, and serve the American people.

Take a closer look at the Department of the Interior—where we work, what we do, and the many ways our work makes an impact.

Why DOI?

What makes the Department of the Interior a unique place to work? From protecting public lands and wildlife to supporting communities, advancing science, and preserving our nation's history and culture, DOI employees contribute to work that matters.

Take a few minutes to hear more about what makes working at the Department of the Interior different—and why there’s a place for you here.

DOI Across the Country

The Department of the Interior’s work reaches across the country. From national parks and wildlife refuges to public lands, waterways, and other areas managed by DOI bureaus, our work touches millions of acres and communities across the nation.

Take a look at the map below to see the scope of the lands managed by the Department of the Interior—and just how far DOI’s reach extends.

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Map showing U.S. Department of the Interior-managed lands across the United States, including Alaska and Hawai‘i. The graphic highlights that the Department manages over 500 million acres of land, representing about 20% of the United States.

Learn More About DOI

Stewart Lee Udall Building

Located in Washington, D.C., the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building has served as DOI’s headquarters since 1936. The building was the first federal building in the nation’s capital to be authorized, designed, and built by the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration and was created to bring together Department employees who had previously been working across multiple locations.

There’s a lot of history within its walls. The building stretches across two city blocks, includes more than three miles of corridors and 2,200 rooms, and is home to more than 40 New Deal-era murals—the largest collection of federally commissioned New Deal murals in a U.S. federal building.

Originally known as the Main Interior Building, it was renamed in 2010 in honor of Stewart Lee Udall, who served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969. Today, the building remains DOI’s headquarters and is also home to the Interior Museum and DOI Library.

Whether or not you’ll ever work from the Udall Building, it’s an important part of DOI’s story—and a place that has connected generations of Interior employees.

Udall Building History

Interior Museum

Did you know DOI has its own museum?

Located inside the Udall Building, the Interior Museum has been sharing the Department’s stories with employees and the public since 1938. Its collection includes more than 8,600 objects of historical, cultural, and scientific importance connected to DOI’s history and missions, its headquarters building, and the Secretaries of the Interior.

The museum also offers exhibitions and online resources that provide another way to discover the people, places, art, and stories connected to the Department.

Interior Museum

Interior Library

The DOI Library has supported the Department’s work for nearly as long as DOI itself. Established in 1850, the Library began as a collection of government publications and reference materials and grew alongside the Department.

Today, the Library continues to serve as a research resource supporting the information needs of DOI employees. Its history also provides an interesting look at how the Department has collected, preserved, and used information throughout its existence.

Learn more about the DOI Library, its history, and the resources available to support the Department’s work.

Interior Library

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