Three atomic spectroscopic databases of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology are reviewed. First, our principal spectroscopic database, the Atomic Spectra Database (ASD), is discussed, which will soon be put on the internet in a new, entirely redesigned and expanded version 3.0. This new edition will include several additional critical compilations that were recently completed at NIST. Furthermore, two new smaller specialized databases will be reviewed, — a handbook of basic atomic spectroscopic data and a tabulation of data for soft x‐ray lines, tailored to the needs of x‐ray space observatories. Finally, an overview of our plans for new critical data compilations during the next two‐to‐three years will be presented. © 2004 American Institute of Physics