Curricular and Research Needs
The forestry collection of the Michigan State University Main Library supports the curricular and research needs of the faculty, staff and students in the Departement of Forestry within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). It also supports the research centers Tree Research Center, W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest, Forest Biomass Innovation Center, plus AgBioResearch and MSU Extension.
The Department of Forestry offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
The Department of Forestry is highly active and successful in securing grant funding for research in all areas of forestry, agricultural and plant science research. Research areas, topics, and methodologies in the department vary widely, from tree species studies to GIS analysis of forest systems to urban forestry issues to Christmas trees and forest products. Research data is both quantitative and qualitative in nature.
History of the Collection/ Existing Strengths and Emphases
Michigan State was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan and was the prototype for 69 land-grant institutions. In 1902 the Agricultural College established a "school of forestry". As was stated by the board president at that time, "We intend to make the school of forestry as distinct as either the school of agriculture or engineering." The school quickly became a Department, and in 2001 celebrated it 100th anniversary.
The MSU library has supplied scholarly materials to support the discipline of forestry throughout its history. The MSU library continues to purchase scholarly and secondary materials to support the forestry disciplines. The Library has been the recipient of forestry related copies of all Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service publications. In recent years this has been in flux with the decline in printed publications and new born-digital information.
The Library has historically sought out information resources in forestry science published beyond the state line including all countries around the world to bring awareness of other practices, challenges and solutions to educate our students, professors and researchers. The collection is strongest in United States, Canadian, and European materials.