Collection Development Policy: Maps & Geospatial Data

 The greater detail of geographic information, the more voluminous (and expensive) it is.  Therefore the following geographic priorities are set for the most detailed systematic collection.  However selected detailed acquisitions may be made for places of note or for its subject matter of interest for any place in the world.

• Michigan: All scales; topographic, geologic, hydrologic, transportation, political, demographic, relief.  Antiquarian maps are actively collected.
• Great Lakes States: All scales; reference and thematic maps, natural resources. Antiquarian maps are actively collected.
• West, East, and Southern Africa: Reference and thematic maps, including historical materials. Topographic maps of all scales will be collected. Selected antiquarian maps are actively collected.
• United States: Reference and thematic maps, including historical materials.  States closer to Michigan will be collected with greater detail than others, however interesting features and topics will be collected regardless of location.  Topographic maps up to 1:24,000 scale will be collected and all editions retained.  Selected antiquarian maps are actively collected.
• Canada: Reference and thematic maps, including historical materials. Topographic coverage up to 1:50,000 will be collected, with emphasis on areas in proximity to the United States and other areas of interest. Detailed geologic mapping with emphasis on on areas in proximity to the United States and other areas of interest.  Some antiquarian maps will be collected.
• Mexico    Reference and thematic maps, including historical materials.  Topographic coverage up to 1:50,000 will be collected, with emphasis on areas in proximity to the United States and other areas of interest. Detailed geologic mapping with emphasis on areas in proximity to the United States and other areas of interest.  Some antiquarian maps will be collected.
• World: Reference and thematic maps of Earth as a whole, continents, regions, and nations, including historical materials. World atlases and road atlases will be acquired yearly.   Topographic coverage will be collected up to 1:250,000 scale, with more detailed coverage for particular areas of research interest.  Detailed geologic mapping will be acquired in areas of particular interest.  Antiquarian maps are selectively collected, especially for areas of research interest.  Also, we will consider acquisitions in areas of particular and ongoing research interest to MSU faculty. 

Academic Library Collection Development Policies often communicate collection intensity levels using the Library of Congress classification breakdown as you see below.  The MSU sheet map collection is currently arranged using the American Geographical Society system but is being converted to LC.