Curricular and Research Needs
Although the MSU Libraries geosciences collection primarily serves the research and instructional requirements of the Department of Geological Sciences, it also serves a broader range of university programs, including users from Agriculture, Botany, Chemistry, Engineering, Geography, Kellogg Biological Station, Natural Resources, Physics, Plant & Soil Sciences, and Zoology.
The MSU Department of Geological Sciences offers BS, BA, MAT, MS, and Ph.D degree programs in any of the geosciences. Although the primary degrees are usually general in nature, the secondary and tertiary degrees are often highly specialized. The geosciences are a multi-disciplinary groups of related sciences that include, but are not limited to, the following: economic geology (including mining, petroleum and natural gas), field geology and mapping, geochemistry (both high and low temperature), geomorphology, geophysics and tectonics, glaciology, historical geology, hydrology & hydrogeology, mineralogy, petrology, sedimentary geology, stratigraphy, structure, paleontology (both vertebrate and invertebrate), paleobotany and palynology, volcanology, and weathering. Other fields that have a geologic aspect include: Agriculture, astronomy, cartography, crystal chemistry, ecology, environmental hazards analysis, environmental studies, evolution, geochronology, geography, geostatistics, isotope geochemistry, mathematical modeling, mining and petroleum engineering, planetary geology, pollution, remote sensing, soil genesis, and zoology.
Adding research data is a potential step for this subject collection. For guidelines see http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=139267 .)
The majority of book and journal geoscience materials are purchased online, with paper collections are classed in the QE call numbers, with soils and hydrology materials in GB call numbers. Most geology maps are held in the MSU Map Library, although some are included in series in the main stacks or in the Government Documents collections.
Existing Strengths and Emphases
Michigan Basin and the Great Lakes is a priority for the collection. The Michigan Basin is a geologically-significant, archetypal structural entity formed primarily during Paleozoic time. It is recognized internationally as a classic basin structure that includes Michigan, the upper Great Lakes, parts of Ontario, and the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and western Pennsylvania. Geologic structures within the Basin include the Mid-Continent Rift and the Marquette Trough (dated in excess of 1 billion years), Paleozoic inland sea beds, and the Pleistocene (Ice Age) surface features.