Collection Development
for
Geosciences

I. Special Considerations for Collection Development

Special Considerations for the Sciences

  • Higher cost for journals and monographs
  • High inflation, especially for journals
  • Journals split (increase in cost) e.g. JGR
  • E-journal backfiles: Check the quality of illustrations (photos) before purchasing. e.g1, e.g.2 , e.g.3
    • Joseph, L.E., 2006, Image and figure quality: A study of Elsevier's Earth and Planetary Sciences electronic journal back file package: Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Technical Services
      v. 30, n. 3-4 (September-December), p. 162-168 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lcats.2006.12.002>
    • Erdman, J.M., 2006, Image quality in electronic journals: A case study of Elsevier geology titles: Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Technical Services, v. 30, n. 3-4 (September-December), p. 169-178 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lcats.2006.08.002>
  • ILL: poor reproduction of photos, color, symbols, micrographs

    • Special Considerations for Geology

    Geology is interdisciplinary:

  • Biology (Paleontology; Environmental)
  • Anthropology (Physical Anthro/Paleontology; Archaeology/Geoarchaeology; Stratigraphy; Dating Methods)
  • Environmental (Geochemistry; Hydrogeology, Hydrology)
  • Climate Change (Paleontology; Palynology; Isotope Research; Atmospheric Science; Many others)
  • Soil Science & Agriculture (Stratigraphy & Sedimentology; Paleopedology)
  • Engineering (Petroleum Geology; Petroleum Engineering; Mining; Many others)
  • Astronomy (Planetary Geology; Impacts, Meteorites, Volcanology)
  • Physics (Geophysics; Rock Mechanics; other)
  • Chemistry (Geochemistry)
  • Geography (Physical Geography; Geomorphology)
  • Others

    • A lot of material is not covered by the approval plan:

  • Society & Association Publications (memoirs, special papers; transactions): Geological Society of America, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Geological Society of London, American Geophysical Union and many others.
  • Gray literature (fieldtrip guidebooks, open file reports, workshops, company documents/proprietary, data sets, etc.)
  • Foreign Publishers (with added exchange rate costs)
  • Government publications:

  • Much USGS material was formerly free through the depository program
  • The Gov Docs dept at UIUC is no longer selecting for the Geology Lib.; Getting USGS material through Law Library.
  • Government cut-backs; closure of government agencies & departments. USGS Library problems: New Website for News about the USGS Libraries: Information for Advocates: http://www.geoinfo.org/GSIS_News_USGSLibraries.htm . Also, problems with EPA materials
  • May be fewer publications
  • May have to purchase them
  • A lot going online; do we go ahead and purchase print when electronic is available? Interior site closed down twice by courts due to law suits (electronic unstable) . What about archiving electronic materials, given the problems with shut-downs? (Should libraries make print copies?)
  • State surveys in trouble financially. ISGS has discontinued the Gifts & Exchanges Program. We will now need to purchase the material that once came free of charge.
  • State survey electronic publications are not stable, e.g. field trip guidebooks from ISGS no longer online; URLs have changed (problem for GeoRef), etc.

    • Maps

    • Print (special storage considerations; heavy; space; location)
    • Digital (Migrate formats? GIS? Hardware/software/help for users? Training for staff? Printers/Plotters?)

    • Problems during budget crises:
  • Monographs: If you don't purchase an item during the first year, it may not be available later (out of print).
  • Journals: Difficult to fill in gaps & rarely reinstated when budget improves.
  • In other words: It is very difficult to recover from a constrained budget
  • Approval plans get cut during budget crises, putting further pressure on subject area budgets. Multidisciplinary books fall through the cracks even more than usual.

    • Relative size of university and department affects budget:

  • In many ways, the fate of a unit library is tied to the fate of the department (remember that when interviewing for a job)
  • Allocation/Reallocation formulas, etc., are affected by department size.
  • A department may be larger than at another university, but the relative size compared to other departments on campus may affect the budget.

    • Gifts and Exchanges

  • Exchange programs: Formerly, many agencies and societies would trade publications. This was a good way to get material. With budget cuts, many agencies and societies have discontinued their exchange programs. It is now necessary to purchase this information, if available.
  • Gifts: With budget cuts, gifts are more important than ever. It is wise to begin and to build endowments for collections. One source for gifts consists of program alumni. Some departments are reluctant to approach, or allow libraries to approach alumni because gifts to the department may be deflected to the library. Other departments will help libraries seek funding. It is wise to be sensitive to the views of the department.

    • Other Collection Development Considerations:

  • Changes in emphasis in teaching/research of the Geology Department. Departments will rarely say they will need more money for the library when adding classes or changing programs because that would be a strike against getting the change approved at the campus level.
  • Weeding: Depends on university library policy & philosophy .
  • Storage: Related to weeding. Shelf space is expensive. Many larger universities are building remote shelving facilities. Need good turn-around time for patrons requesting material.
  • Budget Cycle:
    • If you don't pay for materials ordered during the current year, you lose the money twice (Money doesn't carry over to the next year).
    • Budget is tied to the State Budget, the University Budget, and the size of the department.
  • E-journals
    • E-Journal packages (Pros & cons)
    • Cost: Central vs. Unit
    • Consortia
    • A Geology journal aggregate (GeoscienceWorld) has started, but we can't afford it.
    • AAPG Datapages (Perpetual access option)
    • Geological Society of London (Lyell Collection)
    • American Geophysical Union Digital Library
    • Debate about whether to cut print journals in favor of electronic (archiving, patron PR, etc).

  • E-books:

    Google Books
    Live Search Books - Microsoft
    Internet Archive; Texts
    Amazon.com (some tables of contents, etc.)
    USGS Contents
    Million Books Project
    Illinois Harvest
    Internet Archive (e.g. Fieldiana Geology)

    Springer Books (Use the online catalog advanced mode, type "springer earth and environmental science collection", use the drop down menu to select "these words as a phrase".) Also, check the Springer site directly. (Sometimes it takes a while for Springer e-books to appear in our online catalog.)

    Geological Society of America electronic Special Publications (see bottom of page)
    Geological Society of London Lyell Collection

    Problems with finding what is available.
    Problems with items "going away".

    Other:

  • Differences in Collection Development due to the institution:
    • Size of budget varies
    • May or may not have an approval plan
    • May or may not be able to swap money between funds
    • Differences between what is funded centrally (electronic indexes, electronic journals, etc.)
    • May be responsible for multiple subject areas (e.g. physical sciences vs. geology only)
    • Different emphases on ownership vs. access
    • Smaller institutions will not be able to afford as many serials, perhaps not even all the important ones
    • Some formats may be the responsibility of other librarians (e.g. Government Documents; Maps)
    • ILL may differ (at some institutions, ILL is free to patrons; at others, patrons pay)
    • Differences for research institutions vs. non-research institutions in regard to level collected
    • Differences in price structure for research vs. non-research institutions (low price tier for non-research)
    • Differences in available statistics when considering cuts
    • Space differences...affects weeding, etc.
  • The combination of remote storage/shelving and electronic resources may result in pressure to downsize the print collection, and consolidate or close smaller libraries. I predict this will be an increasing trend at most large libraries.

    • II. Collection Development Tools for the Geosciences

    For Monographs:

    Contins & Mono Contins

    Journals

    Reference Material

    Sources

    Ward, D.C. et al., 1981, Geologic Reference Sources
    Ward, D.C., and Carozzi, A.V., 1984, Geology Emerging
    Hurt, C.D., 1994, Information Sources in Science and Technology
    Katz, W.A., 2001, Introduction to Reference Work
    Others

    Abstracts, Indexes, Bibliographies

    GeoRef (online); many different vendors
    Many others (see)

    Dictionaries

    Neuendorf, et al., 2005, Glossary of Geology, 5th ed.: Alexandria, VA, American Geological Institute.
    Specialized language dictionaries
    Other Specialized

    Specialized Encyclopedias (can be from one to many volumes). A few of the many examples:

    Encyclopedia of Geochemistry
    Encyclopedia of Geology
    Encyclopedia of Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism
    Encyclopedia of Geomorphology
    Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences
    Encyclopedia of Paleontology
    Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences
    Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science
    Encyclopedia of Sedimentology
    Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks
    Encyclopedia of Water Science
    Treatise on Geochemistry
    Treatise on Geophysics
    Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology

    Handbooks (a few examples):

    Handbook of Mineralogy
    Handbook of Hydrology
    Handbook of Geochemistry
    Handbook of Paleontology
    ISGS Bulletins:

    Handbook of Illinois Stratigraphy (Bulletin 95)
    Pleistocene Stratigraphy (Bulletin 94)

    Atlases (examples)

    World Atlas of Coral Reefs
    Argillaceous rock atlas
    Atlas of economic mineral deposits
    National Atlas

    Directories (example)

    Directory of Geoscience Departments

    Text Books

    General (e.g. Chicago Manual of Style; Online; Biographical)

    Online vs. Print

    Maps & GIS

    Maps: Dealers, Catalogs, & Indexes
    Map Librarians' Toolbox - WAML
    National Geologic Map Database - USA
    GeoRef
    Commission for the Geological Map of the World
    U.S. National Atlas
    The National Map
    GIS: a lot available online; CDs; agencies; scales & projections; hardware & software; training
    Google Earth
    Flashearth
    Other

    Society Memberships

    Geology Library Projects and Services

    Go to Geology Library Home Page: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/gex/

    Created 2/25/04 lej

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    Modified on: 2/24/08 lej

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