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Geography Collection

I. Collection Description

Purpose:

To support the teaching and research of the Geography Department through, and beyond, the doctoral level. The Map & Geography Library also supports the University's interests in basic travel literature and the history of discovery and exploration.

History of Collection:

Books concentrating on geography, discovery and exploration, and climate have been collected by the University Library since its inception but were not brought together until 1911 when the Natural History Library was formed. The geography collections were moved to the map library in 1956 to form the Map & Geography Library.

Estimate of Holdings:

189,000 volumes.

State, Regional and National Importance:

The geography collection, including those in the Bookstacks and the Rare Book and Special Collections Library, is recognized as one of the finest in the nation.

Unit Responsible for Collecting:

Map & Geography Library.

Location of Materials:

Map & Geography has 14,000 volumes while the Bookstacks includes an estimated 175,000 volumes; the Rare Book and Special Collections Library has several thousand atlases and early works on discovery and exploration.

Citations of Works Describing the Collection:

Downs, pp. 79-80.

II. General Collection Guidelines

Languages:

Standard statement.

Chronological Guidelines:

No restrictions.

Geographical Guidelines:

Worldwide.

Treatment of Subject:

Standard statement. The geography collection in Map & Geography includes a current research collection on systematic and regional geography as well as a section on climatology. To supplement the collection on cartography, a comprehensive bibliography section, and a strong collection of gazetteers.

Types of Materials:

Standard statement.

Date of Publication:

Standard statement.

Place of Publication:

No restrictions.

III. Collection Responsibility by Subject Subdivisions with Qualifications, Levels of Collecting Intensity, and Assignments

Below is a table that lists specific subject subdivisions within the collection. Each row in the table lists a specific subject subdivision, followed by three columns noting: Collection Strength, Primary Assignments and Secondary Assignments. The Existing Collecting Strength column notes how well the existing collection covers that topic on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being very strong. The Primary Assignments column lists departmental libraries that have the greatest collection intensity of subject materials, respectively. In the case of 2 or more libraries listed, the collection intensity is comparable. The Secondary Assignments column list departmental libraries where additional materials may be found.

Version Date: November 2005

For comments on this page contact: Collections Webmaster

Last modified by: David Vess on 10/6/08