Collection Policy: Geology
1. Introduction
The Library supports the instructional and research needs of faculty and students
working within the Department of Geology. The Department of Geology was established
in 1967, two years after the formation of Lakehead University. The first Bachelor’s
degrees in geology were awarded in 1970. The Master’s program was approved in 1978
and the first Master’s degrees in geology were awarded in 1980. The Department of
Geology currently offers several programs leading to a Bachelor, Honours Bachelor, and
Master’s degree in Geology.

Honours Bachelor of Science - Geology major (4 year)

Bachelor of Science - Geology major (4 year non-direct entry program)

Honours Bachelor of Science - Geology (with major concentration in Physics 4
year)

Bacheolor of Science - Geology (with major concentration in Physics 4 year nondirect entry program)

Bachelor of Science - Earth Science major (3 year)

Honours Bachelor of Science - Geography with Geology minor (4 year)

Bachelor of Science - Geography with Geology minor (4 year non-direct entry
program)

Honours Bachelor of Environmental Science - Earth Science major (4 year)

Master of Science in Geology

Concurrent Programs with Education

Interdisciplinary programs in Geoarchaeology and Water Resource Science
The Chancellor Paterson Library is the main location for the geology collection. The
Chancellor Paterson Library has been a depository library for federal government
documents since 1967 and for Ontario government publications since 1972. Significant
federal and provincial publications are the Geological Survey of Canada and the Ontario
Geological Survey. Early editions of the Geological Survey of Canada publications are
available as part of the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions collection
(CIHM). Supplementing the government documents collection is a map collection
consisting primarily of maps published by the Geological Survey of Canada and the
Ontario Department of Mines. Holdings also include materials housed in the Northern
Studies Resource Centre and include geological surveys and mineral industry reports.
The Education Library has material which examines teaching methods for earth
sciences including geology and the mineral sciences. The Geography Department map
library contains an extensive collection of cartographic material which supports the
study of Geology.
2. History of the Collection
The undergraduate program covers a wide range of topics including mineralogy, ore
petrology, igneous petrology, metamorphic petrology, environmental geology, economic
geology, structural geology, sedimentology, geophysics, plate tectonics, geochemistry,
glacial systems, and groundwater. The masters program emphasizes the fields of
petrochemistry and tectonophysics. The Library’s collection is well established and
provides a solid foundation of materials in support of these subject areas. Acquisitions
in recent years have focused on a wide scope of topics including: petrology,
geochemistry, volcanoes, sedimentation, and structural geology. Materials have also
been selected in the supplementary fields of oceanography, astronomy, environmental
technology, and mining engineering.
3. Languages
English (or translation into English) is the primary language of the collection.
4. Chronological Guidelines
Current works are of primary interest. Retrospective material will be collected where
appropriate.
5. Geographical Guidelines
There are no geographical restrictions although material typically originates from
Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. North American publications
dominate selected titles as they typically include research topics reflective of the course
content. Lakehead University is located within the Canadian Shield and the program
incorporates field trips to study the surrounding environment.
6. Types of Material
The Library actively collects monographs, journals, government documents, and
reference materials. Conference proceedings, dissertations and theses, annual reports
and other serial publications are acquired selectively.
The predominate format for monographs is print although the Library is actively
building the electronic book collection. The predominate format for journals and
government documents is electronic. Retrospective material in other formats such as
microform, CD-Rom and DVD are available in the collection but are not actively
acquired.
Maps located in the Geography Department map library are a useful supplementary
resource. Additionally, maps previously held by the Department of Geology are now
housed within the Chancellor Paterson Library. This map collection consists of
approximately 3,500 maps of which 2,300 are Canadian and 1,200 are non-Canadian.
The Canadian maps are mainly published by the Geological Survey of Canada and the
Ontario Department of Mines. An additional donation of 2,200 maps was received from
the Department of Geology. These maps are from the P Series and are published by the
Ontario Department of Mines. They are preliminary maps with descriptive notes and
show the preliminary results obtained after each field season for each of the areas
surveyed.
7. Subject Areas/Levels
(four levels: basic, initial study, advanced study and research).
The subject organization below follows the Library of Congress Classification Outline,
Class Q – Science, Class T – Technology, and Class G – Geography.
The chart below reflects library monograph holdings in both print and electronic format.
#
Subjects
LC Class
Current
Level
Target
Level
1
Geomorphology
GB 400-649
Initial
Initial
2
Hydrology
GB 650-5030
Advanced
Advanced
3
Oceanography
GC 1-1581
Initial
Initial
4
Geophysics
QC 801-809
Advanced
Advanced
5
Geology-General works & serial
publications (Geological Survey of
QE 1-350
Canada located in QE 185 & CA1 MS 1628)
Advanced
Advanced
6
Mineralogy
Initial
Advanced
QE 351-399
#
7
Subjects
LC Class
Current
Level
Target
Level
Petrology-Igneous, Sedimentary &
Metamorphic rocks QE 420-639
Dynamic & structual geology QE 500499
8
Special topics including
geomorphology, geodynamics,
geophysics, earth and its history
QE 500-501.4
Initial
Advanced
9
Geological time. Age of the earth.
Interior of the earth
QE 508-509.5
Basic
Advanced
10
Earth’s crust. Plate tectonics.
Continental drift
QE 511-513
Basic
Advanced
11
Geochemistry
QE 514-516.5
Initial
Advanced
12 Volcanoes & Earthquakes
QE 521-545
Basic
Basic
13 Sedimentation
QE 571-597
Basic
Advanced
14 Structural Geology
QE 601-639
Initial
Advanced
15
QE 640-699
Initial
Advanced
16 Paleontology
QE 701-759
Initial
Initial
17
QE 760-899
Basic
Basic
QE 901-996.5
Basic
Basic
Stratigraphy
Paleozoology
18 Paleobotany
#
Subjects
19 Soils – (Biology, Microbiology)
20
Engineering geology/rock & soil
mechanics
Economic geology & mineral
resources(Ontario Geological Survey
21
located in TN 27 and CA2ON NR 110120
LC Class
QH 84.8,
QR 111
TA 703-711.5
TN 21-127,
TN 260
Current
Level
Target
Level
Basic
Initial
Initial
Initial
Advanced
Advanced
8. Interdisciplinary Activities
There is interdisciplinary activity with Geography and Anthropology as those
departments collaborate with Geology to offer a BSc or HBSc degree in Geoarchaeology.
There is interdisciplinary activity with Geography and Biology as they offer in
conjunction with Geology, a BSc or HBSc in Water Resource Science. There is also
interdisciplinary activity with Biology and Geography in support of the Honours
Bachelor of Environmental Science program. Students have the option of obtaining a
Geology degree with a major concentration in Physics or they may opt for a Geography
degree with a minor concentration in Geology.
The collection also supports a first year introductory course for Forestry students and a
third year introductory course for Engineers.
9. Strengths/Weaknesses
The most well developed areas of the monograph collection are petrology, hydrology,
geomorphology, and mineralogy. Print monograph holdings are supplemented by a
growing collection of electronic books from SpringerLink, NetLibrary, Canadian
Electronic Library, Oxford University Press, Taylor and Francis, and Cambridge
University Press. Holdings of Ontario Geological Survey and Geological Survey of
Canada give strength to the areas of economic geology and mineral resources. The map
collection previously held by the Department of Geology but which is now housed in the
Library, provides additional cartographic resources.
The journal collection for the Department of Geology is well-rounded and contains
publications relating to all aspects of geology including geomorphology, geophysics,
hydrogeology, hydrology, mineralogy, and related earth sciences. Electronic journal
packages which contain geology journals include Elsevier’s ScienceDirect, WileyBlackwell, SpringerLink, and JSTOR. The Library also holds a membership with the
Mineralogical Association of Canada which provides access to journals pertaining to
mineralogy, geochemistry, and petrology.
The monograph collection would benefit from further growth in the areas of geophysics,
geochemistry, sedimentation, and structural geology.
10.
Thunder Bay and Regional Resources
The collection of the Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) provides some support at the
undergraduate level. Materials located at TBPL cover such topics as rock formations,
volcanoes, and the history and origin of the planet. The map collection housed at the
Brodie Resource Library includes Canadian and regional maps on a wide range of topics
including mineral deposits, mining, aeromagnetics, geological resources, topography,
and water and forest resources. The Brodie Resource Library also has annual reports for
the Ontario Bureau of Mines (1898-1921), Department of Mines-Ontario (1921-1960),
and Geological Survey of Canada (1874-1908). In addition, it has Geological Survey of
Canada summary reports (1910-1933).
The Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, Mines and Minerals
Division, has a library collection pertaining to geology. The collection contains
assessment files on mining claims that have been filed in the Thunder Bay district,
mineral exploration assessment files, Ontario Geological Surveys, Ontario Department
of Mines annual reports, assorted geology magazines, and HBSc and Master level
geology theses from Lakehead University. The collection also includes the publications
of the Institute on Lake Superior Geology (ILSG) which are produced jointly with U.S.
states bordering on Lake Superior.
11.
Internet Resources
The Library maintains links to geology resources on the Internet via the electronic
Geology subject guide. Subject guides with related links are also available for the
programs involved in multidisciplinary activities including Anthropology, Biology,
Environmental Studies, Geography, and Physics.
12.
Liaison
The Department of Geology is responsible for selecting appropriate library resources. A
library representative from the Department of Geology liaises with a designated
Collections Development Librarian with respect to the Department’s library budget, the
acquisition process, consortia projects, and serials management. It is the responsibility
of the Collections Development Librarian to ensure that relevant information regarding
new publications is forwarded to the Department’s library representative for
consideration. The Library accepts donations of books and journals which fall within its
collection scope.
13.
Weeding
Weeding will be done on an ongoing basis to preserve the quality, currency and strength
of the collection.
March 2012
____________________
___________________
Library Representative
Collection Development Librarian
Department of Geology
____________________
___________________
Date
Date