Geography/Maps
Collection Development Policy
Kathleen Weessies, bibliographer
Revised March 16, 2005
1.
Purpose and Scope of the Collection
- Curricular, Research, and Programmatic needs
The Geography and Maps collections at MSU support instructional programs from
the undergraduate to doctoral level in Geography and its related fields. Geography
has a unique interdisciplinary position in that nearly every academic discipline
has a geographic component. Therefore the library’s geography and maps
collections must also support and encourage the geographic component of nearly
every other academic discipline. The map collection is also used for reasons
other than those directly connected to the curriculum, including local history
and Michigan agricultural history research, travel, and genealogy research.
- Geography Department strengths and emphases
The MSU Geography Department's strengths and interests are currently focused
on Physical Geography, including Climatology, Geomorphology/Soils, and Plant
Geography. But the faculty also conduct research in such Human Geography
subjects as population, migration, sustainability, transportation, and economics.
In addition, techniques of geography, i.e., Geographic Information Sciences,
are extremely popular including Cartography, Remote Sensing, and Geographic
Information Systems (GIS). Regional Studies overlap with other campus
departments in such topics as Development with Africa, Latin America, East Asia,
and Global Change. The focus can change over the years due to faculty turnover
and the development of computer-based methodologies. Indeed, in the last
ten years ‘Europe’ has dropped from the list of world regions of
emphasis in favor of global topics, and there has been a tremendous increase
in interest and research using computerized geographic information systems.
The Geography department also has the non-academic Remote Sensing & GIS
Research and Outreach Services(RS&GIS), which provides remote sensing, global
positioning system (GPS), geographic information science (GIS) and cartographic
services to the MSU campus, the State of Michigan, and other agencies.
It provides outreach instruction in these subjects and conducts research grant
and contract work for on-campus and off-campus units.
C.
History of the Collection
Books concentrating on geography, discovery and exploration, and climate have
been collected by the university library since its inception. Focus on sub-disciplines
has evolved over time in relation to departmental interests. For instance
we are currently experiencing a waning interest in polar studies, a topic once
of great interest to some faculty. In terms of quantity of sheets, the map collection
has largely developed through several federal depository programs from the US
Geological Survey, the US Department of Defense, and the Federal Depository
Library Program. Because of this, the collection’s strength’s
often reflect the varied and changing interests of the federal agencies.
For instance, our foreign topographic coverage consists largely sets from the
US Department of Defense and therefore reflects those geographic areas of interest
to that department. Many geography and map titles focusing specifically
on a geographic area from one of our Title VI Area Studies programs (African,
Asian, Canadian, and Latin America & Caribbean) have been purchased using
Area Studies funds entirely or in part.
D.
Collection Coverage
The geographical coverage of the collection is worldwide with in-depth collecting
in the following areas: U.S., particularly Michigan; Africa; Latin America;
and Canada. The Map Library houses the depository sheet map collection,
with the main components being from the Defense Mapping Agency and the United
States Geological Survey. In addition, the map library selectively houses maps
on behalf of the regional depository at the Library of Michigan. Maps by commercial
publishers and distributors are also acquired, including maps from the United
Nations, the European Union, and the government of Canada, though not on a depository
basis.
- Most scholarly monographs and journal subscriptions
are housed with the main collection, including exploration, some cartography,
and most GIS. The Map Library has many of the gazetteers and carto-bibliographies
in addition to the expected maps and atlases. Some manuals for GIS
are housed in duplicate in the Map Library.
2.
Factors Influencing Collection Policy
A.
Anticipated Future Trends
Three trends will affect the availability and the desirability of geography
and cartographic publications and products, which will affect digital data sets,
print maps, and map content. One is a large increase in the availability,
quality, and usability of digital data sets. As more researchers create
and use digital data sets for work with geographic information systems, more
will become available either through sharing or sale. Also, the GIS software
has standardized enough that data sets are usually available in a usable format.
A second trend is changes in the availability of print map products. On
one hand, we will see a decrease in federal government print map products. To
save money, government departments may choose to publish their products in electronic
format, placing the burden of printing either on the library or the patron;
will to some extent privatize their publication to that purchase is necessary;
or will halt publication/depository distribution altogether (for individual
products, not as a whole). At the same time, the cost effectiveness of large
format printing and desktop cartography will increase the availability of plotted
maps from other government and inter-government agencies and from the research
community. A third trend is the usual shift in areas of current events
interest.
B.
Relationships to Resources Treated in Other Policy Statements
- Along with history and philosophy, one may study the geography of nearly
every other topic under the sun. This is especially true in the sciences
and social sciences. Therefore, the geography collection necessarily has
a tie with several other library collections. In particular, the geography
bibliographer will coordinate purchases of geographic materials with bibliographers
in African Studies, Agriculture, Asian studies, Business, Canadian Studies,
Environmental Science, Park and Recreation Resources, Landscape Architecture,
Ethnic Studies, Geology, Government (primarily Michigan, U.S., Canada, UN,
and European Union), History, International Studies, Latin American Studies,
Law, Linguistics, Political Science, Public Policy, Religion, European Studies,
and Sociology.
- Regional resources. Michigan State University has the top geography
department in the state. University of Michigan does not have a geography
department. Wayne State University has a "Department of Geography
and Urban Planning" which has about eleven faculty. Western Michigan
University teaches Geography to the M.A. level with about 15 faculty.
Ferris State University has no Geography Department (classes are taught
in the 'Social Sciences Department') but does has an active GIS certificate
program in the Technology Department. University of Michigan has a
large map collection and collects more deeply in old and rare maps that
MSU does.
C.
Chronological Factors
MSU Libraries' collection development in geography and maps largely focus on
contemporary materials, acquiring antiquities only when they intersect with
a topic of particular interest to the university, such as the settling and farming
of Michigan. Historical treatment of a topic is almost always collected.
D.
Languages:
Materials on geographic theory and study are collected with a preference to
English, but many or even most foreign atlases and maps are often collected
in the vernacular.
3. Levels of Collecting Intensity
Call Number Range. Subject
|
Collection Level*
|
| G1-922 Geography (General) |
3 |
| G65-69 Geographers |
3 |
G70-74 Philosophy, Methodology, GIS
|
3 |
G72-74 Geography education
|
3, Share also with Education
|
| G80-99 History of geography |
3 |
| G100.5-108.5 Gazetteers, geographic names and
terms |
3-4, depends on world areas |
G141 Historical geography
|
3 |
| G149-180 Travel. Voyages and travels (General)
|
2-3 |
| G154.9-155.8 Travel and state.
Tourism |
2, for Tourism see Business |
| G200-503 History of discoveries, explorations,
voyages and travels |
2 |
| G521-539 Adventures, shipwrecks, buried treasure,
etc. |
2 |
| G540-550 Seafaring life, ocean travel, etc.
|
1 |
| G575-890 Arctic and Antarctic regions |
2-3 |
| G905-910 Tropics (General) |
2 |
| G912-922 Northern and Southern Hemispheres
|
2 |
| G1000-3122 Atlases |
|
| G1000-1000.5 Atlases of the moon, planets,
etc. |
1 |
| G1001-1046 World atlases. Atlases of the Earth
|
3 |
| G1050-1052 Northern and Southern Hemispheres
|
3 |
| G1053 Tropics. Torrid Zone |
3 |
| G1054-1055 Polar regions. Frigid Zone |
2-3 |
| G1059-1061 Maritime atlases (General) |
2 |
| G1100-3102 By region or country |
3 |
| G1105-1692 North America |
3- 4 |
| G1110-1114 Greenland |
3 |
| G1115-(1193) Canada |
3-4 |
| G1200-1534.24 United States |
4 |
| G1535-1537 Caribbean area |
3 |
| G1540-1542 Latin America (General) |
3 |
| G1545-1549 Mexico |
3 |
| G1550-(1594) Central America |
3 |
| G1600-1692 West Indies |
3 |
| G1700-1779 South America |
3 |
| G1791-2196 Europe |
3 |
| G2110-2196 Former Soviet republics. Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). Russia (Empire) G2200-2444.84 Asia
|
3 |
| G2445-2739 Africa |
3-4 |
| G2740-2799 Australasia |
2 |
| G2800-3064 Oceans (General) |
2 |
| G3100-3102 Antarctica |
2-3 |
| G3122 Atlases of imaginary, literary, and mythological
regions, etc., A-Z |
2 |
| G3160-3171 Globes |
0 |
| G3180-9980 Maps |
|
| G3180-3182 Universe. Solar system |
1 |
| G3190-3191 Celestial maps |
0 |
| G3195-3197 Moon |
1 |
| G3200-3202 World. Earth |
2 |
| G3210-3221 Northern and Southern Hemispheres
|
2 |
| G3240-3241 Tropics. Torrid Zone |
2 |
| G3250-3251 Temperate Zone |
2 |
| G3260-3272 Polar regions. Frigid Zone |
2 |
| G3290-9880 Maps by region or country |
|
| G3290-5667 America. Western Hemisphere |
|
| G3300-5184 North America |
3 |
| G3380-3384 Greenland |
2 |
| G3400-(3612) Canada |
3 |
| G3700-4384 United States |
3-4 |
| G4110-G4114 Michigan |
4
|
| G4390-4392 Caribbean area |
2-3 |
| G4410-4763 Mexico |
3 |
| G4800-4874 Central America |
2-3 |
| G4900-5184 West Indies |
2-3 |
| G5200-5667 South America |
2-3 |
| G5670-8904 Eastern Hemisphere. Eurasia,
Africa, etc. |
|
| G5700-7342 Europe |
2-3 |
| G7000-7342 Former Soviet republics. Union of
Soviet Socialist |
2-3 |
| Republics (U.S.S.R.). Russia (Empire) |
2-3 |
| G7400-8198.54 Asia |
2-3 |
| G8200-8904 Africa |
3-4 |
| G8950-9084 Australasia |
2 |
| G9095-9794 Oceans (General) |
2 |
| G9800-9804 Antarctica |
2 |
| GA1-1776 Mathematical geography. Cartography |
3-4 |
|
GB3-5030 Physical geography
|
|
|
GB400-649 Geomorphology. Landforms. Terrain
|
3 |
|
GB651-2998 Hydrology.
Water
|
3 |
*RLG Conspectus levels:
0) Not collected 1)Basic
layperson 2)Undergraduate 3)Research 4)Comprehensive