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State
Spotlight:
California
Department of Conservation's
California Geological Survey Library The
California
Geological Survey Library (CGSL), a service of the Department
of Conservation, is open to the public for reference and research.
Established in 1880, the library houses over 20,000 books, reports, maps,
photographs, journals, and periodicals pertaining to the earth sciences and California's geology.
The
CGSL is particularly concerned with the geology of California, the study of which demands mapping in diverse forms.
Items in the CGSL collection include scientific maps of the types, ages,
and extents of different rock masses in California; the
locations and types of mineral deposits in the state, the locations and extent
of potentially hazardous minerals in the state; the
locations of geologic hazards such as faults or landslides and the risks from
earthquakes, landslides, or debris flows in specific areas of the state; listings of the effects of different climates in the state especially with
respect to the geography in which they occur.
According
to the CGSL’s Senior Librarian Pam Ryan, the CGSL has a customer base that extends
beyond CGSL staff, and state and federal agency employees. Anyone interested in California’s diverse physical or business environments from teachers, students, and
parents to attorneys, historians, miners, genealogists, contractors, developers,
consultants, and even tourists, can enjoy the CGSL’s specialized library
services.
The
CGSL’s diverse customers come to the library seeking information on a wide
variety of topics. Ryan reports that
many customers contact the CGSL for information for real estate investment
purposes. These people want to know
about earthquake or landslide risks and mineral resource or mineral hazards
particularly.
Like
earthquake data, mining is also a popular topic at this California
state agency library. Ryan says she
and her staff receive mining questions on claims, on historic mines and mining,
on types of mining operations, on family genealogy related to specific mines, on
how to find gold and other precious metals, and on the value of old mining
stocks. Other customers inquire
about historic photographs of mines, mining equipment, and publications and maps
that the CGSL sells.
Staff
in California
libraries may request CGSL materials through interlibrary loan channels at the
California State Library or local public libraries. For more information about
the California Geological Survey Library please visit http://www.consrv.ca.gov/CGS/information/publications/library/index.htm.
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