A SHELF OF GEOLOGIC LITERATURE FOR THE SMALL 



LIBRARY, WITH A GUIDE TO THE MORE 



IMPORTANT REPORTS ON OHIO.* 



D. Dale Condit. 



The scarcity or absence of standard local and general 

 geologic literature in many public libraries is far too frequently 

 discovered to his sorrow by the field geologist, who is so rash 

 as to go into a region without his "trunk-ful" of books. 

 Recently I had occasion to visit libraries in a number of the 

 larger towns in eastern Ohio, many of which are fine large 

 structures of the Carnegie class. On inquiring for certain 

 publications of the United States Geological Survey, I was 

 informed that the library had none. "A complete set was 

 received several years ago, but has recently been sent back, 

 because they occupied so much space and because there was 

 no call for them. " 



There was a similar scarcity or absence of reports by the 

 State Geological Survey. I was referred to the books on 

 geology in the general reading room. These usually would be 

 Le Conte's Textbook, works of Lyell and Tyndall, or other 

 writings of ancient vintage. 



Certainly a town of sufficient size to own a library of any 

 description should have all geological literature available 

 pertaining to its vicinity, if not to the entire State. It is 

 asking too much from them to straightway harbor formidable 

 volumes of a highly technical character, such as rock analyses 

 or principles of metamorphism, and when these come en masse 

 they are almost sure to be stored in the musty, dusty space 

 assigned to "Government documents." But a well selected 

 educational set must find favor when its existence is revealed 

 to the public, and any library, however small it may be, should 

 be provided with a collection such as is herein suggested. 

 The list should include one or two up to date, elementary 

 text books on physiography and geology, State Survey pub- 

 lications of local and general interest, and the publications 

 of the Federal Survey concerning local geology, together with 



*Piil)lislicil liy i)('rmissi(_in of the iJircctor U. S. Cjcological Survey. 



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