Dec, 191()J A Shelf of Geologic Literature 53 



a few reports of an educational nature. The entire lot should 

 be assembled on a "geology shelf" and the librarian should 

 provide space in the main reading room, where accessible to 

 the public. 



It is not with purely selfish motives that this plea is made, 

 for convenient reference books to meet the needs of the geologist, 

 but rather it is desired to place in the way of the average 

 layman a means of access to local and general geologic infor- 

 mation, for after all it is he whom the State and Federal 

 Geological Surveys hope to serve. 



The study of geology is a broad application of all the 

 •elementary sciences and the up-to-date practical geologist 

 must be a mathematician, chemist, physicist and civil engineer, 

 and should also have an intimate knowledge of zoology, botany, 

 astronomy and other sciences. His long years of training 

 prepare him to go forth and determine the location of undis- 

 covered oil and gas pools, the extension of ore bodies, the depth 

 ■of coal beds, the height to which artesian water will rise when 

 the well is drilled, and other problems in applied geology. 

 His conclusions with proofs are described in "geologic reports." 



Although the geologist deals with such difficult problems, 

 he is expected to write reports that will straightway be com- 

 prehended by the average reader. Even though the utmost 

 attempt is made to write in simple and plain "English," 

 the report must necessarily be of a semi-technical tone in 

 •order to state facts without greatly amplifying and encumbering 

 the discourse with definitions and explanations which have place 

 ■only in an elementary text book. It is therefore highly desir- 

 able that everyone interested in geology should make an effort 

 to become sufficiently familiar with its fundamental principles 

 to be able to intelligently read geologic reports. 



It is believed that a collection of great value as a ready 

 source of general and local geologic information need not include 

 more than twenty-five to forty books that can be housed on a 

 single "geology" shelf. It is true that even in this immature 

 stage of geologic investigation the literature is so voluminous 

 that a well-stocked library will contain thousands of volumes. 

 The library of the U. S. Geological Survey, the most complete 

 in geology in the country, has on its shelves 120,000 bound 

 volumes and 100,000 pamphlets. The selection of a "shelf" 



