Michigan State University Libraries
Encyclopedia
Michigan State University Libraries (MSU Libraries) comprise the 29th largest academic library
system in North America with over 4.9 million volumes and 6.7 million microform
s. A unit of Michigan State University
, the library system comprises nine branch locations including the main library. The Africana Collection is one of the largest of its kind in the nation with a collection of over 200,000 items . Other significant collections include the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library, the largest academic voice library in the nation, containing a collection of over 40,000 hours of spoken word recordings and includes the voices of over 100,000 persons from all walks of life, and the Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collections which includes the extensive Comic Art
Collection. This collection includes over 100,000 comic books, and 10,000 related books and periodicals.
Branch Libraries located inside the main library building include:
In the last few years the MSU program about Africa has been consistently rated among the top one or two programs in the country, both the number of faculty involved and the number of doctoral dissertations produced. The Library has 2 full-time professional Africana librarians, both of them holding doctorates in African Studies, who provide reference assistance to a wide range of faculty and students at MSU and elsewhere. The librarians are also very involved in national cooperative projects.
The Library collection is roughly 270,000 books, pamphlets, maps and microform units
covering all disciplines there is an emphasis on the socio-economic development
and history of sub-Saharan Africa
, with special emphases (reflecting faculty interests) on Ethiopia/Eritrea, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the Sahel
region of West Africa
, and Nigeria (especially the Eastern Region). Library materials come from all African countries (less so for North Africa
) are collected at a high level and from all historial periods.
and Boricua Studies. Chavez Collection materials in other locations require the storage, access/viewing facilities and services not available in an open shelves collection. The main part of this collection is located on the first floor, west wing lobby of the Main Library. This browsing collection is reinforced throughout the Libraries system by other titles in the main stacks collection and various branch collections.
The collection is representative of Chavez's life. It reflects his commitment to unions and labor, non-violence, truth, respect and an appreciation of diversity, education and his cultura. Chavez was a frequent visitor to the Lansing area, and as such, the collection also reflects the Midwest presence of migrant farmworkers.
The Digital and Multimedia Center is the MSU Library's internal digitization facility and media center. In addition to offering online collections, representing many books and journals digitized by DMC, a set of over 10,000 multimedia items are held and are available for check out. These include theatrical movies and instructional software packages. DMC also assists in obtaining permissions from copyright holders for MSU faculty who need to use protected materials in courses and academic projects.
and many other international intergovernmental organizations. It contains over 3 million documents in paper, microformat
, and electronic formats. A significant portion of the collection is presently uncataloged and, therefore, does not appear in the Libraries' catalog.
, demography
and population
, education
, environmental sciences, international relations
, labor
, and law
. The collection is arranged by Superintendent of Documents call number which organizes publications by issuing agency rather than by subject.
There are over 7,000 serial titles, many of which are complete from early dates, including Foreign Relations of the United States from 1861, Geological Survey
Professional Papers from 1896, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers from 1902, and the Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
from 1913.
of Canadian federal documents to support the Canadian-American
Studies Program. The library selects a general range of publications from science to foreign policy
and labor relations
. It is particularly strong in agriculture
, demography
and population
, fisheries and wildlife
, forestry
, and history
. The collection includes Canadian censuses, statutes, and proceedings and reports of the Canadian Parliament.
In 2007 the Library ended its status as a permanent Depository for official publications of the State of Michigan
. All of the materials received including the House and Senate Journals, reports on a variety of subjects, statistical reports and annual reports of various state agencies are maintained in the Government Documents Library.
The collection also contains publications issued by most of the UN specialized agencies and autonomous organizations. These include the Food and Agriculture Organization
, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Monetary Fund
, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, World Bank Group, and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Materials issued by several UN specialized agencies (International Atomic Energy Agency, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization) are housed in the main stacks.
The Map Library houses a collection of general and thematic maps and atlases for most areas of the world. The collection consists of approximately 200,000 sheet maps and 4,000 atlases, gazetteers and other reference aids including wall maps, globes, CDs and Internet-accessible resources. The collection is especially strong in Michigan topics, United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, though all areas are collected at some level.
The Brunnschweiler Geography Library Endowment Fund was established in 1993 by Dr. Tamara Brunnschweiler for the acquisition and preservation of geography materials. Purchases from this fund are often old and rare maps and atlases relating to the MSU Libraries' mission.
In the 1960s, the Michigan State University (MSU) Library began to collect printed turfgrass materials. In 1968, the personal collection of the late O.J. Noer, pioneer turf agronomist, was added to the library holdings through the O.J. Noer Foundation. Today, the combined collection is recognized as the most extensive public collection of turfgrass material in existence.
Between 1983 and 1992, the United States Golf Association
(USGA) Turfgrass Research Program supported the development of the USGA Turfgrass Information File (TGIF). Using the Noer Collection as a foundation, TGIF was designed to systematically inventory published turf research and make the bibliographic information available via a computerized database
.
The TGIF database is now accessible online through the Web. With over 140,000 searchable items using over 300,000 keywords, these resources cover the full scope of the turfgrass industry.
This database monitors over 320 journals
and magazines, research reports, and conference proceedings. In addition, the database includes records for extension bulletins, books and book chapters, technical reports, theses and dissertations, web documents, published Q & As, scanned golf course
plans, and video interviews.
Voice Library is a collection of over 40,000 hours of spoken word recordings, dating back to 1888. The collection includes the voices of over 100,000 persons from all walks of life. Political and cultural leaders and minor players in the human drama are captured and catalogued to serve the research needs of a local, national and international user base. Clients include students and faculty of Michigan State University, other scholars and researchers, broadcasting networks, news agencies and film, video, and Web production companies. It is the largest academic voice library in the United States and is part of the Michigan State University Libraries.
The Special Collections Department of the Michigan State University Libraries collects, houses, and preserves rare and unique materials within the MSU Libraries. The Special Collections was formally established in 1962 with the charge to house special materials, as well as to build, preserve, and make accessible important research collections for educational use. The materials cover a vast array of topics, but materials in Special Collections cannot be checked out, they can be used only in the Special Collections reading rooms.
Today, the Special Collections holds over 450,000 printed works, numerous manuscript and archival collections, and an extensive collection of ephemera supporting research in popular culture, radicalism, comic art, and gender. Notable rare book collections include early veterinary medicine, eighteenth century British history and culture, modern American literature, cookery, and natural history. The Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collection is one of the largest collections of its kind in the world while the Radicalism Collection features extensive holdings on a wide range of political, social, and economic viewpoints. The oldest printed book in the MSU Libraries is held in Special Collections. Its title is Scriptores Rei Rusticae, and was printed in Venice
in 1472, only a short time after the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany about 1455.
comic strips, nearly 15,000 comics from other countries, and several thousand books and periodicals about the subject. The major focus of the collection is on collecting published work, in its effort to give a complete view of the 20th century. Comics are currently the largest and fastest-growing special collection at the MSU Libraries. Its coverage of comic strips was significantly enhanced with the donation in 2007 of the King Features proof sheet collection consisting of roughly one million sheets containing about two million individual strips (a duplicate set was donated to Ohio State University
's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
). In addition, the same year retired Professor Richard Webster of the University of Toledo
donated his collection of one million comic strips collected from around the world during the 1960s.
All contents of the collection are listed in the MSU Libraries' online catalog as well as in the international OCLC computer network. Microfiche copies of several hundred extremely rare superhero comic books from the early 1940s are also available in the Special Collections reading room.
Branch Libraries located outside of the main library building include:
Library, is part of Michigan State University's W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
. The Gull Lake Library contains over 12,00 volumes, many of which are bound journal volumes. Nearly 150 current serial titles are received. The collection supports the research interests of KBS faculty, staff, students and visiting scientists in aquatic and terrestrial ecology, evolution, behavior and agro-ecology. KBS is Michigan State University's largest off-campus education complex and one of North America's premier inland field stations.
The first director of the station, Dr. Walter F. Morofsky, was an entomologist with MSU. Today the library has a strong historical entomology collection. Early Bird sanctuary research and teaching led to a good waterfowl
collection. Once the year round research station was established in 1965, and the branch library was established, a strong research program in limnology
was begun, which continues to this day. Currently, there are strong research programs in limnology, microbial ecology
, plant ecology
, agricultural ecology
, fish ecology and vertebrate
behavioral ecology.
The library provides seating for 450 and has wireless access as well as Internet connections at most tables, carrels and cubicle
s. There are group study rooms available, as well as cubicles for group use. Laser printing, including color, is available from the computers or laptops through e-token accounts. Room 22 serves as an instruction and computer lab with 28 seats. The branch is open 109 hours each week during the fall and spring semesters.
Areas of strength in the LIR Reference Collection include labor and employment law, and grievance arbitration. There are also several information reporters and loose-leaf services for LR/HR information.
Unique among its holdings is the Michigan Public Sector Agreement Collection. In 1972 the LIR Library was designated by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) to be the repository for Michigan public sector agreements. The current agreements are in the LIR Library and superseded agreements are in the University Archives.
The Engineering Library opened in 1963 and was named for a benefactor, Benjamin H. Anibal. The library moved to its present location, 1515 Engineering Building in 1989. Today the collection supports the research and training needs of the College of Engineering. Some older material is housed in an off-campus storage facility. Unbound issues of the journals are arranged alphabetically by title. Bound issues receive a call number and are shelved with the regular book collection..
. The mathematics materials were moved to A304 Wells Hall near the departmental offices. The library was named in honor of Vernon G. Grove, professor of mathematics at MSU from 1920–1958, for "his major role in establishing a tradition of distinguished mathematical research and scholarship" at MSU.
In 1968 the Department of Mathematics was awarded a National Science Foundation Centers of Excellence grant and a significant portion of that grant was used for new physical facilities for the library and expansion of the collection. The Vernon G. Grove Research Library, popularly referred to as the Mathematics Library, opened in 1970 on the first floor of the 3-story D-wing of Wells Hall. An atrium reaching all three stories enhances the contemplative environment of 7000 sq ft (650.3 m²) and its comfortable seating for 70. The full-time staff consists of a library assistant and a librarian.
Library (VMCL) at Michigan State University provides support materials for Veterinary and Veterinary Technology classes, clinical care and ready-reference needs. The historical portions of the collection are housed in the Main Library building.
Since 1910, MSU has supported the only veterinary library within the State of Michigan. The library provides support materials for classes, clinical care, research and reference needs. In addition, public patrons use the library's collection to find information related to companion animals, food animal production, animal welfare and public health and policy. The unique research and historical portions of the collection can be found in Special Collections in the Main Library building.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
system in North America with over 4.9 million volumes and 6.7 million microform
Microform
Microforms are any forms, either films or paper, containing microreproductions of documents for transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about one twenty-fifth of the original document size...
s. A unit of Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, the library system comprises nine branch locations including the main library. The Africana Collection is one of the largest of its kind in the nation with a collection of over 200,000 items . Other significant collections include the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library, the largest academic voice library in the nation, containing a collection of over 40,000 hours of spoken word recordings and includes the voices of over 100,000 persons from all walks of life, and the Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collections which includes the extensive Comic Art
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Collection. This collection includes over 100,000 comic books, and 10,000 related books and periodicals.
Main Library Branch Collections
The Branch Libraries are subject collections located in the Main Library as well as in branch libraries located in other buildings on and off campus. Each of the branch libraries have their own subject specialization.
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Africana
The Africana Collection of the MSU Library has become one of the largest in the United States, having been built up since 1960 to support the broad faculty involvement in different projects on the continent, including research and development.In the last few years the MSU program about Africa has been consistently rated among the top one or two programs in the country, both the number of faculty involved and the number of doctoral dissertations produced. The Library has 2 full-time professional Africana librarians, both of them holding doctorates in African Studies, who provide reference assistance to a wide range of faculty and students at MSU and elsewhere. The librarians are also very involved in national cooperative projects.
The Library collection is roughly 270,000 books, pamphlets, maps and microform units
Microform
Microforms are any forms, either films or paper, containing microreproductions of documents for transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about one twenty-fifth of the original document size...
covering all disciplines there is an emphasis on the socio-economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
and history of sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
, with special emphases (reflecting faculty interests) on Ethiopia/Eritrea, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the Sahel
Sahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
region of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, and Nigeria (especially the Eastern Region). Library materials come from all African countries (less so for North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
) are collected at a high level and from all historial periods.
Cesar Chavez Collection
The Cesar E. Chavez Collection is an interdisciplinary browsing collection consisting of titles in a variety of formats, research levels and locations on ChicanoChicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
and Boricua Studies. Chavez Collection materials in other locations require the storage, access/viewing facilities and services not available in an open shelves collection. The main part of this collection is located on the first floor, west wing lobby of the Main Library. This browsing collection is reinforced throughout the Libraries system by other titles in the main stacks collection and various branch collections.
The collection is representative of Chavez's life. It reflects his commitment to unions and labor, non-violence, truth, respect and an appreciation of diversity, education and his cultura. Chavez was a frequent visitor to the Lansing area, and as such, the collection also reflects the Midwest presence of migrant farmworkers.
Digital & Multimedia Center
Fine Arts
The Fine Arts Library is located in the west wing of the Main Library on the fourth floor. It houses the collections for:- Art (visual artsVisual artsThe visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, architectureArchitectureArchitecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
) - Music (scores, recordings, books, periodicals, reference works and classical musicClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, with strong collections in jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and ethnomusicologyEthnomusicologyEthnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
.
Government Documents
The Government Documents Library] is the Main Library location for publications of the United States government, the Canadian government, the State of Michigan, the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and many other international intergovernmental organizations. It contains over 3 million documents in paper, microformat
Microformat
A microformat is a web-based approach to semantic markup which seeks to re-use existing HTML/XHTML tags to convey metadata and other attributes in web pages and other contexts that support HTML, such as RSS...
, and electronic formats. A significant portion of the collection is presently uncataloged and, therefore, does not appear in the Libraries' catalog.
U.S. Government Documents
The library has been a Federal Government Depository Library since 1907 and currently receives approximately 80 percent of the publications made available to depository libraries. An extensive range and variety of subjects are covered in the U.S. documents collection. It is particularly strong in the areas of agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
and population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, environmental sciences, international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
, labor
Labor relations
Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations...
, and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. The collection is arranged by Superintendent of Documents call number which organizes publications by issuing agency rather than by subject.
There are over 7,000 serial titles, many of which are complete from early dates, including Foreign Relations of the United States from 1861, Geological Survey
Geological survey
The term geological survey can be used to describe both the conduct of a survey for geological purposes and an institution holding geological information....
Professional Papers from 1896, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers from 1902, and the Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and...
from 1913.
Canadian Documents
In 1967, the library became a selective depositoryFederal depository library
The Federal Depository Library Program is a United States program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. As of June 2008, there are 1,252 depository libraries in the United States and its territories. A "government publication" is defined in the U.S...
of Canadian federal documents to support the Canadian-American
Canadian-American
A Canadian American is someone who was born or someone who grew up in Canada then moved to the United States. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives in, or were educated in,...
Studies Program. The library selects a general range of publications from science to foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
and labor relations
Labor relations
Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations...
. It is particularly strong in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
and population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
, fisheries and wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The collection includes Canadian censuses, statutes, and proceedings and reports of the Canadian Parliament.
Michigan Documents
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. All of the materials received including the House and Senate Journals, reports on a variety of subjects, statistical reports and annual reports of various state agencies are maintained in the Government Documents Library.
United Nations Documents and Publications
The collection includes documents and publications issued by the main United Nations organs since 1946. It also includes materials issued by various UN programs and bodies including, but not limited to, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the UN Development Programme, UNICEF, UNRISD, UN University, and the UN Environment Programme.The collection also contains publications issued by most of the UN specialized agencies and autonomous organizations. These include the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, World Bank Group, and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Materials issued by several UN specialized agencies (International Atomic Energy Agency, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization) are housed in the main stacks.
Other International Intergovernmental Organizations
The Government Documents Library also collects materials issued by other international intergovernmental organizations including, but not limited to, the European Union, Asian Development Bank, Organization of American States, Council of Europe, NATO, Association of South East Asian Nations, Western European Union, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.Map Library
The Brunnschweiler Geography Library Endowment Fund was established in 1993 by Dr. Tamara Brunnschweiler for the acquisition and preservation of geography materials. Purchases from this fund are often old and rare maps and atlases relating to the MSU Libraries' mission.
Turfgrass Information Center
The Turfgrass Information Center (TIC), a specialized unit at the Michigan State University Libraries (MSU), contains the most comprehensive publicly available collection of turfgrass educational materials in the world. TIC has over 175,000 records in its primary database, the Turfgrass Information File (TGIF).In the 1960s, the Michigan State University (MSU) Library began to collect printed turfgrass materials. In 1968, the personal collection of the late O.J. Noer, pioneer turf agronomist, was added to the library holdings through the O.J. Noer Foundation. Today, the combined collection is recognized as the most extensive public collection of turfgrass material in existence.
Between 1983 and 1992, the United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
(USGA) Turfgrass Research Program supported the development of the USGA Turfgrass Information File (TGIF). Using the Noer Collection as a foundation, TGIF was designed to systematically inventory published turf research and make the bibliographic information available via a computerized database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
.
The TGIF database is now accessible online through the Web. With over 140,000 searchable items using over 300,000 keywords, these resources cover the full scope of the turfgrass industry.
This database monitors over 320 journals
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
and magazines, research reports, and conference proceedings. In addition, the database includes records for extension bulletins, books and book chapters, technical reports, theses and dissertations, web documents, published Q & As, scanned golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
plans, and video interviews.
Vincent Voice Library Collection
The G. Robert VincentGeorge Robert Vincent
George Robert Vincent was a pioneer in the field of sound recording and archiving.In 1912, he brought a wax cylinder recording device, which he had borrowed from his friend Charles Edison, to the home of former President Teddy Roosevelt, and convinced Roosevelt to speak into it...
Voice Library is a collection of over 40,000 hours of spoken word recordings, dating back to 1888. The collection includes the voices of over 100,000 persons from all walks of life. Political and cultural leaders and minor players in the human drama are captured and catalogued to serve the research needs of a local, national and international user base. Clients include students and faculty of Michigan State University, other scholars and researchers, broadcasting networks, news agencies and film, video, and Web production companies. It is the largest academic voice library in the United States and is part of the Michigan State University Libraries.
The Special Collections
Today, the Special Collections holds over 450,000 printed works, numerous manuscript and archival collections, and an extensive collection of ephemera supporting research in popular culture, radicalism, comic art, and gender. Notable rare book collections include early veterinary medicine, eighteenth century British history and culture, modern American literature, cookery, and natural history. The Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collection is one of the largest collections of its kind in the world while the Radicalism Collection features extensive holdings on a wide range of political, social, and economic viewpoints. The oldest printed book in the MSU Libraries is held in Special Collections. Its title is Scriptores Rei Rusticae, and was printed in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1472, only a short time after the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany about 1455.
Comic Art Collection
A Division or Branch of the Special Collections Department is The Comic Art Collection. The Comic Art Collection holds over 200,000 items. It is the largest library comic book collection in the world. While the bulk of the collection is made up of American comic books, it also includes over 1,000 books of collected newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
comic strips, nearly 15,000 comics from other countries, and several thousand books and periodicals about the subject. The major focus of the collection is on collecting published work, in its effort to give a complete view of the 20th century. Comics are currently the largest and fastest-growing special collection at the MSU Libraries. Its coverage of comic strips was significantly enhanced with the donation in 2007 of the King Features proof sheet collection consisting of roughly one million sheets containing about two million individual strips (a duplicate set was donated to Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, a research library of American comic art, is affiliated with the Ohio State University library system in Columbus, Ohio...
). In addition, the same year retired Professor Richard Webster of the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
donated his collection of one million comic strips collected from around the world during the 1960s.
All contents of the collection are listed in the MSU Libraries' online catalog as well as in the international OCLC computer network. Microfiche copies of several hundred extremely rare superhero comic books from the early 1940s are also available in the Special Collections reading room.
Outside Main Library Building Collections
These are included in the library catalog but physically located outside the Main Library.Branch Libraries located outside of the main library building include:
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Gull Lake Library
This MSU branch library, also known as the Gull LakeGull Lake
- Native American entities:*The Gull Lake Indian Reservation, a former Indian reservation located near Brainerd, Minnesota, surrounding Gull Lake*The Gull Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa, whose descendants are located on the White Earth Indian Reservation-Lakes:...
Library, is part of Michigan State University's W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
Kellogg Biological Station
Kellogg Biological Station , Michigan State University's largest off-campus education complex, is located in Hickory Corners, Michigan . Many of the facilities there were originally built by Will Keith Kellogg of Kellogg's cereal, after whom the station is named...
. The Gull Lake Library contains over 12,00 volumes, many of which are bound journal volumes. Nearly 150 current serial titles are received. The collection supports the research interests of KBS faculty, staff, students and visiting scientists in aquatic and terrestrial ecology, evolution, behavior and agro-ecology. KBS is Michigan State University's largest off-campus education complex and one of North America's premier inland field stations.
The first director of the station, Dr. Walter F. Morofsky, was an entomologist with MSU. Today the library has a strong historical entomology collection. Early Bird sanctuary research and teaching led to a good waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
collection. Once the year round research station was established in 1965, and the branch library was established, a strong research program in limnology
Limnology
Limnology , also called freshwater science, is the study of inland waters. It is often regarded as a division of ecology or environmental science. It covers the biological, chemical, physical, geological, and other attributes of all inland waters...
was begun, which continues to this day. Currently, there are strong research programs in limnology, microbial ecology
Microbial ecology
Microbial ecology is the ecology of microorganisms: their relationship with one another and with their environment. It concerns the three major domains of life — Eukaryota, Archaea, and Bacteria — as well as viruses....
, plant ecology
Plant ecology
Plant ecology is a subdiscipline of ecology which studies the distribution and abundance of plants, the interactions among and between members of plant species, and their interactions with their environment...
, agricultural ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, fish ecology and vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
behavioral ecology.
Business Library (William C. Gast)
The William C. Gast Business Library is located in Room 50 of the Law College Building across from the Eppley Center. It is the largest of the branches at MSU Libraries and has three business librarians, two support staff and twenty-five student employeesThe library provides seating for 450 and has wireless access as well as Internet connections at most tables, carrels and cubicle
Cubicle
Тhe cubicle, cubicle desk, office cubicle or cubicle workstation is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall...
s. There are group study rooms available, as well as cubicles for group use. Laser printing, including color, is available from the computers or laptops through e-token accounts. Room 22 serves as an instruction and computer lab with 28 seats. The branch is open 109 hours each week during the fall and spring semesters.
Labor & Industrial Relations Library
The Labor and Industrial Relations (LIR), collection is located in the Business Library and is open to the public. It consists of a non-circulating LIR Reference Collection on site, with access to the rest of the University Libraries’ system. Established in 1957, it is jointly funded and administered by the School of Labor and Industrial Relations and the MSU LibrariesAreas of strength in the LIR Reference Collection include labor and employment law, and grievance arbitration. There are also several information reporters and loose-leaf services for LR/HR information.
Unique among its holdings is the Michigan Public Sector Agreement Collection. In 1972 the LIR Library was designated by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) to be the repository for Michigan public sector agreements. The current agreements are in the LIR Library and superseded agreements are in the University Archives.
Engineering Library
The Engineering Library is located on the first floor of the Engineering Building in room 1515. The collection consists of over 93,000 volumes and over 450 current journal titles. Some older materials are stored at an off-campus location. The collection supports the research and teaching needs of the College of Engineering.The Engineering Library opened in 1963 and was named for a benefactor, Benjamin H. Anibal. The library moved to its present location, 1515 Engineering Building in 1989. Today the collection supports the research and training needs of the College of Engineering. Some older material is housed in an off-campus storage facility. Unbound issues of the journals are arranged alphabetically by title. Bound issues receive a call number and are shelved with the regular book collection..
Mathematics Library
The mathematics/mathematical statistics collection at MSU was originally housed in the Main Library. When the Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics Building opened in 1949, a branch library was created in that building which housed mathematics, physics, and astronomy materials. In 1967, the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics & Probability moved to the new Wells Hall on the south side of the Red Cedar RiverRed Cedar River (Michigan)
The Red Cedar River is a westward-flowing tributary of the Grand River in Michigan. Its source is Cedar Lake which is located in Marion Township in the southeastern corner of Livingston County, and it runs about through Okemos, East Lansing, including the campus of Michigan State University, and...
. The mathematics materials were moved to A304 Wells Hall near the departmental offices. The library was named in honor of Vernon G. Grove, professor of mathematics at MSU from 1920–1958, for "his major role in establishing a tradition of distinguished mathematical research and scholarship" at MSU.
In 1968 the Department of Mathematics was awarded a National Science Foundation Centers of Excellence grant and a significant portion of that grant was used for new physical facilities for the library and expansion of the collection. The Vernon G. Grove Research Library, popularly referred to as the Mathematics Library, opened in 1970 on the first floor of the 3-story D-wing of Wells Hall. An atrium reaching all three stories enhances the contemplative environment of 7000 sq ft (650.3 m²) and its comfortable seating for 70. The full-time staff consists of a library assistant and a librarian.
Veterinary Medical Center Library
The Veterinary Medical CenterMichigan State University College of Human Medicine
The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine is an academic division of Michigan State University , and grants the Doctor of Medicine degree. CHM was founded in 1964 as the first community-integrated medical school, and has a program that emphasizes patient-centered care and a...
Library (VMCL) at Michigan State University provides support materials for Veterinary and Veterinary Technology classes, clinical care and ready-reference needs. The historical portions of the collection are housed in the Main Library building.
Since 1910, MSU has supported the only veterinary library within the State of Michigan. The library provides support materials for classes, clinical care, research and reference needs. In addition, public patrons use the library's collection to find information related to companion animals, food animal production, animal welfare and public health and policy. The unique research and historical portions of the collection can be found in Special Collections in the Main Library building.
See also
:Category:Federal depository libraries- Fred Waring Cartoon Collection
- International Federation of Library Associations and InstitutionsInternational Federation of Library Associations and InstitutionsThe International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions is the leading international association of library organisations. It is the global voice of the library and information profession, and its annual conference provides a venue for librarians to learn from one another...
- Library of Congress ClassificationLibrary of Congress ClassificationThe Library of Congress Classification is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. It is used by most research and academic libraries in the U.S. and several other countries; for example, Australia and Taiwan, R.O.C. It is not to be confused with the Library of...
- Library of Congress Subject HeadingsLibrary of Congress Subject HeadingsThe Library of Congress Subject Headings comprise a thesaurus of subject headings, maintained by the United States Library of Congress, for use in bibliographic records...
- Library 2.0Library 2.0Library 2.0 is a loosely defined model for a modernized form of library service that reflects a transition within the library world in the way that services are delivered to users....
- List of newspaper comic strips
- Open access (publishing)
- Public Library of SciencePublic Library of ScienceThe Public Library of Science is a nonprofit open-access scientific publishing project aimed at creating a library of open access journals and other scientific literature under an open content license...
- Research libraryResearch libraryA research library is a library which contains an in-depth collection of material on one or several subjects . A research library will generally include primary sources as well as secondary sources...