http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/4519 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:05:56 GMT 2026-04-05T21:05:56Z http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7059 The works of James D. Dana, then and now: An enduring legacy for mineralogy and for libraries Adams, Kristen James D. Dana is a historical figure in geology and mineralogy who lived from 1813-1895. Early in his life he was a student of Asa Gray, who would later become a well-known botanist, and was also a student under Benjamin Silliman, the founder of the American Journal of Science. When Dana was in his 20’s he sailed on a U.S. Navy expedition as the official mineralogist, and later became a professor at Yale. Over his lifetime he corresponded with other major figures in the history of science including Berzelius, Lyell, Agassiz, and Darwin. He was very prolific, authoring hundreds of scientific articles, and of interest to librarians, a number of book series on mineralogy, which continued to be updated after his death. One such series is ‘The System of Mineralogy’, that contains a mineral classification scheme he devised, in which each mineral is assigned a number, as a sort of unique ID. As new minerals were discovered and known minerals were reclassified, the scheme necessarily needed to be updated. He himself wrote, and rewrote ‘The System of Mineralogy’ up to the 5th edition, his son Edward S. Dana wrote the 6th edition; and the most recent edition, the 8th is from 1997. The classification system has parallels to the more familiar CAS registry numbers for chemicals. The works of this historical figure continues to endure as valuable resources for researchers and library collections in the modern day. http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7059 http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7058 Where did all the books go? Consolidating, relocating and reorganizing the church library after space renovations Adams, Kristen The space the church library had long resided in, the Molyneux Lounge, underwent renovations in summer to fall of 2023. The book collection therefore needed to be relocated and dramatically downsized to fit in the new space. All the remaining books were digitally cataloged, physically reorganized by topic on the shelves and the library is now much more browsable and user friendly. During this presentation, the details of this process will be shared, and the question of ‘where did all the books go’, will be answered. http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7058 http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7057 Dramatically Downsizing a Map Collection: A story from one library’s experience with practical advice for others Adams, Kristen Once upon a time our campus, like many others, had a science library with a map room. Not that long ago, the science library was closed permanently and needed to integrate its collections into the main library building on campus. This was not a small undertaking. The map collection was a lower priority and waited till librarians had finished weeding and migrating the book collection. The aim was to keep only 5-10% of the map collection, due to the available space to relocate to and the minimal use. The dilemma therefore was deciding what to keep, not what to withdraw. This was discussed and settled by a few librarians, the actual sorting and weeding commenced by only a single librarian, and the project eventually wrapped up two years later. The extended project length was due to a variety of factors. One of the main reasons was that more than half of the maps were not cataloged, which was a surprise to all involved; this meant that it was not possible to use the catalog as a weeding tool, every drawer needed to be physically sorted through. An additional obstacle was that for weeding purposes and procedures the maps fell into two categories, U.S. government documents, and non-government documents; the process of deaccessioning government documents is very particular and is laid out by federal policies whereas it is much simpler for non-government documents. Unfortunately, these two types were often physically interfiled and needed to be separated. This presentation will share additional details and hurdles to the project’s completion. While every situation is unique, libraries are constantly looking to consolidate spaces for other purposes, and map collections aren’t used as frequently as in the past, with the rise and convenience of digitally available maps, thereby making themselves natural targets. The presenter will share advice on weeding map collection, at any scale, including what to be aware of, and how to tackle the challenges that come with it. http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7057 http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7056 The Boundaries of Student Success Librarianship Floyd, Nate; Birkenhauer, Laura http://hdl.handle.net/2374.MIA/7056