Library Spotlight: Geology-Mathematics-Physics
The Geology, Mathematics, Physics (GMP) Library provides access to services and collections across the sciences including geology, geography, environmental science, mathematics, physics, astronomy and more. To locate library resources, Research Guides are available as well as a search may be conducted via the Library Catalog.
Centrally located on UC’s Uptown campus at 240 Braunstein Hall, the GMP Library provides study and computing spaces, open stacks for browsing science collections and a service desk for reserves and research assistance. GMP Library is also the Uptown Campus home for UC Libraries’ Research & Data Services (RDS), a suite of services and spaces for researchers. RDS at GMP Library includes the Visualization Laboratory with a focus on data science and visualization support with a high-technology collaboration space for workshops, semester classes, and research group meetings. RDS also offers the Data & GIS Collab with consultation support for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and data analysis and access to high-end workstations with specialized software for spatial analysis.
History
The GMP Library represents a bringing together of multiple departmental libraries over time, each collection with a unique campus history.
Founded in 1907, the University of Cincinnati’s Geology Department is one of the oldest in the United States. The geology collection began as a departmental collection, established early in the department’s history. In 1951, the collection was combined with University Library materials and housed with the geography collection, thus forming the Geology-Geography Library.
Since 1929, the Physics Library served the Department of Physics as a departmental library. Prior to that time, the physics collection was part of the University General Library. From 1960-1974, the Physics Library also housed the mathematics collection until they each became separate libraries. In 1987, the Physics Department and the Geology Departments moved from the Old Tech building into the new Geology-Physics Building. Three years later, their respective libraries merged collections into a combined Geology/Physics Library and relocated to the Braunstein Hall current location (former home of UC’s Bookstore).
In 2004, the Mathematics Library (then located in the Old Chemistry Building) merged into the Geology-Physics Library, forming the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library. Ten years later, circulating collections (books, theses, A-V collections) of athe Chemistry-Biology Library in Rieveschl Hall merged into the GMP Library following a space renovation. Reserves and non-circulating collections (reference, bound journals) remain at Chemistry-Biology Library.
Special Collections
The Rare Book Room of the GMP Library brings together the most treasured gems in the general sciences, math, physics, and geology. A few interesting titles include: first editions by Louis Agassiz, Marie Curie, Max Planck and Nevin Fenneman, a pop-up book from 2010 celebrating the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator, and a complete run of The Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History. Rare books are available by request Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.
Selected items from the Rare Book Room are on exhibit around the GMP Library entry-level floor. GMP is also hosting a display on the 2022 Journey to Challenger Deep submersible dive completed by Dr. Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist for ESRI and Caladan Oceanic. This dive represented a significant and historic scientific achievement being that Challenger Deep is the deepest point in the world’s oceans!
The Willis G. Meyer Map Collection was generously endowed by a gift from Willis George Meyer (1906-1995) and his family. The Willis G. Meyer map collection contains over 200,000 maps and books on maps and map-making. The collection connects to disciplines as diverse as geology, geography, oceanography, planning, environmental science and anthropology. To prepare for future space renovations in GMP Library, most the Meyer collection’s map cases will relocate to UC Libraries’ remote storage facility in the summer of 2024. The GMP Library will continue to house cases of regional maps (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana) and maps with frequent use in courses and research. GMP Library also has a large format scanner for digitizing maps and other large physical documents such as drawings and blueprints. The GeoSciences Research Guide contains more information on the map collections and contacts for assistance.
The Geology “Field Trip” Guidebooks are a unique collection of road logs guiding the visitor through the geological features of a particular region. They often contain stop-by-stop itineraries describing the local geologic history and rock types. Guidebooks are typically distributed to geology researchers attending field trips during conferences, so these are produced in small quantities and are not generally acquired directly by libraries. The GMP Library collection, now over 1,400 items, contains many donations from the geology faculty over the years. They provide a fascinating record of the faculty’s academic interests and passions.
Two namesake collections represent the donated works of two UC luminary faculty, Isay Balinkin and Kenneth Caster. Isay Balinkin was a professor of physics at UC and a pioneer in the field of color studies. The Isay Balinkin Collection of Color and Light focuses on color through the lenses of science, art, industry, society, fashion, and more. Kenneth Caster was a Professor of Geology and Paleontology and a prolific researcher. The Kenneth Caster Collection contains seminal and unique books across both disciplines. These namesake collections are in open stacks and available for browsing.
For more information about the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library, including hours of operation, a list of librarians and staff and available services, visit the website.
