INNOVATION May-June 2014

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Robert McCandless, P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.);

Roy Wares, P.Eng., FEC

Preserving Our Geoscience Library

The question about whether a geoscientist’s work can rely solely on electronic sources for reference and research can be debated at great length. Nevertheless, at some point, geoscientists habitu- ally turn to a paper source—a textbook, a journal, a decades-old Geological Survey of Canada report or a roll of maps—to interpret the geology of a location. Fortunately geoscientists have access to a treasury of geological information housed in the Cordilleran Research Library, maintained at 605 Robson St. in Vancouver by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). But can we count on it being there five years from now? Last January, the media reported on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) closing its research library in down- town Vancouver. This example might provide some foreshadowing for the future of the GSC library. As such, an open and inclusive discussion about the library’s future should be front of mind for APEGBC members. The real question is whether the government will allow APEGBC professionals sufficient time needed to lead the discus- sion. Last September, federal ministers gave written replies to an opposition member’s question about the fate of the DFO and many federal research libraries. Natural Resources Canada did not tell

Parliament that it intended to follow DFO’s example by “consoli- dating” its geological research libraries. That offers some assur- ance, but nothing prevents the department from dropping the Cordilleran Library from its estimates for the 2015/16 fiscal year. Engineers and geoscientists have a professional obligation to use the best available information to support our designs and inter- pretations. Even 10 years ago, the list of needed sources for geosci- ence practice was short—maps, textbooks, journals, workshop and conference proceedings and a growing collection of papers off the Internet. Now almost every aspect of our work has gone digital. Apparently, with the obvious exception of fieldwork, the web holds far more information than a practitioner needs for most proj- ects. And though it seems that enhanced data transfer speeds and breadth of information make the digital route a more appealing one, our professions would benefit if the library (and its website) remains the go-to place to help us find our way. Technical libraries are doing their best to keep up. As older publications are scanned to increase a library’s elec- tronic holdings, the shelves are proportionately emptied of printed books and journal back issues, which eventually may lead to budget cuts.

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