Research Projects

IGWS Collections Management

Status Start Date End Date Locations
Active Jul 1, 2023 Jun 30, 2025 All Counties
Director: Jennifer Lanman
Other Researchers: Ashley Douds, Kevin Fuller, Matthew Johnson, Will Knauth, Ben Romlein, Polly Sturgeon, Todd Thompson, Katherine Tucker, Kristen Wilkins IU Collections: Heather Calloway, Kelly Wherley
Funding: Indiana University - Indiana Geological & Water Survey
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - National Geologic and Geophysical Data Preservation Program
Issue: The construction of the ground floor Records Center infrastructure created much-needed space, and transitioning documents not included in the 2022 NGGDPP grant must continue to make way for flat files being purchased with funds from the 2023 NGGDPP award. Other paper documents and photographs must also be reintegrated from temporary offsite storage. Additionally, geologic sample storage in all IGWS spaces is at maximum capacity and access to materials is limited and problematic.
Objective: Short-Term - fulfill CAP goal of creating an item-level inventory of all materials by ingesting existing catalogs into the new CARST management system and conducting new inventories and assessments to identify missed materials; - continue to document and address ongoing issues resulting from the moves to and from temporary housing locations - continue assessing and defining unaddressed housing issues and needs Medium-term - identify and clearly differentiate between known donated collections, collections generated through in-house work/fieldwork, and loaned materials - research and resolve any identified provenance and usage questions or concerns, especially those related to historic "found-in-collection" materials - identify and prioritize paper materials for archival digitization - assign or resolve DOI and IGSN (igsn.org) registrations for appropriate materials through IU Libraries and System for Earth Sample Registration (SESAR) - transfer or expunge materials not appropriate for reference library, Records Center, in-house archive, specimen repository, education collection, or outreach giveaway activities ---this includes identification of materials appropriate for inclusion in IU Archives Long-term - increase accessibility to materials - mitigate future loss or disassociation of materials - create appropriate archival environment for housing materials in perpetuity
Approach: Because of the scope of this project in terms of length and extent, the specifics of approach may shift as areas of focus change, but will follow these general principles: - adhere to best practices for managing geologic specimen collections, paper, and photographic records - recognize that the term "specimen" is purposefully used in its broadest context to incorporate materials from all disciplines employed within the Survey - identify data subsets that are manageable and quantifiable within a specified grant period to utilize funds from NGGDPP, IMLS, and elsewhere as available
Products: Searchable Records, Archives, and Reference Library catalogs accessible through the CARST web portals, future IU collections portals, and other global aggregators, as appropriate.
Benefits: Consolidation of, organization of, and improved access to IGWS materials for research and public service.