Introduction
This collection development policy establishes the policies and procedures to be followed regarding the selection, acquisition, evaluation, uses, withdraw, and maintenance of the Mary B. Ansari (MBA) Map Library collection. It is intended to ensure consistency of practice among those responsible for developing the collection, and to communicate the Map Library’s policies to faculty, students, staff and other map users. A collection development policy is, of necessity, subject to change as the programs and information needs of the library change.
A periodic review and update of this policy document will be conducted every other year.
Summary and history of the Map Library
The Mary B. Ansari Map Library is located inside the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library, basement level of the Mackay Mines Building. It is the largest map collection in the state of Nevada, containing approximately 200,000 atlases, maps, and vertical files from commercial sources and federal and state agencies. It includes topographic and earth science topical maps for Nevada and the Great Basin Region, the United States, and the world.
The Mary B. Ansari Map Library was named to honor Mary B. Ansari, emerita, former Mines librarian who founded the collection in 1979. In 1990, her husband, Nazir Ansari, established an endowment in his wife’s name to benefit the Map Library. In 1997, the Map Library was relocated to its current location in the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library.
Collection policy
The Mary B. Ansari Map Library collection emphasizes Nevada and the Great Basin region, with additional maps of the United States and around the world.
The Map Library houses the maps issued to the University of Nevada, Reno, a selected federal documents depository for the state. Depository map sources include United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service, and the US Forest Service. The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG) maps are also deposited here.
Reference materials, bibliographies, and atlases are located in the Map Library Reference Collection in the Ansari Map Library, and in the Mathewson Automated Retrieval System (MARS) located at the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center (Main Campus Library).
Acquisition policy
We welcome purchase recommendations or requests from the University community for any atlases, books, globes, maps, or electronic resources. If you would like to request resources for the Map Library, please email the Map Librarian for recommendations. Priority for approved purchase will be for classes, research use, and for materials relevant to the Great Basin region. The Mary B. & Nasir Ansari Endowment agreement states that “funds shall be used for the development of the map collection, related equipment, or other needs of the map library, as determined by the Dean of Libraries or the Dean’s delegates.”
Collection scope
The Mary B. Ansari Map contains approximately 200,000 maps in the collection located on the basement level of the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library in the Mackay Mines building. The collection focuses on Nevada and the Great Basin Region and selected collections representing the United States and regions around the world.
Withdrawal policy
This section established the policies and procedures to be followed regarding the withdrawal of Ansari B. Map Library materials when the item is in hand. This section does not address all the policies and procedures associated with the decision itself to withdraw materials.
These policies and procedures apply to the materials that have been fully accessioned and catalogued and require marking in order to be officially de-accessioned. Assessment of the collection will be ongoing and reviewed on an as needed bases or every five years.
- The library will hold up to three copies of each individual map and edition.
- Maps will be withdrawn if: the condition is damaged, or status is lost, missing, billed, etc. or as required by depository standards (superseded materials).
Gift policy
The Mary B. Ansari Map Library does accept selected maps, atlases, globes and vertical map files that fit the collection scope. We do not accept any USGS topographic maps as those were mass produced and are available online from multiple digital map collections. Please check out the University Libraries gifts-in-kind policy and alternatives for donating materials for more information.