Collections
Collecting the past, preserving the future
The IGWS core library needs help. Visit Collections Needs for more information.
Current collections focus areas:
- developing and implementing a unified collections management policy;
- reboxing and photography of bedrock core samples;
- evaluating and rehousing all physical samples and analysis and testing equipment in a permanent storage facility or facilities;
- developing an enterprise database using an open-source format that supports easy updating and querying of all IGWS physical and digital data collections; and
- developing and maintaining an unbiased, publicly facing geologic data portal for statewide hazards and energy, mineral, and water resources.
Frequently asked questions: Collections
Physical collections have limited access and are open by appointment only. Read more about our Collections Needs here. Interested researchers should email us three weeks ahead of their preferred visit date to make arrangements.
IGWS digital collections are available here.
IGWS digital collections are available here.
The IGWS accepts loan requests on a case-by-case basis. Please email us to make a request.
Please note that the IGWS allows destructive sampling for research purposes; data generated from sampling must be provided back to the Survey. If you intend to sample a specimen, please describe this work in your request.
Please note that the IGWS allows destructive sampling for research purposes; data generated from sampling must be provided back to the Survey. If you intend to sample a specimen, please describe this work in your request.
The IGWS considers donations on a case-by-case basis. Not all specimens are appropriate to donate, especially those without basic locality data or clear ownership details. Please email us for more information.
Material collected outside of Indiana will only be considered for inclusion in the Education collection.
Material collected outside of Indiana will only be considered for inclusion in the Education collection.
The Indiana Geological and Water Survey’s vast collection of physical samples has been in temporary storage since 2018. Visitation is open by appointment only. Read more about our Collections Needs here.
Digital copies of our publications created prior to 2019 are available for free download here. Work published since 2019 is available for free download from the Indiana Journal of Earth Sciences.
The IGWS does not provide digital copies of materials that are held under another organization's copyright.
Physical copies of our publications can be found in many public and university libraries.
The IGWS does not provide digital copies of materials that are held under another organization's copyright.
Physical copies of our publications can be found in many public and university libraries.
Digital copies of illustrations and images can be downloaded, shared, and adapted for noncommercial use under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) copyright license. Please give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
Reproductions of IGWS material for commercial use are considered on a case-by-case basis and fees may apply. Commercial use includes, but is not limited to, for-profit publications; textbooks, trade books, and reference books; motion pictures, commercial television, and video productions; large-circulation or mass-market magazines; printed or televised advertisements; calendars, posters, museum reproductions, postcards, and note cards; and other items made available to a relatively broad audience.
To request commercial use of an IGWS illustration, map, or specimen image, please email us for more information.
Reproductions of IGWS material for commercial use are considered on a case-by-case basis and fees may apply. Commercial use includes, but is not limited to, for-profit publications; textbooks, trade books, and reference books; motion pictures, commercial television, and video productions; large-circulation or mass-market magazines; printed or televised advertisements; calendars, posters, museum reproductions, postcards, and note cards; and other items made available to a relatively broad audience.
To request commercial use of an IGWS illustration, map, or specimen image, please email us for more information.
The collection and care of Indiana’s geological heritage began in 1837 when Governor Noah Noble appointed David Dale Owen as the first state geologist. His duties required him to maintain a "geological cabinet" of rocks, minerals, and fossils. As part of his reconnaissance of the state’s natural resources, Owen invited members of the public to send samples and specimens to his laboratory in New Harmony, Indiana, for identification and display.
As the Survey grew and relocated, collections were split among the Indiana University Paleontology Collection and the Indiana State Museum, and a significant portion of Owen’s holdings were donated to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. The legacy of these early collections continues with today’s modern mission to collect, archive, and facilitate access to Indiana’s natural resources.
As the Survey grew and relocated, collections were split among the Indiana University Paleontology Collection and the Indiana State Museum, and a significant portion of Owen’s holdings were donated to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. The legacy of these early collections continues with today’s modern mission to collect, archive, and facilitate access to Indiana’s natural resources.