Carlson Library rocks out

It’s a beautiful part of nature that we don’t see and often take for granted. Every step you take, there are approximately 3,800 miles of Earth standing between you and the center of the planet. The very top layer of the Earth’s surface, or the crust, is anywhere between zero to 100 kilometers thick.

A fossil, rock and mineral show currently on exhibit at the Carlson Library and runs through April 2017. The display was commissioned by David Remaklus, director of library operations in Carlson Library.

“We have over a hundred incredible specimens on display, making for an impressive show,” said Dave Remaklus in a press release. “Most are from the University’s Museum of Mineralogy and Paleontology, with some from the private collections of Mark Camp and Ruth Jacobs, circulation coordinator at the Carlson Library.”

According to Mark Camp, an associate professor in the department of geology, the display was made possible because the library came to the aid of the geology department several years ago.

“Dave and I became acquainted when Bowman-Oddy Lab was being renovated a couple of years ago,” Camp said. “At that time the old museum room was being converted to a laboratory. The old wooden display cases had to find a new home or be recycled, because there was no longer any room for them in the new area designated for the museum.”

The library restored the cabinets and moved them to the fifth floor. They also created rotating displays so they could have future exhibits.

“The first exhibit was a display of old glass bottles, and then this year the rock, mineral, and fossil display was assembled,” Camp said. “The exhibit displays the beauty, geometry and uses of some important minerals. Also displayed are fossil representatives of the major groups of animals and plants. Specimens mainly focus on North America.”
The display focuses on the areas of rocks and minerals, fossils and the industrial use of minerals and rocks. The latter category displays the geologic materials needed to construct one of Toledo’s famous products — the Jeep.

Camp said the final number of minerals and rocks was larger than he expected. He provided around 100 specimens for the display.

“Hopefully this display will bring some visitors to the permanent displays of minerals, rocks and fossils in Bowman-Oddy,” Camp said. “A few of the old wooden cabinets remain in the first and third floor hallways in BOL. Other displays are along the third floor hallway of BOL and the main museum, a work in progress, is in BOL 1007.”

Camp encourages anyone who is interested in this display to check out UT’s geology major, Environmental Sciences. He and Remaklus agree that the library is a great place to show a mini-exhibit of the museum’s treasures.

“Having the display in the library makes it easy for everyone to see these remarkable specimens,” Remaklus said. “We are really happy to be able to showcase this wonderful collection.”