A L U M N I N U M B C E L E B R A T I N G ... - Mines Magazine

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINESByJ. HARLAN JOHNSON, '23Associate Professor of Geology andCurator of fhe MuseumColorado School of MinesOur readers have heard reports andread notices from time to time regardingthe new main unit of thegeology building^, above, and morerecently on the wing which was addedto it for the Geophj'sics Department.^That wing was completed late in December,enabling the Department tomove in during the latter part of theChristmas vacation and get organizedin time to start its classes at thebeginning of the second semester{February 1, 1940).The west wing, intended to accommodatethe Geological Museum(Fig. 2), was designed by T. H.Buell and Company, Architects, whoplanned the rest of the Geologj'-Geophysicsbuilding. Plans and specificationswere first advertised on January31, 1939, and the bids were openedon February 21. The Mead andMount Construction Company, whichhad erected tbe central unit of thebuilding, was awarded the contracton a bid of $144,000 to constructboth the Museum and Geophysicswings. The total cost of the build-1 Mines Magazine, vol. 2S, pp. 121, 219. 330,377, 461."Mines Magazine, vol. 29, pp. 272-273, June,1939.NEW GEOLOGICAL MUSEUMing and wings with equipment was$454,000. Tbe Museum Wing wasnot turned over to tbe school untilthe middle of January, 1940, whilethe Geology Department did notcommence moving into it until aboutFebruary 1.J. HARLAN JOHNSONGeneral Floor Plans of theMuseum WingThe wing measures approximately62 X 115 feet and contains a basementand main floor. Tbe floor plans areshown by Figures 3 and 4. The longside of the wing is oriented in an approximatenorth-south direction withthe west side facing Maple Street(Fig. 2). A west entrance fromMaple Street opens on the main floorand the main exhibition room of themuseum. Figure 3 shows thearrangement of the ground floor orbasement. This is on a level with theground floor of the Geology buildingand of the Geophysics Wing. No. 1represents the hallway entrance intothe main building; No. 2 is the stairwayto the main floor; No. 3 is alarge room intended to be used laterfor the exhibits; No. 4 will house tbereference collection of fossils. No. 5the reference collection of minerals.No. 6 is the shipping and receivingroom, while Nos. 7 and 8 are storerooms and 9 and 10 rest rooms.The main floor, as shown in Figure4, contains the main exhibitionhall (11) and two small store rooms(12 and 13). No. 14 represents theentrance opening on Maple Street,and No. 15 the hall and doorwayleading into the main Geology Building.All the rooms are well illuminatedby natural or artificial light. In themain exhibition hall the new fluorescentlighting bas been used with verypleasing effect.CuratorDr. J. Harlan Johnson has beenappointed curator of the museum inaddition to his other duties as AssociateProfessor of Geology. He willbe assisted by the other members oftbe Geology Department in preparingthe exhibition collections and will beadvised by the heads of the degreegrantingdepartments relative to themost efficient use of the museum foreducational purposes.Functions of a MuseumThe desired functions of the museumare visualized to be those listedbelow:1. To collect material.2. To exhibit material.3. To build up research collectionsand stimulate research.4. To actively assist in the teachingwork of the school (a) by havingexhibits to illustrate subjects taught,(b) by having reference research collections,and (c) by the personal activitiesof the curator in supervisingresearch and graduate work based onmaterial in the museum collections.5. To publish and otherwise disseminateinformation to the public.In time, the School of Mines Museumhopes to serve the institution byaccomplishing all of these functions.ExhibitsIn the museum there will be hothexhibition and non-exhibition collections.In planning the exhibits, itmust be remembered tbat the ColoradoSchool of Mines is a mineralindustry school and that geology isthe basic science in mineral industrysince it deals with tbe origin,occurrence, and discovery of mineralsupplies. Three ideas are being keptin mind in preparing the exhibits:(1) To present material to illustratecourses taught in the school, especiallymineralogy, economic geology,petrology, historical geology, andpaleontology. (2) To supply plentyof charts, diagrams and explanatorytexts with the exhibits and to wordthem so as tO' be easily understood,and to make tbe collections as inter-' 'St- jj jj niifl l i l l l l•V Fig. 2.esting as possible to tbe layman andvisitor as well as to the students soas to stimulate popular interest. (3)To illustrate and emphasize associationsand economic importance andapplications.Non-Exhibition ResearchCollections• Fig. 5. Center and table specimen cases.These are collections for the use ofadvanced students, specialists, andothers. They are not to be on exhibition,but to be kept in drawer casesin special rooms (Fig. 3, Nos. 4 and5) where they may be studied. Thesecollections include:(a) The type mineral collection.A systematic collection showingsamples of each mineral and variety,from every locality from which wecan obtain specimens.(b) Paleontologicai collections.Under this heading are collections offossils from Colorado and adjoiningstates arranged by formation andperiod, and collections of identified\ \ \ 1 •Museum from the southwest."Imaterial from other areas for comparativestudies.(c) Ores and non-metallics of economicimportance from producing districtsand areas.(d) Specimens illustrating unusualgeological features. In time thesenon-exhibition research collectionsshould assume an importance as greator greater than the exhibited collectionsfrom an educational viewpoint,especially if the School of Mines developsas a graduate school.EquipmentNew museum cases to equip approximatelyhalf of tbe main exhibitionroom were obtained with thebuilding. These were built by theFig. 4.._- 0• aFIRST FLOOa PLAMa11- \Remington-Rand Company and areof modern design and of the best constructionobtainable. They include7 table cases 8 feet long x 4 feet wide,(Fig. 5) 2 wall cases 10 feet long,(Fig. 6) and 8 tall center cases 10feet long. (Fig. 5) They are ofplate glass with metal corners and168 TKE MINES MAGAZINE APRIL 1940THE MINES MAGAZINE ^ APRIL 1940169