Through research projects, students and faculty work closely with the Departments of Geography and Astronomy, the Center for Remote Sensing, the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. English is the predominate language of the collection. Acquisition of new works is limited to English language publications. Historical works that indicate the development of the discipline are acquired selectively. The library maintains full runs of most core geology journals, some starting in the late 1800's.
Current emphasis is on acquiring newer publications.
The Earth Sciences collection is divided between Mugar Memorial Library and the Science and Engineering Library. Works on geodesy are collected by the Astronomy Selector and housed at the Astronomy Library. To support courses taught by the Biology Department, the Biology Selector will also acquire works on biogeology and paleontology. The General Science Selector is primarily responsible for collecting works on the environment. To support courses taught by the Earth Sciences Department, the Geology Selector will also acquire works on the geological processes in environmental science.