To support the teaching and research of the Geography Department through, and beyond, the doctoral level. Books concentrating on geography, discovery and exploration, and climate have been collected by the University Library since its inception but were not brought together until 1911 when the Natural History Library was formed. English is the dominant language of the collection. Materials in Western Europe languages are also collected in varying degrees of intensity. Materials in Slavic and Eastern European languages and materials in Asian and Middle Eastern languages are collected only in cooperation with the Slavic and Eastern European Library and the Asian Library, respectively.
Emphasis is on scholarly treatment rather than popularization, textbooks, and children's literature.
The Undergraduate Library normally collects more popular treatments and the Education and Social Sciences Library collects children's literature for its School Collection. To supplement the collection on cartography, a comprehensive bibliography section, and a strong collection of gazetteers. Appropriate primary and secondary works, and bibliographic, and reference materials are acquired. Ordinarily, dissertations, theses and translations are selectively collected. Audio-visual materials are normally collected selectively.