The oldest book in the collection: Relation du Groenland written by Isaac de La Peyrère in 1647 – a report to the King of France about a journey in Greenland

The Logan Legacy Fund was established in 1992 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Geological Survey of Canada. It is a registered charity administered by the Canadian Geological Foundation and is a unique initiative whereby a government agency solicits private funding for preservation of rare library materials.
The first five years of fundraising were highly successful but subsequent years saw a gradual decline in donations. Annual disbursements were lower than we anticipated and work proceeded at a slow but steady pace since there are few skilled professionals in the area to carry out complex conservation work. We ceased active fund raising in 2000 having raised approximately CAD 100,000 over the years. The fund ceased activity in 2011.
Conservation activities

  • Between 1993-1995 the personal library collection of Sir William Logan was conserved. Work depended on condition of the volume. Some were completely rebound and cleaned while other items needed only minor repairs. All of the 100+ volumes were de-acidified by Library and Archives Canada. Each item was assessed in terms of scientific merit and historical significance and the collection was appraised at a value of CAD 100,000. A paper conservator provided conservation and proper archival storage for three separate manuscripts associated with Logan and the early Geological Survey organization.
  • An assessment of the Exploration Collection was undertaken in 1997. This collection consists largely of 17th and 18th century works pertaining to exploration of North American continent, containing natural history, botany and geology. Some of the earliest observations of the geology of Canada may be found in these volumes. Complex conservation treatment was applied as needed to works of special significance over subsequent years.
  • A collection of approximately 500 original paleontological drawings created by A. Lambe in the late nineteenth century have been individually cleaned and conserved, mounted on acid-free card and placed in archival boxes. These drawings were used to create plates in early GSC publications.
  • Funds were also provided to enable GSC Calgary to restore some of their rare collection of nineteenth century material pertaining to the Canadian Arctic.

An important part of Canada’s geoscience heritage is now conserved for future generations; on occasion, items from this collection have been loaned to the museums in support of special research and exhibits. Access to the material is available through the NRCan Library Catalogue which holds metadata for this collection.