Penn State University Libraries - Penn State Collections of Distinction

Collections of Distinction reports (.pdf) or html

The meteorology collection at Penn State serves one of the oldest and best meteorology departments in the nation. The University Libraries contain a superb collection in various aspects of meteorology and climatology. This includes marine climatology and an extensive collection of documents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Pennsylvania has a rich heritage of being one of the premier metallurgy and mining states. The University Libraries' collection on the history of coal mining, mining processes and metallurgy is a tremendous resource to students in one of the top engineering programs in the nation.

Food Science

The collections of the Life Sciences Library serve The College of Agricultural Sciences, the first college established at Penn State which awarded the nation's first baccalaureate degrees in agriculture in 1861. Particular collections of note include the Kneebone Mushroom Collection, which supports programs in mycology and mushroom science technology, and collections on foods such as chocolate and ice cream.

German Americana

The University Libraries' general collections hold significant materials supporting the study of German-American history and culture, especially in the Pennsylvania region. These holdings also complement the significant special collections of Pennsylvania German Broadsides and Frakturs, and the Allison-Shelley Collection of German Literature in English Translation.

History of Art Education

Penn State's Special Collections hold the Harold J. McWhinnie Collection on Art and Art Education, 1901-2000. The University Libraries' general collections also hold significant materials to support the curriculum for the practice and theory of art education and training.

Materials Science

The materials science collection is of particular note, with emphasis on ceramics, glass, polymers and plastics, and properties of materials. The University Libraries also collect in the areas of nanotechnology, electronic and photonic materials, biomaterials, computational materials science and composites to serve the more than 130 undergraduate majors and 190 graduate students.