The Fletcher L. Byrom Earth and Mineral Sciences Library serves the community of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The library is housed in 105 Deike Building, which is located near the corner of Pollock Road and Burrowes Road. The library is one floor above the ground floor entrance. To visit the library, it is necessary to use the elevator or the stairs.
The EMS Library offers numerous study carrels and several reservable study rooms for group work. Two librarians and many full- and part-time staff offer a wide array of services, including:
- Interlibrary loans
- Document delivery
- Equipment for checkout
- Course reserves
- Group study room reservation
- Monochrome and color printing
- Guest computer for reference searching
The librarians and library staff are available for EMS reference questions, issues with EMS related databases and resources, and general reference.
Visit the EMS Library website to learn more about how our services and resources can benefit you.
History and Naming of the EMS Library
Founded in 1930, the library was originally created as the Mineral Industries Library from a collection of approximately 1,000 books from Dean Edward Steidle’s office and the Pennsylvania State College Library, who added relevant materials from their collection. In 1966, the library was moved from the Mineral Industries Building (now the Steidle Building) to Deike Building and renamed the Earth and Mineral Sciences Library. In 2001, the library received an endowment from Mr. George Middlemas and was re-named in honor of Fletcher L. Byrom.
Byrom graduated from the metallurgy program at Pennsylvania State College in 1940. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1963 and Alumni Fellow in 1974. A former trustee of the University, he was past president and a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association. In thirteen years, he rose to the presidency of Koppers Company, Inc., becoming one of the youngest presidents of a major corporation in the nation at that time.
