1. Creating an Electronic Information Office.   This task initially requires sorting, cataloging, filing, and computer-database indexing of donations of air photos, reports, maps, and other materials; oil and gas and geothermal files; and publications of the U. S. Geological Survey and other agencies. This may require some locating and interpreting items on maps and air photos and in reports. We have a very large backlog of such materials, and new donations arrive almost daily. Our overall plan is to digitize these records and make them available on line. We feel that providing all our Information Office files on the Web will be a wonderful service to the mining, energy, construction, and geotechnical industries. Volunteers can help accelerate the process of getting this information on the Web.

2. Building a First-Rate Sample-Collection System.   We also have a large backlog of cuttings, cores, and rock samples that need sorting, cataloging, filing, and computer-database indexing. NBMG houses cuttings and some core from oil and gas and geothermal wells drilled in Nevada. We also have various research collections, largely of samples from mining districts, and core from selected projects, including core drilled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines during World War II. We are integrating our sample database with that of the W.M. Keck Museum of the Mackay School of Mines, and our overall plan is to also integrate thesis collections from the UNR Department of Geological Sciences into the database. We plan to provide this database in a searchable manner on the Web (a preliminary version is already available), so that a geologist in an office in Reno, Elko, Denver, or London could quickly find out whether there is a specific mineral, fossil, or ore sample from a given mining district or locality in our collections. Some of this activity will involve working in our storage facilities on campus and at Stead.

3. Serving the Public in Nevada.   Each year the NBMG Information Office serves about 3,000 customers who visit the office to use our open files or sample collections or who make inquiries by mail, e-mail, or telephone. Volunteers could help answer customers' questions and do some research in our files. Most questions are mundane and involve such things as where certain mines or oil wells are located and who owns them; what is some geological or hydrological aspect of the area where someone lives; what is the rock the customer has just brought in; or how to research the value of some old mining stocks. However, questions are asked that require more knowledge or research, such as history of a certain area; location and age of certain roads, railroads, trails (including the Pony Express trail), or structures; fossils; genealogy; meteorites; magic rocks; dowsing for water or minerals; areas to collect rocks or to prospect; staking mining claims; finding areas open to claim staking; mining law; suitable areas for filming movies; school science projects; and more. Volunteers could also help with miscellaneous office work, such as answering phones, responding to written inquiries, helping customers find materials in our files, refiling materials, photocopying, digitizing, and other cartographic and geographic information system (GIS) work.

Ideal qualifications for volunteers are a willingness to serve the public, some geological, mineral-industry, or engineering expertise or interest, and friendly personality. We would prefer volunteers who are willing to work between four to sixteen hours per week for at least a few weeks. Volunteers will be loaned a University parking pass purchased by NBMG.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact David Davis, NBMG Geologic Information Specialist and supervisor of volunteers, at (775) 784-6691 x 133 or ddavis@unr.edu, or visit the office in Room 311, Scrugham Engineering/Mines Building on the University of Nevada, Reno campus between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. Thank you.