¡¡ CGL has developed over the last ninety years along with the growth of the study and application of geology in China. The history of China Geological Library can be divided into three main phases: inception, from 1913 to 1916; growth, from 1916 to 1949; and stable development, from 1949 to the present.
¡TThe history of CGL is marked by a numerous events, events that also provide an insight into the development of modern geology in China.
¡¡The establishment of CGL can be traced back to September 1913, when the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Beiyang Government established two agencies: the Institute of Geological Surveying and the Institute of Geological Research. The Institute of Geological Surveying, which was headed by Mr. Ding Wenjiang (Picture 2), was a governmental agency for undertaking geological work. The Institute of Geological Research, directed by Mr. Zhang Hongzhao (Picture 1), was an academic organization supported by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The primary task of the Institute of Geological Research was to train high-quality geologists. It was situated at Mashen Temple, the former site of the state-run Peking University Preparatory School (now number 55, Shatanhou Street). Within the Institute was a library containing books from the Department of Geology at Peking University, private donations from geologists and books purchased by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. This library is the origin of the present-day CGL. The collection was managed by a librarian and its main function was to serve as a teaching resource. The Institute of Geological Research closed down in June 1916, by when it had produced 22 graduates.

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¡¡ After the closure of the Institute of Geological Research, its library was transferred to the Institute of Geological Surveying situated at number 3, Fengsheng Hutong (Picture 4) in July 1916. There were three reading rooms containing 400 volumes of professional works. From then on, the collection grew rapidly.

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¡FFrom July 1916 to 1949, the Geological Library was renamed four times, the successive names being:
¡¤ Associated Library of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce;
¡¤ Associated Library of the Institute of Geological Surveying of the Republic of China;
¡¤ Associated Library of the Institute of Geological Surveying;
¡¤ Central Library of the Institute of Geological Surveying.
¡¡In 1921, a new building was constructed for the library at number 9, Bingmasi (Picture 5). This was an important event in the history of modern Chinese geology. From then on, the Geological Library has been housed in independent premises. The director of the Institute of Geological Surveying, Ding Wenjiang, together with Zhang Hongzhao and Weng Wenhao (Picture 3), helped raise 39 000 yuan to construct the library building. The two-floor library building was designed and built by the German company Leihu and drew praise for its graceful architectural design. The building initially held a collection of more than 4000 volumes and provided excellent services and facilities, and thus became known as the best geological library in East Asia.

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¡TThe new geological library served not only as a place for holding books, but also as a setting for historic meetings. In February 1922, the establishment of the Geological Society of China, a milestone in the history of geosciences in China, took place at a meeting in the library. Zhang Hongzhao was elected as president and Weng Wenhao and Li Siguang as vice-presidents of the institute. China Journal of Geology, edited by the Geological Society of China, and Geology Reports, edited by the Institute of Geological Surveying, were published and distributed overseas by the Geological Library. In 1927, the Mine Engineering Association was also established in the Geological Library.
¡IIn 1935, with the relocation of the Institute of Geological Surveying to Nanjing (Picture 6), the library shipped most of its collection to Nanjing, beginning a period of turbulence and confusion. After the July 7th Incident the library was moved to Changsha and soon after to Chongqing, before being moved back to Nanjing in 1946. Desite the instability, the library made good progress and had increased its collection to 120 000 volumes by June 1949.

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¡¡ After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, the library underwent rapid development.
¡¡ In 1950, the library of the Institute of Geological Surveying was renamed as the Associated Library of the Steering Committee of China's Geological Work Program. The library was headquartered in Nanjing with a branch library at number 9, Bingmasi, Beijing.
¡¡ In 1952, the Ministry of Geosciences was established by the central government (Picture 7) and the name of the library was changed to Associated Library of the Ministry of Geosciences. The new library was situated at Liupukang in the Andingmen area of Beijing. The former library headquarters in Nanjing were reorganized as a branch library.

Picture 7

¡¡ In 1955, the complete collection in Nanjing was transferred to Beijing and shortage of space became an urgent problem.
¡¡ In April 1956, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai approved the creation of a National Geological Library and construction got underway (Picture 8).

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¡¡ In November 1958, the building for the National Geological Library was completed in Ganjiakou (Picture 9), Beijing and opened to the public (Picture 10, Picture 11).

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¡¡ In 1996, the 30th International Geological Congress was held in Beijing. To celebrate this event, a large modern library with 13 000 square meters of floor space was opened at number 29, Xueyuan Road, Beijing (Picture 12, Picture 13, Picture 14, Picture 15). At this time thical Library had a collection of nearly 700 000 volumes and more than 10 000 geological maps, the largest in Asia.
¡¡ The National Geological Library was renamed China Geological Library in 2000.

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