Pat Sheahan, a Toronto-based geologist who has spent decades building up a unique and extensive library on diamonds and their exploration, has donated it to UBC's Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU).
The collection has been valued at $500,000, but the unit's researchers and industry partners say the gift will grow in value and last forever.
"The Sheahan Library will be incredibly beneficial," said Wayne Hillier, vice-president, Exploration, Ashton Mining, one of many firms which use and will continue to use the resource materials. "Because of the unknowns in diamond exploration there is major interest in the industry in excellent research material such as this."
"It is a diverse collection of resources, including theses from around the world, important books, manuscripts, and carefully collected, detailed and documented information in the public domain," says Peter Bradshaw, president of First Point Mineral Corp. and co-founder of MDRU.
Sheahan's interest in the diamond industry was sparked when she became involved in the diamond exploration of James Bay in the early 1960s. She established Konsult International in 1970, which has a global base of clients, including diamond giant, De Beers.
"I didn't want the library to become static and now that it will be housed at the research unit, not only will I be able to continue to add to it, others will, as well," Sheahan said.
The MDRU is a partnership between the exploration and mining industry and UBC's Dept. of Earth and Ocean Sciences. It was formed in 1989 to provide access to the people, research and ideas to assist mining companies in exploration, giving members a competitive edge on industry developments.