Project title: preservation of drill cuttings and collections in illinois: FY 25PROJECT period: 9 1 2025 through 8 31 2028PROJECT purpose: priority 1 will focus on the curatorial aspect of…

The University of Illinois received a $1.795 million Project Grant from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (CFDA 15.814) for the period September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2028. The award supports the preservation and reorganization of the historic drill cuttings collection maintained by the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) Geological Samples Library. The project delivers two primary services: (1) curation of approximately 10,000 boxes of the oldest and most deteriorated drill cuttings through re-boxing, re-enveloping, and relabeling; and (2) database redesign and enhancement to improve data integrity, user functionality, and accessibility features including sample loan tracking, publication linking, and online well application updates.

The award also funds the reorganization of the Geological Samples Library's physical infrastructure, including removal and replacement of existing shelving across approximately 80 percent of the facility with properly designed compactor shelving systems. This infrastructure improvement will enable the transfer of 90,000 cuttings boxes to new storage, increase storage capacity efficiency by 38 percent, create additional space for future geologic sample archival, and eliminate occupational safety hazards. The deliverables include a preserved at-risk drill cuttings collection, increased facility storage capacity and safety, and enhanced public access to geological data through improved database systems and web-based platforms.

Activities

Priority 1: curation of cuttings collection: goal of RE-boxing, RE-enveloping, and relabeling 10,000 boxes of the oldest and in most need of remediation. Revise database design and functionality to better reflect the needs of the GSL users and increase ease of data entry and retrieval. Implement new features needed by users (e.g. sample loan tracking, publications linked to samples, online well application updates, etc.). Check data integrity of the well and update as needed.priority 2: reorganization and expansion of storage (in the GSL): removal of existing shelving in approximately 80% of the GSL and replacement with properly designed compactor shelving to house the drill-hole cutting collection. This will create a 38% space use efficiency, create a new UN-allocated area for future geologic sample archival, alleviate existing unsafe occupational hazards, and provide right-size individual shelf bins for proper long-term sample preservation. Deliverables and expected outcomes: preserving at-risk drill cuttings collection, increased storage capacity and overall safety of the facility, and increased knowledge of CM in illinois outcrops.intended beneficiary(IES): isgs staff, global and regional research personnel, state of illinois, industry partners, and the general public.

Subrecipient activities

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