About the Turfgrass Information Center

In the 1960s, the Michigan State University (MSU) Library began to collect printed turfgrass materials. In 1968, the personal collection of the late O.J. Noer, pioneer turf agronomist, was added to the library holdings through the O. J. Noer Foundation. Later gifts have included the Noer/Milorganite® Image Collection (on indefinite loan), the Scotts Company Archive, and most significantly, the James B Beard Turfgrass Library Collection. Today, the combined collections are recognized as the most extensive public collection of turfgrass educational material in existence. Between 1983 and 1992, the United States Golf Association (USGA) Turfgrass Research Program supported the development of the USGA Turfgrass Information File (TGIF) database using the Noer Collection as a foundation. Read more about the TGIF database here. If you would like to visit the Turfgrass Information Center, please see our Contact page.

The Turfgrass Information Center has four primary functions:

  1. Collect and preserve published and unpublished materials relating to turfgrass science, culture, anWMGCSA Work day - Grand Island - 17/June/2004d the management of turfgrass-based facilities, such as golf courses, parks, sports fields, lawns, sod farms, roadsides, institutional grounds, and other managed landscapes.
  2. Provide and improve precise and structured online access to the collections, as well as available electronic and other turfgrass-related resources, via the World Wide Web.
  3. Assist users of the collections and online system, by helping them to identify and locate materials that meet their needs.
  4. Provide user workspace and cooperative electronic infrastructure in support of turfgrass scholarship.

Read more about the 20th anniversary of the Turfgrass Information Center. (pdf)