Institute receives over 1,000 books as inheritance
The donations was given by the family of late Vladimir Trofimov, KFU alumnus, Distinguished Geologist of Russia, and full member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.
Fifteen boxes were delivered from Moscow, where Trofimov’s descendants currently reside.
“I’m very pleased that my father’s extensive library, containing over 1,000 books, which he collected during his student years and bequeathed to his alma mater, will be useful to the faculty and staff of KFU. All the books cover specialized literature on various fields of geology—geophysics, seismic exploration, crystallography, gravity exploration, and more. I also donated several works written by my father. The books were brought from Moscow, where my father lived after leaving Kazan. It was very important for me to honor his wishes, especially since the Geological Faculty of Kazan University gave a start in life not only to my father, but also to my brother and me—all three of us are its graduates,” said Olga Trofimova, daughter of Vladimir Trofimov and Advisor to the Director General of the State Commission on Mineral Reserves, during a telephone conversation with a KFU journalist.
Most of the books donated by the scientist, who passed away in 2021, are classic works on oil and gas geology, seismic exploration, and the geological interpretation of seismic data. Among them are some very interesting and unique publications, said Danis Nurgaliev, Vice-Rector for Earth Sciences at Kazan Federal University.
“Vladimir Alekseevich Trofimov, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, is one of the outstanding graduates of the Faculty of Geology,” he emphasized. “After graduating from Kazan University, he worked for 26 years at Tatneftegeofizika, which conducted research not only in all regions of Russia but also internationally. Trofimov rose through the ranks from a seismic logging station operator to the company’s Deputy General Director and Chief Geologist. He wrote over 280 scientific papers, including four monographs devoted to the study of the deep structure of the Earth’s crust in European Russia and other territories. His scientific works on the use of seismic exploration for deep oil exploration and for identifying the underlying features of oil deposit formation are classics today. We refer to them when studying the Romashkinskoye oilfield.”
The books will be donated to the departments, the vice-rector noted, and will be available for use by faculty, staff, and students.
“We were pleased to accept this gift and are grateful to Vladimir Alekseevich for bequeathing his remarkable library to Kazan University. I believe that many generations of geologists, geophysicists, and oil workers will use these books in their studies, project work, writing theses and dissertations, and for other purposes,” said Dr Nurgaliev.
Dr Trofimov’s classmate, Professor-Consultant of the Department of Geophysics and Geo-information Technologies, Anatoly Borisov, who served as the Dean of the Geological Faculty in 1993 – 2010, said his friend never lost touch with his alma mater. Moreover, from 1995 to 2002, he taught a course on seismic exploration to students at Kazan University.
“Vladimir Alekseevich didn’t just work at the university; he earned the title of professor in the Department of Geophysics,” Borisov noted.
Trofimov left his teaching position at the university after moving to Moscow. From 2000 to 2014, he was the deputy general director for research in integrated geological and geophysical studies of oil and gas basins at the Institute of Geology and Fossil Fuel Development.
According to Borisov, his friend didn’t specifically collect books; the library is the result of his immersion in the profession.
“He delved deeply into the subject and tried to study it from all angles and keep abreast of all modern advances in the field. As a scientist, he valued specialized literature highly and preferred to have it always at hand,” the Professor-Consultant concluded.
