The OIL INFORMATION LIBRARY was initially created through the generous contributions of geological and well information from members and interested companies and individuals in the petroleum industry. The continued reasonable sharing and contribution of data and information is an essential objective of the corporation.
Bess Mason worked for the Railroad Commission of Texas in the early 1900’s, typing detail accounts of all wells drilled in the state. She realized that although the RRC was a governing agency for the oil and gas industry, these detailed accounts of what, when and where the wells were being drilled was also of interest to others who were also exploring for reserves in the various regions of Texas. She started the Bess Mason Driller’s Log Service, selling the information gathered from the detailed accounts of all wells drilled.
In the early 1970’s, all of Bess Mason’s lifes’ work detailing all wells drilled in all 254 counties in the state of Texas since the early 1900’s were turned over to the Oil Information Library of Wichita Falls. This collection (one of a kind) is extremely valuable to anyone wanting to research older, developed areas in Texas.
The bulk of the Library’s electric logs have been donated by the various operators in the area. Many are “field copies” made as the wells were being logged and are in the large scale format.
Another source for electric logs was the old Steward log files that were reversed imaged and made into negatives. These were used in the early days of electric logs as trading copies between the various large companies and small independents. Again, a one-of-a-kind set of files. They cover a huge area of north and west Texas and are indexed by operator and then field name.
Since 1986, the Library has purchased from the RRC all electric logs released to that agency in Districts 7B, 7C, 8, 8A, 9 and 10. These logs were originally purchased in microfiche format, but in the early 2000’s they were released on a disk in a digital form. At that time the Library purchased a scanner and plotter so that these logs could be inventoried and reproduced for the use of its members. This has added greatly to the number of logs housed in the Library, using much less space than the hard copies.
The Library is proud of its historical scout ticket files. Some of the older files have come from companies such as the old Sinclair Prairie Oil Company, Humble Oil & Refining, Continental Oil Company, Phillips Petroleum, Phelps Scouting Service, Lion Oil Company, The Texas Company and Magnolia Oil Company (currently Socony Mobil) to name a few. Then many independent operators have donated their personal records and prospect files that contain invaluable information for those researching specific areas in certain counties.
The library has been purchasing production reports from the RRC on microfiche for the entire State of Texas for oil & gas since 1978. Although these records are not tabulated and summarized, they offer a great deal of information, especially if working areas outside the Library’s main focus.
Drilling Info is also a source of production data for wells drilled after 1971 throughout the state. Graphs, as well as table format for production are available through this source.
I H S is also a source for production data in what they call the East Texas region which covers districts 5, 7B & 9. These reports are also available in graph and tabulated form.
The Library has a very unique set of older Company maps that were used by the majors as they entered the North Texas area. Our maps include those from such companies as Marland Oil Company, Shell Oil Company, Continental Oil Company, Sedwick & Webb, Prairie Oil Company and Cosden. These are especially useful when researching information in the early 1900 – 1930’s.
Also available for viewing are the older Heydrick maps that were a valuable source of recording oil and gas activity, as well as leasing information through the 1980’s.
In the summer of 2009, the Library sorted through its vast assortment of donated reading material. It now boasts of nearly all the AAPG and University of Texas bulletins and special publications, as well as a large number of Department of Interior, USGS, AIME, SPE and API publications. Many textbooks and studies ranging from geology, mapping, geophysical, engineering and land management and leasing are also catalogued in the reading room.
In addition, the Library has set up a geological file room broken down by county, that include the work of many geologists, engineers and geophysicists in the various regions. This includes, maps, mud logs, core analysis and DST, as well as regional studies and prospect generated files.
The Library also has a large collection of Geological Society cross sections, bulletins and publication, both in Texas and surrounding states. By no means a complete set, it does afford the opportunity to examine areas not familiar to the researcher.
Members of the Oil Information Library of Wichita Falls are also allowed to use the facilities of other oil and gas libraries on a reciprocal agreement. These libraries in Texas are in Houston, Midland, San Antonio, Tyler and Fort Worth. In Oklahoma they are located in Ardmore, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. (A list of specific
The Library has also become affiliated with a group of other libraries and societies and geological surveys known as the Association of Energy Libraries. We hope that this venture will allow our members a broader range of data in areas and with contacts in other regions of the country.