An agile approach to managing a Data & GIS Lab
At UC San Diego, our Library’s Data & GIS Lab employs between four and six student workers. These students not only serve as the front line to patrons who drop by the lab with geospatial or data analysis questions, they also have them work on Library related projects. We will discuss how we’ve taken Agile principles and applied them to help us manage our Lab and the projects our students work on. While Agile methodologies and principles emerged as a response to challenges and limitations observed in traditional software development and project management practices, we are applying them as a flexible and adaptive approach to managing projects and delivering value to our end users. We leverage weekly standups, a Trello kanban, and allocate time to reflect and make changes to how we operate and can continue to improve as a Lab. Taking these approaches have helped us better manage our patrons’ needs as well as our projects.
Amy Work; Mike Smith, UC San Diego
Converting Historical Aerial Photography into Intelligent Geospatial Data
The presentation will discuss approaches that the University of Idaho and Penn State University are using to methodically enhance historic aerial photography collections for discovery and online mapping.
Bruce Godfrey, University of Idaho; Nathan Piekielek, Penn State University
Mapping Chicagoland
Mapping Chicagoland is a three-year NEH funded project to digitize, catalog, and georeference over 4,000 historical maps of Chicago from three institutions: the University of Chicago Library, the Newberry Library, and the Chicago History Museum. This presentation will highlight how the project was developed, including approaches to partnerships, centralized digitization, Allmaps georeferencing workflows, and how the maps were included in the new UChicago Node digital collections ecosystem. Lessons learned, insights into the grant process, and community engagement activities will also be discussed.
Cecilia Smith, University of Chicago Library, Rob Shepard, University of Chicago Library
A job in the great northwest: Map Libraries as centres of experiential learning and training for university students
Map Libraries have sometimes supported Library Science students with internships and practicums and hired geography students to work in the Libraries. In the current downturn of technology jobs, and specifically GIS related positions, Map Libraries can offer student positions to enable them to gain hands-on experience to enhance their CVs and resumes. The University of Victoria (Canada) Libraries began offering geospatial intern positions in 2018 and has had six geography students, undergraduates, Masters, and PhD students working with this geospatial Librarian. In some cases the Library paid the entire salary and in other cases, Young Canada Works-YCW a federal government program, paid half the wages. Students scanned and georeferenced historical aerial photographs and maps, (re-)created GIS ready digital data from historical maps and created and taught Introduction to Geospatial Tools workshops. All students completed, and in the case of YCW, a mandatory post-position evaluation and summary of their learning experiences. The results were positive and all students successfully found employment including the most recent student who prior to their internship, sent out approximately 50 applications to no avail but now has a position. This presentation will detail this Librarian’s experience with the students and tell some of their stories.
daniel Brendle-Moczuk, University of Victoria
The Complicated Story of Sanborn Map Copyrights
In 2019 the Sanborn Library LLC sued a competitor of its parent company for copyright infringement of its maps. A countersuit makes various claims as to why the copyrights have not been infringed upon and even making the case that the maps are not copyrightable. Learn about this complex case, its status in the court system, and ramifications from a potential final decision.
David Hodnefield, Historical Information Gatherers, Inc.
USGS Library: Recent Activity and Map Projects
This presentation will cover recent changes to library locations and physical collections, changes in how patrons are using the library post-Covid, and how we are adapting with our collections/outreach. The focus is on showcasing completed map projects, such as our partnership with National Geologic Mapping Database, Strategic Minerals Program maps, and USGS River Survey maps. The presentation will also include highlighting ongoing projects, such as digitizing our topographic quadrangles for the topoView product.”
Debbie Frye, U.S. Geological Survey
Map That Movie: Social Media Engagement with Maps
To bolster the social media presence of CSUN’s Map Collection, I created “”Map that Movie””: a weekly Instagram story where I post four maps that represent a movie. Viewers are prompted to guess which movie the maps represent. Map That Movie allows me to engage with CSUN community members and highlight various maps from our collection in a fun and creative way.
The lightning talk will include audience participation in several “Map That Movie” games”
Emilie Ducourneau, California State University, Northridge
Belle Park from the Air: Informing and Intriguing with Aerial Photographs
This presentation will showcase “Belle Park from the Air, 1924-2024,” a 10-minute film made by Dorit Naaman, Francine Berish, and Laura Murray, with soundscape by Matt Rogalsky. The film explores nearly 100 years of oblique and vertical/overhead perspective air photos from the Queen’s University Library collection. We will also discuss the process of making the film and invite feedback and questions. The film is one of many ongoing outputs of the multi-year, community-engaged, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)-funded Belle Park Project (https://belleparkproject.com/about-us), led by Murray (Cultural Studies/English) and Naaman (Film). The project engages with Belle Park located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, former wetland, turned landfill, and now park. This project applies research-creation, an approach that combines artistic expression and academic research (SSHRC).
The idea for this film initially seemed simple to accomplish. We would sequence a bunch of aerial photos to show the changes in the space, but many variables emerged during the process of developing the film. We wanted it to be informative, but also to make people think, feel, and wonder. To label, or not to label? How to consider the politics of naming and exclusion? What should we do for sound? How much should be left open to interpretation? In the end, the film was considerably less didactic than we expected, but we hope, in a deeper way, it is more educational. Making this piece was a small attempt to subvert the military and surveillance origins of air photos, and we hope it stands as a hopeful assertion that these technologies can be used in caring and non-extractive ways to learn or think about places and their nuanced histories. We welcome audience engagement.”
Francine Berish, Queen’s University Geospatial Data Librarian,
Laura Murray, Queen’s University, Co-Director Graduate Program in Cultural Studies
Beautifying the map library increases belonging and use
Taking some ideas from Chris Thiry’s presentation at last year’s WAML conference about beautifying and updating the Colorado School of Mines map library, we decided to make country flag drawer labels. When discussing the project, we realized that it would fulfil our DEIB initiative, where the B stands for Belonging. Little did we realize how much an impact this small project had on our student staff, our library colleagues, and our patrons.
Heather Ross, Penn State University
The early struggles of America’s first science agency: Ferdinand Hassler and the United States Coast Survey, 1807-1843
President Thomas Jefferson saw a need for accurate charts of the new nation’s harbors and coastline. In 1807 Jefferson selected Ferdinand Hassler (1770-1843) as the first superintendent of the United States Office of the Coast Survey, the oldest science organization of the federal government. Hassler was a Swiss-born mathematician, surveyor and geodesist who had served as acting Professor of Mathematics at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY. He was the first research scientist hired by the United States government. Hassler’s papers show that he early on envisioned the creation of a national mapping organization. His dogged persistence and determination in facing down political obstacles ultimately ensured the survival of the Coast Survey. Hassler constructed a regional geodetic triangulation network which served as framework for topographic and hydrographic surveys of the Atlantic seaboard. He ultimately built a science organization that employed mathematicians, geodesists, topographers, hydrographers, instrument-makers, engravers, and printers who worked together to collect, process and publish cartographic data.
Heiko Mühr, Earth Sciences & Map Library, University of California Berkeley
Rediscovering our “captured” collections: cultivating student, staff, and faculty engagement through WWII-era military and intelligence maps
Members of the Carleton College community are often surprised to learn that we were one of about 30 institutions that received “captured” Japanese and German maps from the Army Map Service after WWII. Housed in our map collection, these maps were long interfiled with Office of Strategic Services maps in tight drawers, with little to no documentation. Over the past few years, we have worked to identify, organize, and update guides about these historic military and intelligence maps. In the process of making our collection more accessible, we have created interesting projects for student workers, supported faculty research, and began hosting class visits to the map collection. It has also been an opportunity for library staff to connect with other libraries that hold these types of maps. In this session, the Cataloging & Government Documents Librarian will share examples of student projects, ways that faculty have used our maps in research, and strategies for engaging class sessions.
Katie Lewis, Cataloging and Government Documents Librarian, Carleton College.
Using Text Recognition on Aerial Photographs: how and why?
This presentation will provide an overview of the integration of the Map Kurator text recognition system into a georeferencing workflow. The main goal is the creation of a reproducible workflow resulting in orthorectified photomosaics covering Oklahoma’s counties. By creating individual images for individual counties, we can sharply lower the barrier to entry for public consumers of historical aerial photography.
Kevin Dyke, Oklahoma State University
Taming the Chaos, or, Practical Map Collection Inventory Practices for Large Collections
I recently started at UCLA as the librarian for geography, maps, and economics. One of my key responsibilities is facilitating the use of the Henry J. Bruman Map Collection, a world-class collection of approximately 750,000 maps. While exploring the portion of the collection located at the Charles E. Young Research Library, I quickly discovered that many of these maps were inaccessible–despite being housed in open stacks–due to improper refiling, minimal cataloging, overstuffed folders, and other issues. To address these challenges, I enlisted the help of two undergraduate library student workers, and together we have been conducting a comprehensive inventory of this part of the collection. Our main objectives are to develop a clear understanding of the collection’s contents, identify gaps, and improve accessibility for researchers at all levels. In this presentation, I will outline our process, the challenges we have encountered, and our findings so far. Additionally, I aim to be able to share this inventory template and methodology in order to assist others considering similar projects at their own institutions.
Maggie Tarmey, he/they, UCLA
Makerspace Mash-up: 3D topo models
Using open source software, open data, and a 3D printer, participants created 3” pieces of custom desk candy. Find out how this collaboration between the UGA Libraries’ Makerspace and GIS services came to be and what we learned along the way.
What do we have to say about ourselves? Using library websites to analyze GIS services
Beginning in 2022, the University of Georgia Libraries began a reorganization process. The first new department to emerge was the Research and Computational Data Management unit. This new unit brought together three existing positions that were currently located in three different departments: GIS, Digital Humanities, and Scholarly Communications, under a new Director for the unit. One of our first activities was an environmental scan of other university libraries and the services they offer in our respective areas. In total 92 library websites were combed to determine services offered (if any), types of instruction and workshops, and how GIS is situated in the larger university landscape.
Meagan Duever, University of Georgia Libraries
3000 Easy Steps: Large-Scale Data Integration and Stewardship
Few of the county level units of the US maintain their parcel boundary data in the same way, so integrating over 3000 of them into a single layer presents many challenges. Over the course of 17 years, my team at CoreLogic has learned lessons about how to approach the geospatial, technical, and ethical issues around curating this fascinating dataset.
The audience will learn about the origin of parcel boundaries, key differences in local practices, systems of control for data stewardship, long-term dynamic process design, and multidisciplinary team coordination.
Russell Taylor, CoreLogic
“The World knows a Good Thing when it sees it”: Using Maps to Sale 19th Century Goods
In the 19th century, trade cards were a popular form of advertising used by merchants across industries. As a predecessor of trading cards, trade cards were highly collectable due to the lavish illustrations that made use of the newly developed chromolithography technology. Trade cards featured cartoons, animals, celebrities, and even maps. Some of the most collectible trade cards featured maps of individual states and countries, while other trade cards use maps and globes as shorthand to indicate the popularity of their product or to imply that the user of a product is intelligent or worldly. Using trade cards from the William L. Clements Library ephemera collections, this presentation will explore the use of maps in 19th century consumer-oriented marketing.
Sierra Laddusaw, William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan
Barnraising AGSL GeoDiscovery: UW-Milwaukee’s New GeoBlacklight Portal
Setting up a Geoportal is all the rage these days, but it’s been on our radar for more than a decade. I will talk about the challenges, both technical and institutional, in developing, deploying, and populating a GeoBlacklight geoportal. I’ll talk about some of the discussions and decisions that went into application and back-end development, working with metadata, harvesting OpenGeoMetadata, and how it fits in with projects such as Allmaps. I’ll also talk about some of the up-skilling and learning that I did in order to keep the project alive and some tips for those who might be GBL-curious.
Stephen Appel (he/him), UW-Milwaukee Libraries – American Geographical Society Library
Lessons from ILS – Reflections on teaching Map Librarianship
Teaching Map and GIS Librarianship in the Department of Library and Information Science at Indiana University Bloomington has given me new perspective on our work. I will discuss the challenges of teaching someone to do your job in an academic context, the (many) benefits, and lessons I’ve learned from two sessions of teaching the course. Topics to include: navigating relationships with academic departments as an adjunct instructor, finding time in an already-full job for course-prep and teaching, and ways to describe teaching experience in a dossier or performance evaluation. Distilling an entire career path into 12 class sessions is a strange thing. I will share what I considered to be the “essential” topics in Map and GIS Librarianship, and hope to hear some feedback from participants about other ideas and opportunities for similar courses.
Theresa Quill, Indiana University Bloomington