By Danny Dotson, Head - Orton Memorial Library of Geology & Gardner Family Map Room; Mathematical Sciences Librarian & Science Education Specialist at The Ohio State University Earlier this year, the University Libraries was presented with a need for maps of an Appalachian region. The goal was to find maps of parts of this region over a period of time to see how the topography changed due to mining. Information and visual representations derived from these maps were integrated into the exhibition Jonas N.T. Becker: A Hole is not a Void . This project involved identifying maps that could meet the artist’s needs. This involved first identifying items in the catalog that could potentially fit and pull these maps. Since many of the maps were USGS maps, there were quite a number of maps pulled for further review. The artist worked with staff and student workers at the Orton Memorial Library of Geology to give them specifics of their need, and some of our student wo...
"There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published." -- Victor Green, in the preface to the 1941 Edition of the Negro Motorist Green Book . From 1936 to 1966 Victor Green, and later his widow Alma Green, edited the Negro Motorist Green Book which listed businesses that would serve black travelers without harassment or prejudice. Race or ethnicity of the business owner was not a criteria for inclusion in the listings. We examined 9 editions of the Green Book, and created an online interactive map of the 86 Detroit businesses. The businesses were often grouped in African-American neighborhoods. Many of the Detroit locations today are underneath highways, Comerica Park and Ford Field. Other clusters of business can be noted in other parts of the city. This project was undertaken to illustrate the power of combining multiple geospatial datasets to create insight into the past. The addresses in t...