BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

By Rob Shepard, GIS Librarian Featured Item or Collection:  University of Chicago's CAMEL Lab Collection What is the item? As part of the University of Chicago's Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures 's efforts to provide public access to information, its Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes (CAMEL) had published thousands of digitized items from its extensive collection of paper maps and satellite imagery in the institute's integrated database (IDB). However, the inability to spatially search through their collections based on location was limiting any wider public use: As CAMEL Director Mehrnoush Soroush explained "researchers need to see the coverage before selecting an item," and her team began exploring options to better serve the research community. The BTAA Geoportal's map-based interface, which accompanies faceted browsing and text searching tools, was an important factor in their decision to part...

By Greg Fleming, University of Chicago Library   Mapping Chicagoland. Coming Soon from the University of Chicago Library, the Newberry Library and the Chicago History Museum.   The University of Chicago Library, the Newberry Library and the Chicago History Museum were awarded an National Endowment for the Humanities grant in April 2022, for a project to digitize and display over 4,000 maps of the Greater Chicago area. This project is being led by Cecilia Smith of the University of Chicago, who was Maps and GIS Librarian at the time of the award. The project will scan over 4,000 maps from the collections of the three institutions and make them available on the University of Chicago Library site and through the BTAA Geoportal . The University of Chicago Library is contributing maps from 1853-1940. This includes maps produced by its Social Science Research Committee,  many of which have already been digitized , as well as map publishing companies, such as Rand McN...

 By Cecilia Smith. Chicago Ethnic Group Shapefiles 1868-1940 What are the items? These shapefiles show generalized majority ethnic groups in areas across Chicago from 1868, 1884, 1898, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940. The map and historical information presented here include materials reflecting the attitudes, language, and stereotypes of an earlier time period. These materials are presented as historical resources in support of study and research. Inclusion of such materials does not constitute an endorsement of their content by the BTAA Geoportal or the University of Chicago. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Chicago Interesting tidbits: The data was derived from a 1948 doctoral dissertation titled “The effects of subsidy of Presbyterian Churches" by Henry Hughes Presler. Presler’s dissertation explored the relationship of Presbyterian churches to ethnic groups in Chicago and contains 10 maps. Where can I find out more? Presler’s dissertation can be found at Mansue...

 By Cecilia Smith. Seventy five local communities in Chicago, distribution of Committee of Fifteen cases for 1930 What is the item? This is a map of “vice resorts” in Chicago, or places where prostitution took place during the year 1930. These areas were identified by the Chicago Committee of the Fifteen, which formed in 1908 to fight “vices” in the city. Major subjects of their investigations were pandering, prostitution, crime, homosexual sex, and interracial relationships. The locations are overlaid on the 75 community areas that existed at the time. It was originally published in Walter Reckless’ Vice in Chicago (1933). The map and historical information presented here include materials reflecting the attitudes, language, and stereotypes of an earlier time period. These materials are presented as historical resources in support of study and research. Inclusion of such materials does not constitute an endorsement of their content by the BTAA Geoportal or the University of Chic...

By Cecilia Smith University of Chicago Library GIS Data Hub What is the item? The University of Chicago’s GIS Data Hub is a portal to a curated set of historical Chicagoland data. There are currently 33 vector layers covering different themes. The data was produced by several sources, including UChicago researchers and Library Map Collection staff. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Chicago Interesting tidbits: The collection contains the city boundaries for Chicago starting in 1868. Ward boundaries for the years 1986, 1992, and 1998 are popular layers for researchers interested in redistricting and social outcomes. The 77 community areas as of 1990 are available, and continue to be very similar to contemporary areas. A number of layers were derived from a 1948 dissertation by Henry Hughes Presler, titled "The effects of subsidy of Presbyterian Churches in metropolitan Chicago, 1871-1942." In the dissertation, Presler maps religious congregations and their et...