BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

In March 2025, Sue Oldenburg and Francesca Giannetti interviewed Michael Siegel, Staff Cartographer, Department of Geography, Rutgers–New Brunswick. Mike is the creator and maintainer of the eminently browsable Historical Maps of New Jersey , Rutgers' oldest digital cartographic information resource, which continues to inform and delight map fans to this day. We discussed the origins of his site, the process of creating and maintaining it, and its enduring value to educators, researchers, and the community. Figure 1. A screen capture of Mike Siegel from our Zoom interview. Project Beginnings The impetus for Historical Maps of New Jersey was a 2002 exhibit held in Alexander Library called “The Changing Landscape of New Brunswick, New Jersey.” Mike co-curated the exhibit with Dr. Briavel Holcomb, Professor Emerita of the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Most of the maps were selected from Special Collections and University Archives , Rutgers University Libraries....

Interviewer: Milan Budhathoki, GIS and Data Librarian, University of Maryland College Park This interview is part of our Researcher Interview series that spotlights some of the interesting work being done using maps/GIS data at the Big Ten Academic Alliance institutions. Researcher Bio Matthew McLaughlin (Matt) is a senior lecturer and mixed media artist in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland College Park. Through his artworks, Matt explores the human relationship with their environments, particularly urban and suburban spaces, and examines how we interact with and observe the spaces we inhabit and modify to fulfill our wants and needs. By manipulating images/maps and re-contextualizing symbols, his work generates fresh spatial perspectives for viewers to contemplate when they confront their own connections with the environment. Webpages: www.matthewtmclaughlin.com (personal website)  https://art.umd.edu/ (department website) How have you been incorpo...