BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

Jose Anza Garcia and Milan Budhathoki, GIS and Data Service Center , University of Maryland Libraries At the University of Maryland's McKeldin Library, we are proud and fortunate to possess a map collection featuring over 200,000 items. It spans a wide degree of subject categories (topographic, nautical, aeronautical, etc.) and formats (print maps, atlases, raised relief models, etc.). In addition, through the library's designation as a Regional Depository Library by the Federal Depository Library Program, the map collection also holds countless government-produced documents of important historical and cultural value.  A top-down map of the library's 4th floor, which houses the map collection (red square). Examples of different storage furniture items: at left, cabinets, and at right, atlas bookcases. However, the sheer size and scope of the map collection mean that a comprehensive catalog of all its contents does not exist at this time, making it hard for the library's...

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....

By Milan Budhathoki The Morrill Reckoning , one of the latest items added to the BTAA Geoportal, is a project sponsored by University of Maryland Libraries. It was created and fulfilled as part of a certificate practicum requirement by Dr. Lisa Carney in Master in Library Information Science program (2023). This showcase is in line with UMD's commitment to promoting Indigenous knowledge, advancing decolonization efforts, and fostering restorative justice. The initiative is made possible through a 2022-2023 Teaching and Learning Program Grant, " Decolonizing Education to meet the Demands of Climate Change ," led by Patricia Kosco Cossard at UMD Libraries and co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Picture 1:  Altered image of the Morrill Act of 1862 highlighting the words " public land ." This web based Morrill Reckoning exhibit documents the process by which land of over 30 Native American nations was forcibly expropriated and sold to fund the en...

By Melinda Kernik.  What’s in this collection? The  Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM) archives data generated from student, staff, and faculty researchers from a wide range of disciplines.  Over fifty of the datasets have a spatial component, with varied topics including:   reconstruction of river discharge since the last glacial maximum in North America digitized highway network showing dates of freeway construction in and around the Twin Cities, Minnesota (1920-1995) distribution models of invasive species in Minnesota Librarian curators review all submissions to DRUM and work with researchers to ensure that the data are complete and well described. Collection highlight One of the most frequently downloaded items in DRUM is data about racially restrictive covenants in Hennepin County .  The files have been downloaded more than 6500 times in the last 11 months!   Racial covenants were legal clauses embedded in property recor...