BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

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 Danny Dotson, Interface Committee Did you know that the Geoportal has maps from various themes? Not all of these are in the same "collection" as they are provided by different universities, but are in a way a collection as well. This blog entry will be covering polar maps. The Geoportal has many maps related to areas at or near the poles. For example, 145 maps are flagged with place name Greenland. This includes a scan of a map from 1750 . In the same area, there are 19 maps of the place Arctic . Searching for Antarctica would get many more, probably due to the prominence of research on our coldest continent. There are 261 items for Antarctica, but this time some of them are datasets and websites! But more specifically, you'll see areas of Antarctica, like: Antarctica--McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctica--Victoria Land Antarctica--Marie Byrd Land Antarctica--McMurdo Sound Antarctica--Ross Island So what happens if you were to just search for Pola...

In Summer 2022, two students with Japanese language knowledge were hired to examine Japanese language maps in Ohio State's collections in order to record additional information that would improve the metadata about the items, including a focus on the need for both Japanese and English language metadata. Takuma Goto is one of those students. Takuma has been continuing work on this project and this blog post details some general information about the maps and an especially interesting find in the collections. Takuma shares the following about what he experienced and a particularly long map!   Takuma Goto (Class of 2023) working with a Japanese map in the Geology Library Hi! My name is Takuma Goto, and I am a 4th year OSU student majoring in Statistics and Spanish. As my name suggests, I am ethnically Japanese, and thanks to my parents' efforts, I understand Japanese as well as English. This has given me the opportunity to work with the East Asian Studies Unit alongside G...

By Francesca Giannetti Rutgers University–New Brunswick is the newest member of the BTAA Geospatial Information Network. As of Fall 2022, we have contributed 4,576 new records to the BTAA Geoportal ( collection record | browse link ). These records come from our previously digitized "Maps of New Jersey" collection, which spans over 300 years of the state's development from geographic, geologic, political, environmental, and historical perspectives. This digital collection is drawn from multiple repositories, including Special Collections and University Archives , the New Jersey Environmental Digital Library , and several public library partners of the New Jersey Digital Highway . I ncluded in the Rutgers collection are some rare and unique items from Special Collections and University Archives, such as this "Early Map of New Brunswick," which I (Francesca) often use in my mapping workshops to invite discussion about the similarities a...

By Meg Mering Featured Item: 1930s map which divided Lincoln, Nebraska into sections, rating the levels of risk for bank lenders What is the item? This map rated the level of risk for lenders by color. The green or aqua sections were the best areas. The blue sections were still desirable. The yellow sections were definitely declining. The sections marked in red (thus the term "redlining") were hazardous. Interesting tidbits The map was largely based on poverty and racial makeup. The areas marked as "hazardous" were the parts of the city where African American families lived. In 1916, Sheridan Boulevard became the first neighborhood in Lincoln to stipulate that only "those of the Caucasian race" could buy homes. Many African Americans who lived in almost every section of downtown Lincoln were displaced as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln grew and took over properties. Where can I find out more? Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America https://dsl...

By Shirley Li Featured Collection: Purdue University Campus Map Collection What is the item? With historical imageries from 1890 to 2014, Purdue University Campus Map Collection is preserved from a digital scholarship initiative to educate the Purdue community and the public about the historic grounds and structures of the campus. Located in the Archives and Special Collections, the physical campus maps were scanned and georeferenced by the libraries. Individual GeoTIFFs can be downloaded from this collection on the BTAA geoportal. What BTAA Library submitted the item? Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies Interesting tidbits All the historical maps are georeferenced and mosaicked into one mosaic dataset , which was published to ArcGIS server as one image service. University Hall is the oldest remaining building on campus. Completed in 1877, it is the only building remaining of the original six-building. Purdue Campus Maps: West Lafayette, Indiana, 1890-2...

By Daniel Dotson Given the huge role the U.S. government played in creating print maps in the past (and still plays with both print and digital maps), it should be no surprise that English-language maps dominate many print map collections across U.S. academic libraries. Members of the BTAA Geoportal recently examined our print collection of cataloged maps to determine the languages represented. This is not a complete picture, as many un-cataloged maps may be in non-English languages, but we wanted to carry out a preliminary analysis using readily-available data. So how did this shake out? Out of nearly 1.7 million maps in our sample, over 85% are in English. Over 75,000 maps were listed with an undetermined language, which may speak to examining them for this and other missing metadata. European languages by far dominated. For languages with over 1,000 maps, Japanese, Indonesian, and Chinese are the only non-European languages represented. Over 50 languages have 10 or fewer maps. More ...

 By Laura Kane McElfresh. Folklore Music Map of the United States by Dorothea Dix Lawrence, from the Primer of American Music

By Laura McElfresh Perspectivische vorstellung des berühmten Blocken What is the item? This hand-colored view shows Brocken Mountain, the highest mountain in northern Germany, viewed from the northeast. The map covers the area that can be seen from the top of the mountain. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Michigan map detail: “Bructerus Herciniae montes supereminet omnes” -- Brocken towers above all mountains Interesting tidbits: According to popular legend, Brocken Mountain is the site of the Walpurgis Night Witches’ Sabbath. Accordingly, the map shows witches flying in the sky above the mountain on brooms, pitchforks, and goats, and has two people dancing on top of the mountain. The (mythical?) bird holding the middle of the decorative cartouche is not quite an owl, flanked by two not-quite-peacocks on the ends. The “Brocken” scene from Goethe’s opera Faust is set on Brocken Mountain. June 23rd is Saint John’s Eve, the night that inspired Modest Mussorgsky’s Night ...

By Melinda Kernik A scan of the 6 x 6 foot hand-drawn Composite Intrinsic Suitability map and derived GIS data. View Featured Item: Shapefile of the 1968 Ecological Study for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area: Composite Intrinsic Suitability What is the item? In 1968, Ian McHarg created a series of maps showing the climate, geology, and environment of the Twin Cities in Minnesota . These maps were commissioned by the Metropolitan Council, a first-of-its-kind regional governing body concerned about the impact of poorly managed urban development on natural spaces. The maps and report sought to determine the most suitable land uses for the region using an "ecology-first" lens. A 6 x 6 foot, hand-drawn copy of McHarg’s Composite Intrinsic Suitability map is currently kept at the Borchert Map Library . Excitingly, it is now available as digitized vector data as well! This new format makes it easier for researchers to examine land use change and the impacts of regional planning....

By Laura McElfresh Featured Item: Booklovers' map of the British Isles What is the item? This map, created by Paul M. Paine in 1927, shows literary landmarks throughout the British Isles, with magnified inset maps of London and Edinburgh. It includes places where significant events -- both real and fictional -- happened, plus birthplaces and homes of prominent authors. Some places on the map are shown as little pictures, like Sherwood Forest and the Globe Theatre. What BTAA Library submitted the item? Pennsylvania State University “ How small the map of Britain is on paper and yet how packed with fancies .” Ideas to explore: This map is from 1927. If you were updating it today, who and what else would you include? What other geographic places might make interesting maps for readers? Where can I find out more? More maps of literary landmarks are available online from the Library of Congress . The Penn State Libraries (and many other libraries) also have maps like these available on...

By Caroline Kayko Featured item: A chart showing the favorite resort of the sperm and right whale by M.F. Maury L.L.D. Lieut. U.S. Navy; constructed from Maury's whale chart of the world by Robt. H. Wyman Lieut. U.S.N. What is the item? This item is a world map from 1853 created by M.F. Maury. It is centered around the prime meridian, showing where sperm whales and right whales can be found. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Michigan About the author Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) was a naval officer, hydrographer, and one of the creators of the discipline of oceanography. A leg injury left him unable to serve which led him to the study of meteorology and oceanography. His book “ The Physical Geography of the Sea  and its Meteorology ” is considered the first modern textbook on the topic. A 1923 painting of Matthew Fontaine Maury shows the officer standing behind a globe. credit: Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Interesti...

By Kathleen Weessies and Daniel Dotson Map showing the distribution of the native tribes of Alaska and adjoining territory Held at: Pennsylvania State University Libraries Alaskan Native Communities in 1875 Alaska formally transferred from Russia to the United States as a territory 153 years ago on October 18, 1867. Take a look back in time at this U.S. government-issued map of the Alaskan Territory made in 1875. It was made to consolidate the government’s understanding of the distribution of Alaska’s indigenous people. The map uses different names and spelling than what is used today. The entire Territory barely had a population of around 30,000 at the time. An inflow of people from the Lower 48 states didn’t happen until gold was discovered 25 years after the making of this map. Detail: The future site of Juneau, Alaska in 1875

By Kathleen Weessies Featured Item: Upper Territories of the United States What is the item? Mathew Carey made this map in 1814 at his publishing house in Philadelphia to add to his frequently-updated atlases. The map was made at an interesting time - just after the War of 1812 but before many American settlers had moved west. Michigan, Indiana and Illinois were legally territories at this point. Ohio had become a state 11 years prior. Land we now call Wisconsin and Minnesota were labeled Northwestern Territory. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Minnesota The Upper Territories of the United States by Mathew Carey The 6-mile square tract of land negotiated with the Pottawatomies in the Treaty of Greenville. Interesting tidbits: Mathew Carey, who drew the map, ardently supported the idea of the United States building up its Navy. He sometimes used his maps to promote his views, such as drawing attention to the country’s vast inland waters. This map was made shortly afte...