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Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 15:56:40 -0500
From: David Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: #38 continued
Sender: David Cobb <[log in to unmask]>




Dear Colleagues -

As I was the one who instigated some of this conversation I feel some
compulsion to add my own 2 cents. I have spoken to several persons offline
and learned that Prof. Keller not only wrote the article to "provoke" but
is also a great library supporter in the University of Victoria community.
As several of you have pointed out it is important that we hear from more
of our users and I believe that his views, whether provocative or reality,
represent a certain percentage of our users regardless of our circumstance.
My overall summary of these discussions might best be described in a
response of one of our users recently who exclaimed after viewing a
particular map: "Well, I couldn't find this on the Internet!" I would
suggest to Prof. Keller that one of our challenges in the future will be to
convince people that not everything is on the Internet and the quality of
some information in "digital format" is questionable.

However, let us all readily admit that his prediction of "changing times"
is indeed true. The map library that eschews digital information (whether
acquired locally or used via the Internet) will indeed suffer and will
essentially become a museum. I smiled when I read that the 'Golden Days'
are over. On the contrary, I believe the golden days are just before us as
there is a resurgence in the interest of geography, in general, and maps in
particular. Could it be that the very globalization he speaks of is not
only creating an interest in digital information but an interest in maps in
general, regardless of format. The idea of an international community,
perhaps last realized by the United States, is finally beginning to be
understood economically, politically, and socially. As the CNN
international culture develops there is a mirrored reflection in interest
in the knowledge of regions that few people could locate on a map only
recently. Digital information is not needed to replace the Times Atlas of
the World or a National Geographic map of Afghanistan.

He uses Goodchild's phrase that the fundamental weakness of the paper map
is that it is static (a snapshot in time). Let me reverse that and suggest
that the fundamental strength of the paper map is that it is static (a
snapshot in time). A major advantage of the paper collection is that it
allows one to review the changing geography over time and one of the major
concerns for digital collections is its archiving and how often. Paper maps
allow you to study the changes along a particular roadway whereas it is
often too easy to simply delete the digital file showing the "old" curved
road becuase it does not exist anymore. Agencies want to maintain current
data files, not historical data. The Library's role, as an archive, relates
as much in the digital world as it does in the paper world - at some point
someone is going to want to look back and we are deleting information at an
alarming rate. One of the interesting results of our increasing digital
services in the Harvard Map Collection is the increasing interest and use
of our paper map collection. I would suggest, and hope, that the challenge
of the future map library is not to plan for the transition from paper maps
to digital information but to manage, in parallel, the development of a
collection of geographic information in both paper and digital formats.
There are certain research library collections, Harvard's being only one,
that have developed legacy collections that should be considered a national
resource. These collections, even if completely digitized (HA!), should not
be discarded or placed on the market to finance more digital information.
I'm taking the extreme here and not suggesting that Prof. Keller expects
this, but ...... have some of us not heard that before?

Another comment: "... users of geographic information no longer think of
the traditional map library as a primary resource." Now, this may be true
in an academic department served by its own collection but, I dare say,
considering the numbers of persons entering our doorway every day that
cannot be said for this university community, or many others I presume. I
fail to understand why the traditional map library cannot also be the
location for Keller's "garage" of digital mapping information. His
suggestions for what we should do: locational searches, business
geographics, vacation planning, cartographic communication, and
understanding of space and place were ongoing functions in all of the map
libraries that I have worked in even before the advent of digital data.

Another comment: "... every map library must udnerstand its clients, its
mandate, and its users needs." Amen, brother! That is exactly why we must
incorporate digital information rather than embrace it. Our users needs
could no longer be met with only a paper collection; neither could they be
only met with digital services. It is our interesting blend, and crossing
back and forth, of both digital and paper information resources that
attracts new users. While he suggests that geographic information of the
future will be primarily digital information I believe that his belief
comes from a very focused and small user community. The library's role in
the community as a whole (whether academic or public) is to address the
needs of its entire community and not only those that speak the loudest or
represent even a significant segment of that community.

Another comment: "While physical map libraries therefore have an
opportunity to be an important part of tomorrow's geographic information
service provision, they will not be essential." As I stated earlier, the
map library that eschews digital information indeed may become a paper
museum but I don't see it being relegated to the trash heap. Those
institutions that are able to creatively plan and manage the acquisition
and access to "geographic information" will do so in a variety of formats
and not be restricted to any one. Those institutions that are able to hire
staff that are dedicated to the development of digital resources and
services will be able to expand their offerings beyond those smaller
libraries.

It might be interesting to note that we are now fortunate to be able to
offer scanning services to our users and are regularly scanning and
printing documents to a large HP plotter. Recently, we began to offer
digital file copies at the same price as printed scans. We continue to scan
and print nearly 75% of the requests. Do I expect that interest in digital
files will continue - yes, I do. Do I think the percentages will reverse -
not in the near future. Similarly, we still plan, and will continue to,
exhibits of maps for our 'Map Gallery' outside of the Map Collection but we
are also planning to offer digital exhibits of our maps. Few libraries will
be able to match the incredible David Rumsey collection, that of the
Library of Congress, or even the data holdings at the University of
Connecticut, but the strongest collections can be found in very local
areas. The digital world does offer the large research collections a means
for sharing as never before and it is something that we plan in the near
future with sites on our Mercator globes, an African map exhibit, maps from
the Civil War, the first Sanborn fire insurance atlas, and much more.

We are proud of our digital geographic information sercvices, and our
technically expert staff, but we shall continue to acquire paper maps for
sometime to come. We knew, ten years ago, that we faced a situation where
we could decide to be a paper museum or to join in the sharing and use of
digital information. Our Massachusetts Electronic Atlas and the Harvard
Geospatial Library are evidence of our interest and committment but we are
as equally committed to using technology to improve access to our legacy
collection of over 400,000 paper maps and to develop that collection
alongside of the increasing number of CD-ROM's.


I'm finished! I want to thank Prof. Keller for his interesting and
provocative article - I copied it and sent it to my administrators for
review and shared it with my staff. It has obviously struck a chord with
many of you and offers choices and directions that we all should be aware
of as we plan for the future of our collections - no matter how large, how
small, how well funded - this is our future and we should be proactive in
determining it.

David Cobb
***************************************************************************
David A. Cobb                                           Tel. 617.495.2417
Harvard Map Collection                          FAX  617.496.0440
Harvard College Library                         Email: [log in to unmask]
Cambridge, MA 02138                                     HTTP://hcl.harvard.edu/maps
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