-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        RE: Sanborn Insurance Maps
Date:   Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:40:22 -0400
From:   Stone, Howard <[log in to unmask]>
To:     <[log in to unmask]>

The Brown University Library cataloged a large number of Sanborn maps
for many of the cities and towns of Rhode Island about two years ago.
They can easily be found in OCLC by searching Sanborn as corporate
author and limiting the search to "R.I." as a subject. These are older
maps, chiefly before 1940.

I would consider the maps published items with Sanborn as the publisher.
My guess is that the real estate company ordered the maps from Sanborn,
and then Sanborn either printed or stamped the name of the real estate
company on the maps as a courtesy or for an extra fee. If you are
certain that a map is a photocopy you could add a 533 note to that
effect.

Brown's Sanborn maps are unfolded (with no indication they've been
folded in the past) and without covers. As an educated guess, my feeling
is that the folders were added by the company.

Brown Univ. cataloged the maps using the "x maps on x sheets" format.
Our maps came with each sheet loose rather than being bound as atlases.
(There were a very few exceptions for larger cities like Providence and
Pawtucket).

I would definitely make an added entry for the real estate company. It's
a logical access point since it appears prominently on the maps. At
Brown, we also made title entries for both the main title and the brief
title on the subsequent maps.

Hope this helps,

Howard Stone, Map Cataloger, Brown University


-----Original Message-----
From: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Maps-L Moderator
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 3:42 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Sanborn Insurance Maps

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Sanborn Insurance Maps
Date:   Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:03:42 -0600 (MDT)
From:   Laurence Creider <[log in to unmask]>
To:     [log in to unmask]


Our Library has a number of Sanborn insurance maps for Las Cruces, N.M.
and one for Alamogordo, N.M.  Each set of maps is colored and on sheets
65
x 55 cm. which are folded (sometimes backed by a support) and then
placed
in a dark brown folder.  There is a statement to the effect that these
are
copies made for such and such an real estate company.  Each set has a
title on the first map, a very brief title on subsequent maps which are
on
numbered sheets, and an index, which is frequently pasted on the first
map.

There are a couple of questions I have about cataloging these items
which
I haven't been able to resolve by looking at how the multitudes of
libraries have handled their copies of Sanborn maps.

1) Are these copies published items?  They seem to be on-demand copies,
but I hesitate to consider them as manuscripts.  The company obviously
made many of these copies, can this be considered publishing?

2) Were the maps issued in these folders or were they added by the
company
holding them.

3) These maps seem to be variously treated as atlases (1 atlas (9 maps),
several maps or 1 map on x sheets.  From the fact that the title appears
on one sheet only, I would tend to opt for the last choice.

4) Has anyone made an added entry for the company for whom the set was
made?  As a special collections cataloger, I am tempted to do so for
these
local firms.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, including things I may have left
out.

Larry Creider

Laurence S. Creider
Head, General Cataloging Unit &
Special Collections Librarian
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM  88003
Work: 505-646-4707, 505-646-7227
Fax: 505-646-7477
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