----------------------------Original message----------------------------
To all MAPS-L People
 
I have had a number of request for the Map Library in Transition Joint
Conference, so instead of individually responding, I am posting it to the
list.  I hope it will be of assistance.  I found it invaluable for a
presentation I made to my library administration.
 
David Lundquist
Map Librarian
Shields Library
UC Davis
[log in to unmask]
 
On Mon, 22 Nov 1993, Alberta Wood wrote:
 
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
>                                  Report on
>                        THE MAP LIBRARY IN TRANSITION
>                    A Joint Conference Sponsored by the
>              Congress of Cartographic Specialists Associations
>        and the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress
>                            October 18 & 19, 1993
>
> Report from contributions by Edward H. Dahl [ED], Kathryn Womble [KW], Marsha
> Selmer [MS], Cathy Moulder [CMo], Trudy Bodak [TB], Carol Marley [CMa], and
> Alice Hudson [AH] compiled by Alberta Auringer Wood.
>
> The organizations participating in the Congress of Cartographic Specialists
> Associations are the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, the
> Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives, the Committee of
> Southeast Map Librarians of the Association of American Geographers, the
> Geography and Map Division of the Special Libraries Association, the
> International Society of Curators of Early Maps, the Map and Geography Round
> Table of the American Library Association, the Map Online Users' Group, the
> North American Cartographic Information Society, the Northeast Map
> Organization, and the Western Association of Map Libraries.
>
> The meeting opened with long lines at a registration desk as over 100
> attendees picked up their badges and final program.  Fortunately, there were
> several people helping with this operation, and it was completed in time to
> start the meeting only a little bit off schedule.
>
> Ralph Ehrenberg, Chief of the Geography and Map Division introduced Dr.
> Deanna Marcum, Director, Public Services, Collections Management 1
> [Special Collections], Library of Congress, who welcomed the participants to
> the CCISA conference and thanked both the organizers and sponsors.
> Dr. Marcum mentioned the vigorous support of the Librarian of Congress,
> Dr. James Billington, for the concept of an "electronic library" which helps
> bring about "a library without walls."  A major initiative to this end was
> the Library of Congress (LC) American memory project, launched in 1989.  This
> is an ongoing project which places library materials in electronic form on
> optical disk.  Dr. Marcum also described the LC's demonstration laboratory in
> which people can look at various technologies which have possible relevance
> to libraries.  She also noted that the Geography and Map Division had in the
> past year created a GIS specialist position, now occupied by Gary
> Fitzpatrick.
>
> Gary Fitzpatrick (co-chair of the organizing committee) followed with a few
> announcements and outlined the events to take place during the next two days.
>
> Then Dr. Christopher Baruth, American Geographical Society Collection,
> University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (co-chair of the organizing committee),
> who gave an overview of the conference goals and program.  Chris noted that
> this conference was an outgrowth of a meeting that was held five years ago in
> Chicago of representatives from the sponsoring organizations.  At this
> meeting two of the expressed goals were to encourage greater communication
> which was accomplished by the institution of MAPS-L by Johnnie Sutherland of
> the University of Georgia and to hold an international meeting which is
> occurring over these two days.  What Baruth called "the digital revolution in
> cartography" challenges map librarianship.  Information areas in libraries
> which are not well understood and have high space requirements are
> vulnerable.  Digital cartography requires more advanced equipment, with
> higher associated costs and training.  The aim of the conference was to
> provide map librarians with information on this revolution and to work
> towards an accord on needs and service delivery. [ED, CMo]
>
> The first session entitled "Where Map Libraries are Today and Where They
> Are Headed" was moderated by Dr. Baruth with Colleen Beard of Brock
> University as the first speaker.  A main challenge for map librarians is to
> create a reputation as experts about digital spatial data.  After
> investigating options for her own library, she sees the functions of the map
> library as acquiring and providing digital data, electronic atlases, and
> custom maps or maps on demand, and providing some means for geographic
> information system (GIS) analysis.  Map librarians must decide the types of
> data to collect for their users and the methods of access they will use, and
> they must gain the skills and knowledge to work with different digital
> formats, the offloading of data files and some level of geographic data
> analysis using GIS.
>
> Deborah Lords, University of Utah, asked whether there is a future for map
> librarians.  She is concerned that library education is not keeping up with
> new technologies available, such as Gopher and Archie.  She believes that the
> American Library Association should be setting standards for library
> education.  Ms. Lords pointed out her concern about the "envelope of
> disenfranchisement" -- those who do not have access to any of the new
> technologies.  If librarians do not decide how to handle the challenges posed
> by new technologies, someone else will, and they will probably charge fees to
> their users.  Librarians must actively move forward.  "Stagnation is death."
>
> Thornton P. (Patrick) McGlamery from the University of Connecticut spoke
> about map libraries as places.  He asked the question, "Will anyone come to
> the map library anymore?"  He encourages map librarians to begin thinking in
> terms of spatial data rather than maps.  We can view maps as artifacts (form)
> or as carriers of spatial data (function).  Mr. McGlamery found some useful
> ways of thinking about the transition from paper to electronic data in
> Michael Buckland's book Redesigning Library Services.  System networking
> means the map library is not just in the basement anymore.  A local area
> network (LAN) becomes a file server on another network.  An analogy Mr.
> McGlamery uses in describing two computer hard drives in his collection is
> that they are like map cases.  They store a lot of maps, they cost about the
> same as a map case and they're square like a map case!
>
> People will come to the map library more for training than for data.
> Libraries will continue their role of providing cataloging and location
> devices for data and continue to provide reference service.  Sophisticated
> data users will demand easy ways to get the data they need.  Less
> sophisticated users will need training.  How well we describe the data and
> point to it has been a traditional role for the librarian and will continue
> to be in the future.
>
> Gary North of the U.S. Geological Survey spoke next.  Data is coming to
> map libraries on CD-ROM and this trend will continue.  The Government
> Printing Office (GPO) must decide how to reproduce and distribute large
> quantities of this data to the library community.  Data producers should work
> on ways to improve file structures for data and some government/private
> industry creative research and development agreements have begun in order
> to do this.  New electronic metadata systems are emerging.  Map librarians
> should think about plotting their collections graphically in addition to
> traditional descriptive cataloging.  Standards must be set as more joint data
> production projects go forward.  Map librarians must anticipate and plan for
> changes such as not receiving paper maps anymore, for changes at the GPO,
> and for people accessing information from their homes.  Changes in the
> electronic information world have just begun.  Librarians must define their
> role and not let it be defined for them by engineers and scientists.
>
> Johnnie Sutherland at the University of Georgia envisions his map library
> installing a LAN hardwired to the campus mainframe with 4 workstations,
> CD-ROM drivers, 2 gigabytes of hard disk space and laser printers.  As map
> librarians, we will use set ups like this to access hundreds of different
> sites for data.  Mr. Sutherland will be a spatial data specialist, who will
> train users on GIS software and how to download data.  He predicts that other
> specialists will continue to need help finding the data they need.  He will
> employ a scanner system to make his large paper collection more useful for
> those working with digital data.  Each library must determine and implement
> what level of service it can afford.
>
> Linda Zellmer, University of Wyoming, is planning a new library and has
> developed a list of questions she is using to move forward in utilizing
> digital data in the map and earth science library.  The choice of a library
> GIS should be based on the library's goals.  A full GIS system would provide
> the information and technology needed to use and analyze all types of spatial
> data.  A partial system would provide access to spatial data in all forms
> without analysis capabilities.  Some criteria for selecting a library GIS are
> that it be user friendly, capable of being modified easily to accommodate new
> data sets, have a reasonable cost and be able to perform library-related
> functions.  Research opportunities in this area include testing various
> systems against the criteria developed to select them, developing user
> friendly interfaces so that patrons can use the system with little assistance
> from library personnel and developing library-related applications.  [KW]
>
> After a short break, Diana Rivera of Michigan State University chaired the
> session on "Reports on Initiatives".  This was begun by Alberta Wood who
> reported on the "GIS in Libraries Survey" that had been organized by the
> Congress of Cartographic Information Specialist Associations (CCISA) and
> co-funded by the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives and the
> North American Cartographic Information Society.  The survey was undertaken
> to see how well libraries were handling GIS and digital data and to provide
> a benchmark for future studies.  Most respondents were from American academic
> libraries, and of the total responding, only 46 percent held digital data.
> The most frequently cited reason for the absence of digital data was the lack
> of funds.  For additional information on this survey see the archives of
> Maps-L and the reports published in the journals of map librarianship.
>
> Four initiatives currently underway at the Library of Congress, Geography and
> Map Division, were discussed by Ralph Ehrenberg, Division Chief.  They are:
> 1)  Establish a GIS reference capability through the creation of a GIS
> specialist position and the acquisition of GIS software and supporting
> hardware.  This will allow the Division to create maps on demand for the U.
> S. Congress.  2)  Use GIS technology to create graphic indexes for the over
> two million sheets in the Division's map series collection that lack sheet
> level control, and integrate the graphic and bibliographic control of the
> collections.  3)  Assist in establishing and distributing standards for
> digital data and metadata by participating in the work of the federal
> interagency working group charged to deal with these data.  4)  Establish a
> Center for GIS and move the Division from a paper to an electronic
> environment in its service to users beyond its Congressional constituency.
>
> CCISA coordinator, Christopher Baruth, noted the associations and
> representatives currently participating in the CCISA.  As a non-organization,
> and therefore, not funded, the CCISA must depend on its constituent groups
> for future direction.  Recent initiatives included the GIS in Libraries
> Survey and the planning for this conference.
>
> Larry Carver discussed the goals of the "ARL Geographic Literacy
> Project," a joint initiative of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
> and the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), which is designed to
> educate and equip libraries in the provision of spatially referenced data in
> all formats.  Sixty-seven American libraries were accepted in the first two
> phases of the program; negotiations for the third phase in Canada are
> underway.  Participating libraries must own the hardware needed to support
> data sets from companies such as ESRI, GDT, WESSEX, DEC, and National
> Decision Systems.  [MS]
>
> After the lunch break, Dr. Deanna Marcum chaired the Keynote Speakers
> session.  The first speaker was David Beddoe, Regional Manager, Washington
> Office, ESRI, Inc., who spoke on "Georeferencing and Mapping of
> Non-cartographic Information".  Beddoe's topic was the implications of using
> GIS on data which formerly would not have been considered cartographic.
> Converging technologies, the combination of network computing and GIS, open
> new vistas and extend what information can be considered geographic.  He
> emphasized that GIS is very multimedia now--data can be conventional maps,
> images or georeferenced data sets.  Beddoe estimated that the U.S. federal
> government has approximately 12,000 databases.  Forces influencing further
> GIS development are: privacy, free public access, cost recovery, copyright
> and commercial use.  Marketing is an exciting growth area for GIS, as
> businesses use the technology to make better decisions and track user needs.
> Beddoe predicted that the map will become the index and GIS the front end to
> locating and using all spatial data.  GIS users will geographically assemble
> data from all sources.  His vision is that GIS belongs in every library, and
> eventually preschoolers will be accessing geographical information.
>
> His talk was followed by "Paper Maps in an Electronic World" by Barbara Fine,
> President, The Map Store, Inc., Washington, DC.  Fine spoke as the
> representative of international map vendors and addressed the future of the
> paper map.  Basically, she felt the paper product will disappear by the
> beginning of the 21st century.  Computer games have now replaced commercial
> maps as learning tools.  Quality and resolution are not yet the same but will
> be soon.  In the past five years, every commercial producer of road maps has
> gone for the ease, speed and economy of electronically generated versions.
> Ten years ago, the "clear type" line of products was dominant for business
> and reference use; today most lines have been discontinued and made obsolete
> by the microcomputer.  Fine concluded that the commercial map business is in
> decline, and that many vendors are becoming antiquarian map dealers instead.
>
> The third keynote address was on "Geographic Information in the Research
> Library of the 21st Century" by Larry Carver, Map and Imagery Laboratory,
> University of California, Santa Barbara.  Carver called upon experiences in
> forming corporate partnerships to develop the Map and Imagery Laboratory, in
> order to formulate his vision of the role of GIS in the research library of
> the future.  GIS hold the "seeds for the electronic library of the future".
> He predicted that within 10 years the speed of development in GIS will be
> vastly faster than in other technologies, and the present bottlenecks on the
> "national electronic information highway" to dense and huge datasets will be
> removed.  Also in 10 years, data compression and exchange will be vastly
> improved by fibre optic distribution cables.  Libraries must redefine their
> services to accommodate these developments.  There will be no hours of
> service, as information will always be available.  The information specialist
> will require new kinds of expertise, and teams will be necessary to provide
> an interface for users of digital data.  Internet is at present very ad hoc;
> libraries can provide better defined access and standards.  Permanent access
> is needed but not necessarily ownership, and libraries should take
> responsibility for unique data rather than duplicating holdings.  Libraries
> fit into the "big business" of information delivery in terms of consistency
> and standards, and responsibility for information heritage.  Research
> libraries must consider cost recovery as a method of providing service to
> non-primary clients.  Adaptability is not prevalent in this community, but
> vision is essential now for survival.  Carver advocates that we help each
> other, pool resources, and identify special collections for preservation and
> cost sharing.  In the future it will not matter where data resides, and we
> must work with systems designers to develop flexible systems locally while
> also taking advantage of distant resources.  Map librarians must create a
> technical support group to evaluate, test, produce and teach, but from the
> information and library perspective rather than from that of the vendor.
>
> The last keynote was by Dr. Ron Abler, Executive Director, Association of
> American Geographers, who spoke on the"Essential Skills for GIS Competency in
> the Year 2000".  Abler talked about GIS curriculum necessary to prepare
> students for entry into a $15 million rapid growth industry.  His research
> indicates that emphasis should be on geography and general attributes.  Most
> current curricula offer a single GIS course, one per year, with no
> prerequisites, emphasis on software training and digitizing.  As recently as
> 5 years ago, there were no journals and no courses.  Abler expects gradual
> abandonment of the teaching of specific software, with curricula focus
> changing to manipulation, analysis, decision making and other managerial
> emphases.  There will be more education, less training, more emphasis on
> analytical uses, map design, forecasting skills and ethical issues.  Abler
> described this as GI "Science" rather than "Systems".  He noted that training
> in network navigation will be essential for GIS in 10 years.  [CMo]
>
> On Tuesday morning, October 19th, the first session was chaired by Ralph
> Ehrenberg on "The Federal Geographic Data Committee and the Federal
> Depository Program:  Prospects for the Map Library of the Future."  The first
> speaker was Michael Domaratz, Executive Secretary, Federal Geographic Data
> Committee (FGDC), USGS, who opened this session by giving a review and status
> report of the activities of FGDC, such as establishing a national spatial
> data infrastructure. A copy of the FGDC newsletter issue 2, Summer 1993, was
> distributed at the conference, and it includes an outline of these
> activities.  FGDC newsletters are available by email request to [log in to unmask]
>
> He was followed by Elizabeth Mangan, Head, Data Preparation and Files
> Maintenance Unit, Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress, who is on
> the FGDC Standards Working Group for developing the metadata standards.  She
> described the work of the committee, such as the distribution to various
> librarians of the contents standards from which they received two feet thick
> worth of pages of comments.  She felt that the description should be
> independent of the form or media.  She noted that there were at least ten
> issues unresolved.   The FGDC newsletter issue 2, Summer 1993 also provides
> more information about the Spatial Metadata Standard.
>
> The next speaker, Sheila McGarr, Chief, Depository Program, Government
> Printing Office, addressed the GPO's role in the future with respect to map
> deposits and the difficult choices that have to be made in times of
> downsizing and economic constraints.  There are 53 full deposit libraries in
> the U.S. and hundreds of partial depositories.  All must make the deposit
> collection publicly available and provide user assistance; the program is
> based on the principle that the public has a right to information which the
> government has collected.  McGarr indicated that GPO is a distributor rather
> than a publisher, and has no influence over format.  At present, 60% of the
> information they distribute is microfiche and 1% is digital.  CD ROM is
> becoming the medium of choice for spatial data.  The system configuration
> being recommended for USGS data is: 486 PC, 4mb RAM, GIS software, plotter.
> Libraries may only be able to select the "Digital Ortho Photo Quad" for their
> state.  Reinventing Support Services #2 recommends that GPO be an executive
> agency.  GSA would then handle printing and the Superintendent of Documents
> would go to the Library of Congress.  With this situation, it was difficult
> to tell what GPO's role would be.
>
> Larry Carbaugh, Chief of Special Information Products, Data User Services
> Division, Bureau of the Census, followed up on Sheila's theme about the kinds
> of decisions and choices that must be made and future requirements for census
> data products.  He emphasized that they need input from users.  He pointed
> out that they had produced 10,000 block level maps in 1980 and none in 1990
> as they developed digital files.  All maps are now electronic and plotted on
> demand.  There are now over 150 commercial softwares available to access
> TIGER files.  Carbaugh speculated that libraries will have to charge the user
> for map production and data analysis.  A 486 is not fast enough; there is
> 100mb of data for Los Angeles county alone.  The Bureau of Census will
> produce block face statistics in CD ROM format rather than microfiche.
>
> Lastly, Millington Lockwood, Deputy Director, Joint NOAA/USGS, Office for
> Mapping Research, outlined the work being done at NOAA, and he addressed some
> concerns about digital data distribution.  He commented that four or five
> agencies produce maps showing the land/water boundary with the oceans, and
> that the shoreline is "rarely coincident" on USGS and NOS charts.  They are
> trying to coordinate with USGS to eliminate this problem.  He predicted that
> in less than ten years there will be no paper nautical charts!  The Joint
> Office goal is a multipurpose GIS which supports many other applications,
> e.g. data visualization.  Lockwood recommended Surfer software from Golden as
> useful for entry-level GIS, and commented that issues of data documentation
> were becoming more important than the data itself.  CD ROM is the best
> distribution option at present, but the eventual goal is on-line real time
> update.  Paper indexes to hydrographic charts are also gone, to be replaced
> by a prototype electronic bulletin board.  Libraries should prepare to print
> on demand, as end users will still request paper copy.  In principle, NOAA
> will maintain everything they produce, but how archival material will be
> treated in digital format is still unknown. [TB,AH,CMo]
>
> After lunch there was a two hour block set aside for "Demonstrations of U.S.
> Federal Geographic Information Systems Applications".  In one of the wrap-up
> sessions of the conference it was said that, "GIS is too important a topic to
> be left in the hands of the GIS industry."  No more will it be, to judge by
> the informative GIS demonstrations for the map information community.
> Participating agencies included the Bureau of the Census, Department of
> Defense, Environmental Protection Agency and the Soil Conservation Service.
> We saw the capabilities of various systems including Grass, Intergraph, Arc
> Info and a related product, ArcView 1.
>
> The most compelling demonstration was undoubtedly that of EPA, in the cause
> of environmental equity and/or justice.  A population and characterization
> tool has been developed for the use of various EPA agencies.  The application
> sifts through EPA data sets and census information, to estimate and
> characterize populations in circular areas around locations such as hazardous
> waste sites, toxic release facilities and monitoring sites.  Information can
> be viewed using Arc View or other tools, such as E Map.  We looked at a
> minority neighbourhood (over 85% Afro-American)) in Baltimore, Maryland, and
> what we saw was not healthy.  In addition to environmental hazards, there was
> only one hospital in the area, and very few schools.  We were able to find
> the congressional district lines and identify the congressman.  We learned a
> lot about this neighbourhood in a short amount of time.  It is clear that GIS
> technology is an incredibly powerful tool for assessing environmental
> quality.
>
> The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with its Construction
> Research Laboratory and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
> (CRREL), demonstrated a decision support system prototype for flood
> prediction and assessment.  We looked at recent data from the Mississippi
> watershed.  Another prototype application was a global commons decision
> support system for sensitive area route impacts.  This particular study
> evaluated the environmental risks associated with different standard shipping
> routes, to transport a cargo of chemical weapons placed in West Germany
> during the Cold War.  Proposed destination, a "safe" incinerator site on an
> island in the Pacific.
>
> Resources Automated Management System (RAMS) currently maintains in its GIS
> approximately fifty data layers for the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in
> Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay region.  It supports users with
> responsibilities for environmental protection, natural and cultural resources
> preservation, security, emergency response, disaster preparedness, range and
> aviation safety, and facilities management.  Edward Air Force Base
> demonstrated a siting system for the base, which also includes environmental
> layers.
>
> We finished off with the Mill Creek Project, Walla Walla District,
> Washington, the first water resources project in the U.S. Army Corps of
> Engineers to fully use a GIS.  A complete information system has been
> constructed for Mill Creek, which can be used at different scales and in
> different combinations for synthesis, analysis, display and preservation by
> all agencies within the district.  Data has been used, for example, by the
> Hydrology Branch, Real Estate Division, as well as by members of the public
> like the Camp Fire Girls.
>
> If these demonstrations are typical of what is going on out in the "real"
> world, then GIS is going public, and quickly at that.  The map information
> community is facing a real challenge in disseminating this information.  I
> hope that we are in the right place at the right time to make a significant
> contribution in getting GIS technology to the people, and that things will
> not be left in the hands of the GIS industry!  [CMa]
>
> To conclude the business portion of the conference, Edward Dahl, National
> Archives of Canada, chaired the "Reports from Discussion Groups and Open
> Microphone".  The first to report was Joan McKean of Education Affairs
> Division of NOAA who had chaired the group on "Toward Defining Training and
> Education Strategies for Map Librarians".  There were 16 attendees.  The
> areas of concern were:  a) access, b) role of librarians, and c) budget
> considerations.  Some of the highlights were:  Librarians are the information
> brokers and advocates for the public interest.  Librarians need to illuminate
> and make careers more relevant; do homework, learn the jargon and concepts,
> develop a knowledge base, read the literature, take a course.  Offer to
> coordinate a GIS group on campus or in your community schools.  Track library
> schools and get them to update the curriculum.  The group summation was that
> "GIS is too important to society to leave it to the GIS industry".
>
> Melissa Lamont of the University of Connecticut was the discussion leader for
> "Communicating with Library Directors about GIS, Remote Sensing and the Map
> Library".  Diana Rivera, Michigan State University, reported for the group.
> There were 19 attendees.  She reported five concerns: 1) lack of attention
> and funding for map collections, 2) downsizing of staff and space problems,
> 3) explaining GIS to Directors, 4) opposition to GIS in Library, and 5)
> defining level of library services.  Solutions suggested included networking
> among ourselves, within the library and with academic departments on campus,
> and with state and local user groups; directors need to know wide use and
> applications and how they benefit the library.  Improve visibility by using
> products already in house, such as Streetatlas USA or PCGlobe, in reports,
> presentations and displays.  Report statistics on use of GIS, time may be
> important as reference questions are more complicated and time consuming.
> Communicate with the director the level of service you need.  Present the
> library as middle ground between academic needs and information producers, a
> neutral resource to share; learn politics and cultivate GIS advocates.
> Communicate with the director regarding level of service to ensure support;
> specify and be able to explain why equipment is requested/needed, equipment
> requests should support a specific service.  Get outside persons to
> communicate the value of your collection to your director; impress visiting
> dignitaries; bring in neutral parties to assess the collection's strengths,
> worth, direction; use experiences of comparable and respected institutions.
>
> Grace Welch of the University of Ottawa reported on "Toward Defining the
> Technical Requirements for a Map Library in the Year 2000" at which 12 were
> in attendance.  This group arrived at no definitive answer.  Technical
> changes come so fast that there is a constant need for new equipment which
> may be out of date in two years.  Some libraries in this group did not have
> any equipment at all, while some were in the ARL GIS Literacy Project, and
> some were navigating the Internet.  The group expected to see a lot fewer
> paper maps by the year 2001, and map libraries will require electronic
> equipment which will vary in quantity depending upon the funds available.
> One conclusion was that access is required to the Internet, or its successor,
> such as a data network using broadcast technology which requires large
> storage devices.  One workstation is still one person access and can tie up
> the entire collections; multiple workstations and LANs are required.  The CD-
> ROM is an interim and will disappear.  The key to all our futures is metadata
> and making data easy to find.  Improved Gopher systems are needed, as well as
> output devices, such as color printers and plotters.  We will need a user
> foolproof interface.  A basic workstation needs to be defined.
>
> The last discussion group on "Inventories and Services:  Looking at the Map
> Library of the Future" was reported by the discussion leader, Jim Minton,
> University of Tennessee.  This was felt to include collection development and
> management and could only look ahead a maximum of five years.  There should
> be a well defined mission statement to put in front of your administration
> which would include the digital aspect.  Post your selection policies on the
> local Gopher.  Develop ties with departments, regional and provincial/state
> agencies.  Scan historical collections or provide special access tools for
> them.  Develop policies on access and amount of time that can be spent using
> equipment.  Paper map acquisition will not be a primary concern.  The
> services of reference, teaching, interlibrary loans, on-demand mapping will
> take more time and more terminals.  If there is only one terminal, the whole
> collection is tied up by one user.  Develop training handouts, manuals, and
> computer tutorials.  Use Internet for the transfer of data via ILL.
> Determine who are your users (primary, secondary and tertiary) and allocate
> your time carefully.
>
> Following this presentation, Ed moderated a question and answer session.  Jim
> Minton commented on terminology, advocating "cartographic information center"
> versus "map library".  Will there be map libraries in the future?  User
> friendly interfaces make for a lot of choices.  New functions as a result of
> new technology, what is a librarian?  Johnnie Sutherland noted that there is
> an intensive use of time and map files to know what is out there.  How much
> time should be spent training people to use the equipment or should you do it
> for them?  Colleen Beard felt that the main function should be to acquire and
> provide access to information.  Can we develop recommendations or
> specifications for workstations?  Reference was made to an "Administrative
> Notes" which recommended a 486, 8-16 meg RAM, 100-200 meg hd.  The library of
> the future:  archival collections, search center, service center for those
> who need products.  A mission statement is required which gives the concept
> of operations and is being forced by government agencies and map stores.  Do
> we categorize users by the amount of time spent on them?  Someone noted that
> 1/3 of users are outside agencies, such as environmental consulting firms,
> who are money making, and we should be charging them.  It was mentioned that
> for data outside the U.S. there are heavy licensing fees; such costs will
> require fees.  Some problems with reliable data were noted.  As a model for
> the future, it was noted that for a library that is a patent depository, when
> the library administration advertised this fact, they were overrun by users.
> People come to the library as a neutral locale, but it will have to recover
> costs.  Models are needed for charges for time, services.  Charging for
> services means limiting services to the groups that can pay.  If you find
> yourself spending 10 hours per week working for some company, you will
> develop a fee for service very fast.  There was discussion of tools or
> analysis; teaching how to use or finding the data.  It was felt that all
> special format libraries will face this soon.  What are cartographic
> specialists to do?  Redefine the profession?  Create a new profession,
> philosophy and policies.  Pat McGlamery noted that map collections are
> typically small units of much larger organizations, and we compete very
> poorly.  For these issues we need the sanction of some national organizations
> to provide funds to study issues.  For the first time, at this conference we
> had a variety of folk discussing in collegial fashion.  We have been too
> splintered in individual professional organizations.  Problems have been
> given form for the first time here.  Someone noted that librarians would
> become vendors and creators.
>
> The discussions were interrupted for a short while by a fire alarm requiring
> leaving the building from our sixth floor location (a sprinkler head broke in
> the parking garage).  At the end of the discussions, Chris Baruth thanked the
> other members of the steering committee (Gary Fitzpatrick, Patrick McGlamery,
> Johnnie Sutherland, and Alberta Wood), and noted that the level of discussion
> all along has brought out the best in all of us.  The steering committee met
> over lunch, and we hope to see a publication or proceedings come out of this
> meeting, in addition to this report.  There was discussion regarding another
> conference with the suggestions of having one in 2, 3 or 4 years time and
> perhaps on another theme.  [AH,CMo]
>
> The conference ended with a reception in the Montpelier Room sponsored by the
> Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress.  It had been an
> interesting and invigorating meeting!
>