-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Need some advice on disposing of lots of old OS Maps
Date:   Mon, 2 May 2011 22:36:15 +0000
From:   Brendan Whyte <[log in to unmask]>
To:     mapsL <[log in to unmask]>



Forwarded form carot-soc, in the hope there's someone fomr the Caribbean
listening...


Dr Brendan Whyte
Assistant Map Curator
Map Section
National Library of Australia
Parkes
ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA





  > To: [log in to unmask]
  > From: [log in to unmask]
  > Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 11:55:50 +0100
  > Subject: [carto-soc] Need some advice on disposing of lots of old OS
Maps
  >
  >
  > An old friend of our family, Uncle John, died a few years ago; his
wife had
  > already gone and he had no children.
  >
  > During his working life he was an engineer with the Public Works
Department
  > (British Empire days in the '50s ) and when we were clearing out his
loft we
  > found around a hundred or so old OS maps of the places he worked in,
mainly the
  > West Indies and some of Ceylon and Malaya. I took the maps and they
are now
  > sitting in my loft and we are about to move house so I have
rediscovered them.
  > It was my intention to send them all to a library somewhere in the
Caribbean
  > where they could be of some use (probably for historical interest)
but I never
  > got around to it.
&g! t;
  > Most of these OS maps are at a huge scale, about 1:25,000. I have no
idea if
  > they are valuable or of academic interest only. What I do know is
that they are
  > of no use to me, and there is no way on earth I can bring myself to
throw them
  > into the skip along with the other forgettable stuff that we've
picked up in
  > our lives and are now getting rid of with the impending move.
  >
  > When Uncle John retired to darkest Wales, he became something of an
authority
  > on bee keeping. One of his bequests was that an educational centre
should be
  > set up in Wales about bees and bee keeping and I am one of the
trustees to make
  > this a reality.
  >
  > So, back to the maps. My questions are:
  >
  > If these maps have any value, I would like to sell them and put any
income
  > earned into Uncle John's trust for bees. Is there any value in 1050's
OS maps
  > at huge scales in places like the! West Indies and Ceylon (I'm pretty
sure they
  > are out of print ).
  >
  > If not, and the maps are of academic interest only, who should I give
these
  > maps to so that they will benefit the most people who need to use them
  > (hopefully for free)?
  >
  > I would really welcome any thoughts you have.
  >
  > All the best
  >
  > Ravi
  >