----------------------------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!