-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Rare Maps
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 10:16:52 -0700
From: "Virginia R. Hetrick" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Organization: You Are Not Alone


Speaking as a past has been from the working in a map library and a
present is now reader of old (not necessarily but sometimes rare) maps,

I'd like to make a plea for non-circulation and other protection methods
for maps that, in your estimation are "not current".  There may be an
exception for in classroom use or for display of some sort, but it is
extremely frustrating to travel a long distance to use some old maps
which turn out to be missing because they weren't returned from
circulation.

The case in point does not have a map librarian per se and the book
librarian hadn't a clue, unfortunately, about the issues of circulating
maps.  After checking the local sources, I finally found them in a
"publicly available" private collection in Colorado.  If I were the
owner, I would have been VERY upset about the missing maps because all
of the collection had been gathered by the present owner's great
grandfather on his trips throughout the west and Europe in the late
1890s and very early 1900s.

Just my $0.02 worth.

virginia


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