-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Map cataloging research experience
Date:   Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:57:04 -0800
From:   Nagle, Tiffany <[log in to unmask]>
To:     [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>



I just wanted to share a rewarding experience I recently had trying to
catalog a local map. Being relatively new to the world of map
cataloging, I never realized how much work can sometimes be necessary to
catalog them!

I have a donated copy of a land plat map for our county that had been
cut up and reassembled into book format for an insurance company. During
the cutting/assembly process, any information about possible dates in
the margins was cut off. OCLC showed multiple versions of the map by the
same surveyor ranging from 1930 to 1944. So, I decided to take a closer
look at the map to see if I could narrow down the date based on
landmarks shown on the map. I first looked at the existence of certain
highways, which gave me a range of 1937-1964. Then, the existence of a
certain oil company narrowed my possibilities down to 1938-1956. Then I
found an airport that was built in 1940. Getting closer, but still not
there! Then I found a designation for the California Institution for
Women in Tehachapi, which appeared on the map as “abandoned”. Doing a
bit of research, I discovered that this prison was abandoned after a
major earthquake in July 1952, and was then rebuilt and reopened as a
men’s prison in 1954. Aha! That was a pretty good, narrow date range,
but I still wanted more. The final, crowning moment came when I saw the
representation of a dam that was completed in 1953. Eureka! To double
check, I noticed that records for earlier versions of the map showed the
creator’s name with the designation “County Surveyor”, but my copy just
showed his name by itself. I called the County Surveyor’s office and
they were able to verify that he retired in 1950. So, when this map was
probably produced in 1953-early 1954, he was no longer the County
Surveyor! Yeah!

You know, I love being a cataloger, but I sometimes miss the research
work from when I was a reference librarian. But that background can
certainly come in handy sometimes.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this experience, since people who aren’t
catalogers or map people just don’t understand the thrill of getting all
the pieces to fit together!

Tiffany Nagle

Bibliographic Control Librarian

Kern County Library

Bakersfield, Calif.