--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 16:51:57 -0500
From: Patrick McGlamery <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: RE: Cartographic Perspectives, No. 38, Winter 2001 <fwd>
Sender: Patrick McGlamery <[log in to unmask]>



David;

It certainly is provocative (the map library as stable is a smelly
metaphor... ), but not particularly insightful.  Of course map librarians
have been discussing these issues for decades; and NACIS has offered the
venue.  Peter's paper clearly approaches the issues from a user's point of
view, not from a information or library scientist's and that is the problem.
He doesn't really understand the problems.  Guess what, the maps don't
automatically come to the library. Libraries must contract for them... pay
for them... for thier users... Mr. Keller.  The user often times only sees
the front door of the library and the most important door to the library.
Actually the mailroom, where the millions of dollars of purchases and
subscriptions go out is the most important.

Libraries first and foremost acquire materials for their client group.  Then
the material, be it paper map or digital data, can be accessed.  I would
argue that the materials are shared... or even rationed... depending on ones
status in the community.  Faculty get longer loans and can borrow more
materials than undergrads.  But first the library must acquire... or acquire
rights to the material.  In Canada the 'Data Liberation Initiative' had a
strong component of libraries leading the liberation of government
information... or access to information.  This has not necessarily come from
the geography faculties.

In fact, my map library sees the issue as not so much paper maps vs. digital
products as it is spatial information.  Following on Vishvalingum's
excellent argument of 1987 (to paraphase Carville), it's the information,
not the carrier, stupid. Public and university research libraries are hiring
librarians with GIS background.  (One of the issues is how do you pay them,
as GIS tech or librarian... there's about $15,000 difference.)  The other
thing that Keller overlooks is the the need for material that has never been
scanned... or vectorized.  The map library as 'transition factory" where the
user can find the 1934 aerial photography... or the 1:50,000 topography of
Costa Rica in a paper store of information.  Chances are this "just in time"
approach to information is as viable as Keller's assumption that somebody is
going to belly up to the bar and cover the tab to convert it all... "just in
case"

So, what to do about Keller's paper.  Well, I've certainly had fun with it.
As a provocation it is rich.  Maybe there is a column (or series) in letting
librarians respond.  So, those that will, follow Scott's lead and submit
comments to CP editors... as well as MAPS-L.

Patrick McGlamery



-----Original Message-----
From: Johnnie Sutherland [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 4:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Cartographic Perspectives, No. 38, Winter 2001 <fwd>


--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 13:19:08 -0500
From: David Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Cartographic Perspectives, No. 38, Winter 2001
Sender: David Cobb <[log in to unmask]>



Colleagues -

I am a little surprised that nobody has made any reference to C. Peter
Keller's article 'The Map Library's Future' in the recent Cartographic
Perspectives? He lays out some very interesting challenges to the future of
map collections and it is well worth the read. While I believe some of his
statements are a bit harsh/extreme (although they probably represent an
important segment of our user community) I also believe that much of what
he says reflects issues that we should be considering. So, will we need
physical map libraries in the future he asks?

David Cobb
***************************************************************************
David A. Cobb                                           Tel. 617.495.2417
Harvard Map Collection                          FAX  617.496.0440
Harvard College Library                         Email: [log in to unmask]
Cambridge, MA 02138
HTTP://hcl.harvard.edu/maps
************************** VERITAS ****************************************
--- End Forwarded Message ---
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