-------- Original Message -------- Subject: CD-ROM/DVD-ROM in map libraries Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 22:31:22 -0400 From: Tim Borzecki <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] ------------------ Hi I'm a graduate student at Curtin University, Western Australia, interested in the future of map libraries. I have sent a small survey to some map curators and librarians in Australia for a graduate project, but I would appreciate some comment from international map librarians in order to obtain a different perspective. I am particularly looking at the use of optical media in map libraries (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM) and whether their use is likely to decline in the same manner as CD-ROM use in the general library collections has declined in the last few years. Does the type and file sizes of map/GIS data, mapping software and information kept on CD-ROM mean that CD-ROM will be used in map libraries long after they disappear in the main library? To what degree will the use of map information on the internet affect the purchase and use of optical media map products (CD-ROM/DVD-ROM) by map libraries? If anybody has any comment or personal experience related to this issue, please contact me at [log in to unmask] Names and organization details will not be used or stored for the project. Thank You, Tim Borzecki Perth, Western Australia