-------- 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.