-------- Original Message -------- Subject: GIS and libraries Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:03:14 +1100 From: Martin Woods <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> The National Library of Australia has been digitising its older sheet maps for 8 years, and has digitised over 15,000 items to date. We are now commencing to digitise our holdings of Australian imperial series mapping, created in the first half of the twentieth century and desirable for family and community history and a variety of environmental and other uses. Australian nationally produced layers are mainly, 8 inch – 1940s 4 inch – 1940s-50s 2 inch – 1932-41, 1949 1 inch – 1912-1940s In all possibly somewhat less than 20,000 sheets. Included in the total, each map sheet within a series may have editions, and there are sometimes states within editions, a complicating factor. It is likely that for the time being, these will simply be linked to a bibliographic record as we have done previously, providing good textual access, however as we are in the mood for experimenting with online indexes, I am interested in whether people think it is worth using GIS to develop and deliver series maps, vs a simpler HTML index approach, and if they have preferred software. One approach is obviously more labour intensive, but gives potentially more applications, layers etc, the other is easier to deliver and less costly. In very brief, is that about it? I have been able to find very little on the topic actually assessing alternatives other than Chris Fleet’s very useful paper in 2006: _http://www.e-perimetron.org/Vol_1_2/Fleet/Fleet.pdf_ *With apologies for cross-posting Dr Martin Woods,Curator of Maps National Library of Australia Tel: +61 2 6262 1280 Fax: +61 2 6262 1653 Email: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>