-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Need some advice on disposing of lots of old OS Maps Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 22:36:15 +0000 From: Brendan Whyte <[log in to unmask]> To: mapsL <[log in to unmask]> Forwarded form carot-soc, in the hope there's someone fomr the Caribbean listening... Dr Brendan Whyte Assistant Map Curator Map Section National Library of Australia Parkes ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA > To: [log in to unmask] > From: [log in to unmask] > Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 11:55:50 +0100 > Subject: [carto-soc] Need some advice on disposing of lots of old OS Maps > > > An old friend of our family, Uncle John, died a few years ago; his wife had > already gone and he had no children. > > During his working life he was an engineer with the Public Works Department > (British Empire days in the '50s ) and when we were clearing out his loft we > found around a hundred or so old OS maps of the places he worked in, mainly the > West Indies and some of Ceylon and Malaya. I took the maps and they are now > sitting in my loft and we are about to move house so I have rediscovered them. > It was my intention to send them all to a library somewhere in the Caribbean > where they could be of some use (probably for historical interest) but I never > got around to it. &g! t; > Most of these OS maps are at a huge scale, about 1:25,000. I have no idea if > they are valuable or of academic interest only. What I do know is that they are > of no use to me, and there is no way on earth I can bring myself to throw them > into the skip along with the other forgettable stuff that we've picked up in > our lives and are now getting rid of with the impending move. > > When Uncle John retired to darkest Wales, he became something of an authority > on bee keeping. One of his bequests was that an educational centre should be > set up in Wales about bees and bee keeping and I am one of the trustees to make > this a reality. > > So, back to the maps. My questions are: > > If these maps have any value, I would like to sell them and put any income > earned into Uncle John's trust for bees. Is there any value in 1050's OS maps > at huge scales in places like the! West Indies and Ceylon (I'm pretty sure they > are out of print ). > > If not, and the maps are of academic interest only, who should I give these > maps to so that they will benefit the most people who need to use them > (hopefully for free)? > > I would really welcome any thoughts you have. > > All the best > > Ravi >