-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Do you 'rescue' maps from books? or maps as a matter of interest to curators of rare books and special collections
Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 15:26:27 +0000
From: Jan Smits <[log in to unmask]>
To: 'Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship' <[log in to unmask]>


Maps in books and periodicals are almost always the victim of time and some carelessness. The past few years I have checked hundreds of early print atlases from frontcover to backcover and almost always the folded maps show damage in the corners. Unfortunately only rarely the map is removed and flattened, mostly because it is precious in some way. Atlas sellers before say 1850 did, probably unintentionally, a lot of pre-damage by assembling the atlases to demands of the customers they had, glad to sell them oversized maps and bind them into the cover requested. The one good thing is that the fiber-based paper usually is rather thick and doesn’t tear easily at the folds. This we can’t say of post 1850-paper maps, because the base on which they were printed is far easier damaged. All the maps in the atlases are accounted for mainly by referring to bibliographies like:

Koeman’s atlantes Neerlandici

Atlantes Neerlandici

Maps in the atlases of the British Library : a descriptive catalogue, c. AD 850-1800 / Rodney Shirley

Les atlas français, XVIe-XVIIe siècles : répertoire bibliographique et étude / par Mireille Pastoureau

Guicciardiniillustratus : de kaarten en prenten in Lodovico Guicciardini's Beschrijving van de Nederlanden

The A. E. Nordenskiöld collection in the Helsinki University Library : annotated catalogue of maps made up to 1800

A list of editions of Ptolemy’s geography : 1475-1730 / [Eames Wilberforce]. – New York : [s.n.], 1886

In the descriptions only those maps are accounted for in the local bibliographic area that are either missing or are extra’s. If there is not a bibliography available the maps are accounted succinctly for in a separate document that we keep for security reasons.

While visiting the map collection of the Staatbibliothek zu Berlin in [Eastern]-Berlin Unter der Linden in the 1990s I was happily surprised to see they had a separate department for publications with appendixes. The maps were stored in cabinets, while above the cabinets the publications were shelved in bookcases. I do not know whether they practice still in the same way.

The problems with appended maps is that there are so many. And if one separates them from the main body and shelf them in a different place either the original bibliographic record of the publication should be amended or, even better, the maps should get their own bibliographic record linked to the bibliographic record of the publications they derive from.

Between 1980 and 1999 we stacked publications with a lot of maps (not being atlases) or with maps appended to them into a separate collection in the map storeroom. We also catalogued all the maps, resulting in some 45,000 map descriptions. These were also published in our national map-bibliography. Unfortunately the other librarians didn’t see the value of this exercise and when the map department was dissolved and distributed over the rest of the library the 45,000 descriptions were not converted to our general catalogue. The only remark showing their existence is in the collation-field of the bibliographic description of the main body, i.e. 245 p. : maps ; 30 cm.

In this time of the virtual library the bibliographic burden can be enlightened only when there is cooperation between libraries that work within the same bibliographic system. To distribute the work-load between them, in order that all participating libraries can enjoy the outcome, may not result in accessing all maps, but certainly a much larger proportion than is now bibliographically available.

Jan Smits

Former Mapcurator

Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of The Netherlands

Van: Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Namens Angie Cope, American Geographical Society Library, UW Milwaukee
Verzonden: donderdag 23 januari 2014 22:28
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: Re: Do you 'rescue' maps from books? or maps as a matter of interest to curators of rare books and special collections

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:

RE: Do you 'rescue' maps from books? or maps as a matter of interest to curators of rare books and special collections

Date:

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 19:50:06 +0000

From:

Weessies, Kathleen <[log in to unmask]>

To:

Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship <[log in to unmask]>




I’m enjoying this whole message thread, thank you all for sharing. I wrote the original post with my need-of-the-moment blinders on, not thinking of how my question might be interpreted or shared. My library has de-accessioning many print serials when we acquired permanent online access, however I find I want to keep the fold-out maps regardless of how nice the online equivalents are. The US Congressional Serial Set is the set of volumes currently targeted, not for withdrawl, but for off-site storage. Hallie is spot on when she observes how many times this very thin paper had to be folded to make the maps fit down to the size of the volume. Even if they received zero use, after 100 years or so they fall to pieces just by unfolding them. So yes, I’m razoring out some of the maps for flat storage. But there are about 30,000 maps throughout the series (per Andrew Laas) and I only have time and space to get the more mission-critical pieces.

I’m intensely grateful to those libraries that have had more carefully planned and executed projects of this kind. Those of us who can’t save them all will likely take interest in the maps depicting our own state or region and so collectively and unintentionally, we may all be achieving a map-themed Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe. Aside from Michigan and Great Lakes, I can’t resist anything depicting removal of Indians, establishment or deestablishment of reservations, exploitation of natural resources and boundary disputes.

My hastily cobbled workflow has us making item records for each map in the gigantic Serial Set catalog record, and each physical volume is marked saying that the supplementary items are located in the Map Library. Eventually I’d like to see full cataloging of each piece.

My Life as a Ripper, I love it!

Kathleen Weessies

Geosciences Librarian; Head, Map Library

Coordinator; Collaborative Technology Labs

Michigan State University

Main Library

366 W. Circle Drive, W308

East Lansing, MI 48824

517-884-0849

From: Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Angie Cope, American Geographical Society Library, UW Milwaukee
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2014 11:01 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Do you 'rescue' maps from books? or maps as a matter of interest to curators of rare books and special collections

People contact me off list and sometimes it's just to good not to share ...

Kathleen and Ed, we would like to see you write an article entitled:

My life as a ripper.

Thank you.

angie and anonymous



-------- Original Message --------

Subject:

Do you 'rescue' maps from books? or maps as a matter of interest to curators of rare books and special collections

Date:

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 09:33:02 -0600

From:

Angie Cope, American Geographical Society Library, UW Milwaukee <[log in to unmask]>

Organization:

American Geographical Society Library

To:

Maps-L <[log in to unmask]>



Has anyone seen the movie Momento where the film starts at the end and works it's way to the beginning? Well, read this email that way too. A VERY interesting conversation happening at the [log in to unmask] list that got forwarded to the exlibris rare and special collections librarian list and now ... I'm forwarding to map librarians. There were some special collections librarians who were shocked but I think the reality is that it happens.

What do you think?

Angie



-------- Original Message --------

Subject:

RE: ["EXLIBRIS-L"] maps as a matter of interest to curators of rare books and special collections

Date:

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 10:15:55 -0500

From:

Charles Alaimo <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

[log in to unmask]

To:

[log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>

I, and my map colleagues before me, having been doing this for many years at our institution. Folded maps on delicate or acidic paper never survive when handled by patrons after decades of being untouched, and flatening them is the best policy, I believe. I have made it a practice to always return the map bibliographically to the original book or serial record, even if specific map cataloging is lacking. Using our unique, in-house classification, we add the map back to the record, and pencil notes on the map and the book state its origins.

Charles Alaimo

Rare Book and Map Librarian

Grosvenor Room

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

1 Lafayette Sq.

Buffalo, NY 14203

716-858-7118

From: raphaële mouren [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2014 9:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: ["EXLIBRIS-L"] maps as a matter of interest to curators of rare books and special collections

thank you Everett, you give the perfect answer.

And what about text written on the verso of the map? you just don't have it when you read the book or the article?

Raphaële

2014/1/23 Angie Cope, American Geographical Society Library, UW Milwaukee <[log in to unmask]>

There are SO MANY maps bound into books/serials. It's a race against time to preserve these resources. I don't think map libraries are cutting maps out of 15th century atlases but instead trying to save maps from serials. These serials are increasingly being weeded because they're "scanned" and online. The quality of the "scans" through google or haithi or whatever are often poor at best.

Very interesting discussion and thank you so much Donald for sharing. I'm not on the magirt list and so I'm glad I got to see this.

Angie (map librarian)
AGS Library

On 01/22/2014 07:30 PM, Donald Farren wrote:

Not to tattle, but I have learned, as enclosed, that map librarians "rescue" (their term) maps by razoring them from books for separate housing, the practice having the blessing of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress (although the division holds the maps uncatalogued), the justification being that not having to go to the books "saves a lot of time and energy." Our esteemed colleagues have their reasons that must be respected, but I wonder if the practice of breaking the books and obliterating the provenance of the maps makes anyone else nervous. How does this practice, in principle, differ from breaking atlases, commonly condemned by map librarians?

Donald Farren

4009 Bradley Lane

Chevy Chase, MD 20815-5238

[log in to unmask]

voice 301.951.9479

fax 301.951.3898

mobile 301.768.8972

From: Hallie Pritchett [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 5:19 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Do you 'rescue' maps from books?

Kathleen - John Phillips from Oklahoma State did a great presentation on this very topic at a DLC Conference and Meeting a couple of years ago. He talked specifically about pulling maps related to Oklahoma from the Serial Set and cataloging them separately. Don't know if he's on this list (I believe he's a MAGIRT member), but if he's at Midwinter I'm sure he'd be happy to discuss their project.

Hallie Pritchett
Map and Federal Regional Depository Librarian
University of Georgia Libraries
Athens, GA 30602
[log in to unmask]
706-542-0664
706-583-0631 (FAX)
Map and Government Information Library -
http://www.libs.uga.edu/magil/

From: Redmond, Edward James <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 5:04 PM
To: 'Weessies, Kathleen'; [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Do you 'rescue' maps from books?

Kathleen:

The Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress has been rescuing maps from the Serial Set for many years. Additionally, we have done the same with the RGS journals, and other 19th century maps tucked in War Department journals, etc.

By far, the largest project was our Serial Set rescue. From a reference point of view, these maps are invaluable and having the ability to go to the maps (based on Donna Koepps inventory) saves a lot of time and energy. While this collection is not cataloged, some of the maps have been scanned for a specific project.

If I were King of the Maps I would make one gigantic “rescued maps” collection with notes on all the different publications (Serial Set; RGS; etc.)

Ed

From: Weessies, Kathleen [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 5:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Do you 'rescue' maps from books?

I’ve spent the last few days razoring maps out of the Serial Set – our volumes from the late 1800s and early 1900s are about to go to Remote Storage. Some old journals have fold-out maps in them too, such as from the Royal Geographical Society. If you’ve done a project to harvest maps for flat storage in the map library, I’d be interested in hearing of your experiences.

Hey, is this a good discussion topic for the Map Collection Manager’s discussion group this weekend?

When I saw the first booktruck in Catalog Maintenance with its numerous fold-out maps, I on-the-spot invented a workflow to rescue some of them. I can’t take them all, so I’m prioritizing the ones closest to our collection interests. Great Lakes, and all that, plus removal of Indians and other vital topics. Some maps fall into pieces at the fold lines the moment I touch them!

Kathleen Weessies

Geosciences Librarian; Head, Map Library

Coordinator; Collaborative Technology Labs

Michigan State University

Main Library

366 W. Circle Drive, W308

East Lansing, MI 48824

517-884-0849

The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System has more than 2.6 million materials available for borrowing including books, eBooks, DVDs, music and more. Free library card applications can be downloaded and taken to any of the 37- local public libraries for processing. A valid form of identification and proof of address is necessary. For more information call 716-858-8900 or visit www.BuffaloLib.org .