On a related topic: Does anyone know where I can purchase folder paper?  We’ve finally run out and I can’t find a record of where we last got it from.

I use folder paper in flat map cases to keep map sets/series together in a drawer that also contains other flat maps.  Another use for folder paper is to protect a physically fragile map when retrieving it from a flat file (although I usually encapsulate at that point).  You can also use folders to keep a drawer with wildly different sized maps organized if all the folders are the same size.  I was originally trained that all the flat maps should be in folders, but having inherited a collection of over 200,000 maps that have been stored in various ways at various times, I haven’t tried to implement that. As I said, I primarily use folders to keep series together.

As to how many maps to put in a drawer, I think there are previous discussions on this list (which I’m not finding at this time).   Larsgaard (1998) says that a tightly packed 2” drawer of same size maps can hold up to 300 sheets. However, she estimates that a mixture of various sized maps will take about a half inch for 25 sheets. (100 sheets for a 2” drawer.) I wouldn’t recommend more than 100 sheets per drawer. If your maps are in a public area and/or frequently accessed, I’d recommend significantly less. Also, encapsulations and folders naturally increase the weight and thickness, thereby decreasing the number of maps.

Weight is actually an important factor, but # of sheets can be a general proxy. A heavy stack of maps in a drawer increases the likelihood of damage to the maps (and the patron – some of us have bad shoulders) when retrieving a map from near the bottom of the stack.  It’s also more difficult to refile maps if you have a lot in the drawer. So, factors to consider when deciding how many maps to put in a drawer:  1) how frequently will people be retrieving maps from the drawers (is this a popular collection, a use collection, archival only?); 2) Are the people accessing the maps trained on how to safely remove maps from a drawer (i.e., don’t yank on the corner of a map at the bottom of the stack); and 3) are the maps all of the same size or a variety of shapes/sizes.

We classify using LC call #s

Kathy Stroud

David and Nancy Petrone Cartographic and Spatial Data Librarian

Knight Library

1299 University of Oregon

Eugene, OR 97403-1299

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541-346-3051

“A map is not just a picture—it’s also the data behind the map, the methodology used to collect and parse that data, the people doing that work, the choices made in terms of visualization and the software used to make them.”

From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Fry, Michael
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2021 12:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Do you use folders to organize and separate maps in flat file/map drawers?

Angie,

I use folders for everything in flat files because the maps for which I might otherwise not use folders (e.g., USGS topos), are stored in vertical files.

Years ago, at UMd., the USGS topos were stored in flat files w/o folders. The sheets were organized alpha by state and sheet name, so folders seemed unnecessary, at least from an organizational standpoint. I don't recall how many 7.5" maps were in each drawer, but drawers holding topo maps of non-local states were pretty full and heavy, maps stacked an inch or so thick, as I remember it. The drawers holding the more heavily used local maps were more user-friendly.

HTH.

Michael

On Wed, Jul 28, 2021 at 10:06 AM Angela R Cope <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

And - can you give me an estimate as to how many maps you have per drawer? How many drawers and/or maps total?

Thanks.

Angie

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From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Angela R Cope <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2021 8:55 AM
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [MAPS-L] Do you use folders to organize and separate maps in flat file/map drawers?

Hello all,

Does anyone NOT use folders to organize and separate their maps in their flat file/map drawers? 

Can you tell me a bit about it? Do you use this system in all your map drawers or just for certain types of maps? 

Also, what call number system do you use?

Thanks much.

Angie

Angie Cope 

AGS Library, UW Milwaukee Libraries

2311 E. Hartford Avenue

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211

http://uwm.edu/libraries/agsl/

M-F 8:00am-4:30pm  [log in to unmask]

 (414) 251-7608 or (414)229-6282 

43°03'8"N 87°57'21"W

We acknowledge that in Milwaukee we live and work on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee homelands along the southwest shores of Michigami, part of North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee, and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, and Mohican nations remain present.

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Michael Fry
Collections Manager | Map Library Manager
National Geographic Society Library
202.807.3139

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