Thanks, Wangyal. I guess my concern is that a PDF can, theoretically, be printed to an infinite number of sizes, only one of which preserves the correct scale as stated in the RF. And so I wonder if users would be well served if catalogers made notes in the record to that effect. In the Okavango map's case, the scale of the print map is 1:2M *only when the map has been printed to a size of 28.94 x 30.10 inches*. [Here is where Paige will slap our wrists for not using centimeters!] OTOH, I'm not sure what you'd say about scale and zoom levels for viewers of the PDF. mf On Tue, Oct 26, 2021 at 6:42 PM Tsering W. Shawa <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Michael, > > If you have downloaded the original pdf file, then it is important to > catalog the page size and the scale of a map. This will allow a patron to > print the map in actual size. If the digital map has a graphical scale (the > map you downloaded does have both RF and graphical scale), then you don't > need to worry about whether the patron will zoom in or out to look at the > map and measure distances. The graphical scale will change according to the > zoom level. Because of this, most cartographers will use both the RF and > the graphical scale on a map. If the map has a graphical scale (scale bar) > then it does not matter if the map has been enlarged or reduced; the scale > will still be correct. > > The actual size of the Okavango River Basin map you downloaded is 28.94 x > 30.10 inches. > > Hope this information is helpful to you. > > Thanks, > -Wangyal > > Tsering Wangyal Shawa > > GIS and Map Librarian > > Head, Map and Geospatial Information Center > > Peter B. Lewis Library > > Washington Road & Ivy Lane > > Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 > > Telephone: 609-258-6804 > > [log in to unmask] > Make an appointment <https://libcal.princeton.edu/appointments/wangyal> > > http://library.princeton.edu/collections/pumagic > > <https://libcal.princeton.edu/appointments/wangyal> > ------------------------------ > *From:* Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf > of Fry, Michael <[log in to unmask]> > *Sent:* Tuesday, October 26, 2021 4:10 PM > *To:* [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* cataloging and map scale variability > > Hi, > The ubiquity of the Internet means that maps (or map image files) are > increasingly available for download from all kinds of map publishers (e.g., > UN and many national mapping orgs that no longer sell paper maps). Which is > great. But it almost certainly means that users will increasingly view maps > at a scale different from what's actually *printed* on those maps. > > Here's a specific example. Several years ago, I downloaded, printed (at > poster size), cataloged, and shelved in the collection this 1:2M UN map > of the Okavango River Basin <https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/423191>. > Now that we have a facility for storing map imagery, etc., I can link the > digital object to the same catalog record and give users the option to see > the map in both print and digital format. But in neither case--our print > copy or the PDF--is the scale stated on the map likely to be the same scale > that users see the map at. Unless, of course, I just happened to print it > to the exact dimensions the UN had in mind when they set the map to 1:2M > (unlikely) or users view the PDF version only at the zoom level consistent > with 1:2M (also unlikely). > > Is there anything to be done about this other than continuing to record > the scale as it appears on the map? If the map was printed from a digital > file--or if you know the map to be a reproduction or facsimile of some > kind, could one note this somewhere and point out that the true scale of > the map may differ from the stated/recorded scale? > > Thank you. > mf > -- > *Michael Fry* > Collections Manager | Map Library Manager > National Geographic Society Library > 202.807.3139 > [log in to unmask] > > [image: Nat Geo Logo Yellow_Black.png] <http://www.nationalgeographic.org> > > 1145 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036 > > <https://www.nationalgeographic.org> > > -- *Michael Fry* Collections Manager | Map Library Manager National Geographic Society Library 202.807.3139 [log in to unmask] [image: Nat Geo Logo Yellow_Black.png] <http://www.nationalgeographic.org> 1145 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036 <https://www.nationalgeographic.org>