This message was sent to Maps-L by Larry Cruse. In this message Larry is replying to an earlier message that Tony Campbell sent out over MAPHIST. Larry has attached to his message the Tony Campbell message. Specialized Home Pages are the new wave in communications. We should support both the WAML and this MapHist effort. All the large Map Collections should have Home Pages that give info about their special holdings and local maps.--------Johnnie --------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Tony, I announced the start of just such a homepage last month. Western Association of Map Libraries is underwriting start-up costs. we're workng on the details and should have something running next month, incorporating the very ideas you express. management will be particapatory/global. the past week was spent settling on the input mechanism--a system called Infomine developed at University of California, Riverside--and agreement on using Library of Congress Subject Headings--we hope to inbed them in the system as a look-up table for input and searching. LC Dear MapHister [this is from Tony Campbell - to save you having to page through to the end!] Is there any support for the idea that we establish a master web site for the history of cartography? The MapHist list is fine for conveying immediate information, but it doesn't operate as a systematic noticeboard, where information of a more enduring nature can be organized and stored for future reference. Some of this kind of data will have already been posted, but searching in the MapHist archive is a slow process unless you can remember the precise header title. New subscribers are, of course, unaware of what has gone before. What I am proposing would make information readily available to old and new subscribers alike. Information would be organized into a series of indexed categories, and regularly updated. Some of these categories are covered in the 'What's What' section of the recently published 'Who's Who in the History of Cartography (D8)'. This could help to provide a model for the web site. My personal starter list of what the site might contain would be: 1. A list of the relevant homepages, e.g. those with early map images, library catalogues, information on historical map collections, progress with the Madison 'History of Cartography' project [or reference to its homepage], etc. 2. A list of relevant journals, with recent contents pages, subscription information, contact names, etc. 3. A list of the various current bibliographies - a separate proposal to create a master bibliography of our subject is currently under consideration. 4. A list of future conferences, meetings, lectures, etc, in the form of a calendar 5. A list of recent theoretical works on the subject. 6. An index to the more significant discussions that have taken place on MapHist, with header titles and dates, for retrieval from the archive. 7. A list of research fellowships and prizes, with details. 8. A list of map dealers' catalogues. 9. Anything else that is wanted and can be provided. Theoretically, there is no limit and hypertext links might well be introduced. Discussion at the recent Vienna meeting of the International Society for the Curators of Early Maps extolled the delights of Internet 'anarchy'. This proposal is no threat to the random access, serendipity approach. But the Internet also offers the chance to bring organized, relevant information to a specialist group rather than let them surf - and probably miss most of it! It is no coincidence that a growing number of subjects are seeking to provide a central reference point on the Internet. The Western Association of Map Libraries, for example, has just announced plans for a master web site for map libraries. MapHist is now well established as THE global focus for our subject. If a homepage is to be created, I suggest it would ideally be made directly accessible to MapHist subscribers via an index screen. As suggested above, one of the homepage's major features would be a link to other homepages, which, as a result, would see increased usage. The MapHist Homepage would thus enable, not exclude. It would be simultaneously a central directory (for specialist and non-specialist alike) and a series of signposts. We first need to see if the idea has support. If yes, who will set it up? It should be possible to share out the tasks of creating and updating the different elements. Our Convenor, David Cobb, should certainly NOT be asked to do any of this work. Please give your reactions to this proposal. 1. Do you support it in principle? 2. What other information would you like to see on a MapHist Homepage? 3. Would you be prepared to offer help? Please write to the list but separately from this rather long message, to avoid clogging up the system. ***************************************************************** [log in to unmask] Tony Campbell, Map Librarian British Library Map Library Great Russell Street London WC1B 3DG, UK Phone: 0171 412 7525. International: +44 171 412 7525 Fax: 0171 412 7780. International: +44 171 412 7780 ***************************************************************** >-- Saved internet headers (useful for debugging) >Received: from VMS.DC.LSOFT.COM by mail.ucsd.edu; id HAA05724 sendmail 8.6.12/U >Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]> >Received: from PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (205.186.43.4) by VMS.DC.LSOFT.COM (LSMTP f >Date: Wed, 1 Nov 1995 15:04:03 +0000 >Reply-To: Map History Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> >Sender: Map History Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> >From: Tony Campbell <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Homepage idea >X-To: Non Receipt Notification Requested <[log in to unmask]> >To: Multiple recipients of list MAPHIST <[log in to unmask]>