----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>----------
>From:  Laura Saegert
>Sent:  Wednesday, September 24, 1997 9:25 AM
>To:    [log in to unmask]
>Subject:       Texas State Library Map Archives
>
>If you have any questions about the maps (not technical questions) referred
>to in the following press release, please let me know.
>
>Laura Saegert, Map Archivist
>Archives and Information Services Division
>Texas State Library
>[log in to unmask]
>(512) 463-5500
>
>The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is pleased to
>announce that high-resolution scanned images from its Map Archive are now
>available online at the Archives and Information Services Lobby area of the
>TSLAC web site. The complete list of scanned maps can be found at
>http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/lobby/maps/ .
>
>Approximately 20 maps -- dating from 1720 to 1822 --  are presently available
>at the web site, with the number of scanned images expected to increase
>weekly.
>
>These historic maps have been carefully scanned on a high-resolution drum
>scanner to a resolution of 250 dots per inch. Although the map images have
>been digitally manipulated to optimize contrast and readability, no details
>have been added or reconstructed. For most maps, the image size and color
>palette have been slightly reduced to minimize the final file size, while
>maintaining a level of detail necessary to preserve all printed lines and
>notations.
>
>From a chronological list of available maps, visitors to the site can read
>complete descriptions and view low-resolution thumbnail images of each map.
>The high-resolution, compressed JPEG-format images, ranging in size from 1 to
>3 Megabytes, are available to download for offline viewing.
>
>These scanned images represent only a small fraction of the more than 7,600
>maps in the TSLAC Map Archive, which includes original, photoreproduced, and
>compiled maps covering the period from the early seventeenth through the late
>twentieth centuries. A searchable database of the entire archive is also
>available at the web site which enables users to identify specific maps using
>search criteria such as location, date, or type of map.
>
>
>Technical Notes:
>
>Due to their large size, the high-resolution JPEG map image files may take
>significant time to download and must be "unzipped" using a helper
>application such as Stuffit Expander (Mac) or WinZip (Windows).
>
>Once unzipped, the large JPEG images are best viewed with a commercial
>graphics software application such as Adobe PhotoShop. They may also be
>viewed with a number of shareware viewers, such as "JPEGView" and
>"GraphicConverter" for a Macintosh and "LVIEW" for a Windows PC. These
>viewers offer useful zooming, cropping, and printing options and may be
>downloaded from http://www.shareware.com.
>
>Consult the shareware READ ME files for important information on memory
>allocation to ensure adequate resources for these large image files. Also be
>sure to register and pay any necessary shareware fees for these programs.
>
>
>