Hi Rebecca,

I've been collecting GIS data and maps for over 20 years, so things have
changed considerably during that time.  Presently, this is how I operate:

GIS data --
Focus on acquiring local data from counties (and maybe cities) that your
patrons are mostly interested in.  By doing this systematically, you can
develop a data archive that will be useful to future researchers who want
to study the past.  If some of the cities and counties already have an
online archive of data, then you may not want to duplicate it however.  If
some cities and counties require data sharing agreements and purchases,
then it will be very valuable to your patrons if you can work those out so
that you can have the data on hand for patrons to use so they don't have to
go through that themselves.  I did quite a few sharing agreements years
ago, but very few local governments bother with them now around here, but I
don't know about where you are.

Also remember that local data is updated daily, so you just have to settle
on an approximate time period to take "snapshots" -- annual snapshots are
usually adequate.  The home county we are located in provides monthly
snapshots on their website, so I send people there instead of our own
collection.

Depending on how well your state government is archiving data, you may or
may not want to start a State data collection.  If their data is easily
accessible online already and is being archived, I would not duplicate it.
On the other hand, if there are barriers to access, then the library can
help reduce those barriers for your patrons.

I would not collect any US Federal data since most is already online,
unless there's something special about it.  International data is very
challenging, and usually must be purchased, so we only obtain such upon
request.

Honestly IMO, major improvements in the past ten years or so in data
streaming services (especially for imagery), open data portals, cloud
storage access, and sites such as ArcGIS Online and Data.gov have really
reduced the need for investing in building a large and comprehensive
on-site data collection -- unless there is significantly valuable content
that is not otherwise being archived.


Maps --
We are no longer acquiring any new maps unless it's a very special
circumstance. We have weeded down to just North Carolina topographic maps,
and a couple of cabinets of older depository and other assorted maps.  All
are in off-site storage and there have been only a tiny number of requests
for them in many years.


Jeff Essic
Lead Librarian for GIS
North Carolina State University
Hill Library; Data & Visualization Services
Box 7111, Raleigh, NC  27695-7111
(919) 515-5698
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/gis




On Wed, Jan 3, 2024 at 3:16 PM Rebecca Seifried <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> We are working on drafting our very first Collection Development Policy
> for maps and geospatial data at UMass Amherst, and we are seeking examples
> from similar institutions. We are looking for map-specific CDPs,
> data-specific CDPs, or CDPs that combine the two.
>
> Our map collection is essentially a depository collection, with some
> unique holdings related to Massachusetts and New England. We've never had a
> map librarian on staff, and the collection has been largely ignored for
> some time. We are hoping to establish a set of guidelines to clarify the
> collection's scope and help us prioritize ensuring access for patrons. Our
> geospatial data collection, on the other hand, is in its early stages and
> we are seeking to continue expanding it.
>
> Do you have any advice on how to go about drafting a CDP, and/or examples
> you can point us to?
>
> Very best,
> Becky Seifried and Anne Graham
>
> --------------------------------------------
>
> Rebecca Seifried, PhD (she/her)
>
> Geospatial Information Librarian
>
> University Libraries
>
> UMass Amherst
>
> 154 Hicks Way
>
> 620 W.E.B. Du Bois Library
>
> Amherst, MA 01003-9275
>
>
>
> Schedule a meeting
> <https:[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>