----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > I beg to differ with F. Hoffmann on the need for additional map list-serves. Sorry, I am with Frank on this one! I am already subscribed to far more lists than common sense dictates would be sensible, and have to deal with some 50 or more messages a day. Most of which are junk, but a significant few are worth having, which is what keeps me going. But Listserv groups are proliferating faster than the weeds in my garden (now THAT's fast! :-) and it is difficult to keep up! > Do I hear Pandora's box opening...? Alice Hudson, NYPL The problem is where does the reductionism stop? Why not a separate list for European mapping; one for mapping of Liechenstein; one for USGS products exclusively; one for problems of handling thematic (as opposed to topo) maps; one for discussing map projection issues; one for air photos; one only for maps at scales greater than 1:50,000; one for map cataloguing issues only; another for discussing which brand of map storage cabinets to buy...; one for announcing discards and freebies; one forannouncing map job vacancies (if there ever are any these days?); etc.? Sorry if this sounds slightly flippant, but for me one of the strengths and joys of MAPS-L is that there is a good variety of topics discussed, many of which are over my head or are of lesser interest (like news of MAGERT or what-have-you), but which never the less is teaching me something new. And that is at least half of what it is all about, isn't it? Using MAPS-L as a means of learning from our peers? If we break off into little cliques and sub-groups then we shall lose the synergy and cross-fertilisation of ideas that prevails at present. Sorry - I'll get off my soap box now :-) Darius Bartlett