----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I'll take a stab at this. This library has niether a Unix box, nor a lot of staff. It's just me, the maps, some very good students (this year) and a Pentium running a 10-user Novell 3.11 LAN, not cutting edge for a GIS lab, not bad for a one person library. That said, what about those DRGs? I opened the Hartford North Quad off of the "Capitols" CD in MapInfo and overlaid it with the TIGER and 1:24,000 data available on MAGIC. It was a non-event. Duane Marble noted to this List back in the Fall, "who is going to use this stuff, and for what?" I guess they might do digitizing, or use it as a backdrop, bits and pieces for illustrations and control location points for air photos. Maybe we should be looking at developing strategies for printing these suckers, I shudder to think about that. We can bemoan the trend to put everything into digital format, but that's not going to help us solve the problem of getting this new format of old information to the users. Yes, we are behind the curve. Yes, we do need training. Yes, one and two day sessions at ALA in Hawaii are NOT going to get us over the hump. But there is a lot of training to be had out there. The NCGIA recommended core curricula provides a GIS Certificate. (See http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/ed.html) This ia a long term commitment, but not a masters. Some more intensive training can be had from software companies like ESRI and MapInfo. These one week sessions are intensive, cover the basics and more, and are effective. They are aimed at the user community, often business. They have to deliver. They are held regularly at sites around the country, in fact, the world (See: http://www.mapinfo.com/software/training/training.html and http://www.esri.com/services/services.html) This does not mean we have to get another master's degree, just training. For what it's worth, it's probably tax deductible. If those DOQQs, TIGER, DRGs and other disks are piling up, catalog them and let them pile up on the shelf. Libraries are all about piling stuff up... in an orderly arrangement. What I have been doing is cataloging the CD and extracting the Connecticut data, mounting that on the server. It is the most used data for my client group. That's collection development. Not every book, map or disk in the library is active enough to be in a Reserve Room, or on a 14 day turn-around. I am more concerned about the 'non-map' geo-spatial data, such as the Cooperative Summary of the Day data. This is extremely important data and difficult data for the user to get into any kind of system, including a geographic system. Climate data has been a step-child for years. This data is point, not line data, non-cartographic and voluminous. It includes various evaporation, precipitation, snow, and air and soil temperature elements. The period of record varies among stations but falls within the period from the 1850s through 1993. As far as I know this data, unlike the DRGs, is not readily available in paper. Finally, how do we 'help ourselves' At this point in time, I think the regional approach is better than a national approach. I think it is possible for a number of librarians to contact ESRI or MapInfo, or a consulting firm and have them tailor a training session just for librarians, at a cost. Alright, that's my take. I don't think I solved the DRG problem specifically, but that's because I think the solution is more systemic. I tend to take sanctuary in library science, looking for systemic problems and solutions. Thanks for your attention, Patrick McGlamery Map Librarian Map and Geographic Information Center Homer Babbidge Library Storrs, CT 06268 TEL: (860) 486-4589 FAX: (860) 486-3593