----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I am sending this both to MAPS-L and to the ARL-GIS listserv. Please forgive the duplication. Many of our users want to improve their electronic maps in one way or another, e.g., to add elaborate graphics, or to tack on lines or symbols that show the geographic extent of a phenomenon of particular interest to them. This can be done with both ArcView and the Sammamish software, but it's awkward. The obvious solution is to export the map into a drawing program and to work from there. I've resisted acquiring a drawing program for the Map Collection, for several good reasons, namely: [1] I don't really want people tying up the computer any longer than necessary; [2] letting users make maps from data in the Library seems like a straightforward extension of our traditional services; letting them draw freehand (so to speak) somehow gets beyond that; and [3] in theory, users can always take their files elsewhere. But all these reasons break down somewhat on close examination: [1] many users spend a huge amount of time making maps already, e.g., struggling to get an ArcView layout just right; [2] users do drawings now, with a light table (admittedly not very often); and [3] taking files away isn't so easy, when they're 2 meg and users don't understand (or have access to) ftp-ing, and anyway, many people can't easily get hold of an appropriate drawing program (our computer center would rather that people buy their own). The result of this perhaps somewhat tortured reasoning is that I've been wondering whether the time hasn't come to acquire a good drawing program at the Map Collection. I would be grateful for advice from colleagues who have experience with drawing programs in a map library setting. I am looking for a program able to work with .eps rather than only with .bmp files (.eps files preserve the vector components of maps; .bmp files have too low a resolution to be much good). It would also be nice to find a program that wouldn't be too hard to learn. Obvious candidates are Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw (spelling?). Are there others? Can anyone offer recommendations? I'd also be grateful to hear from anyone who thinks this is a terrible idea! Thanks. Chris Winters University of Chicago Map Collection Internet: [log in to unmask]