maps: a "must have" for genealogists
DESCRIPTION
Discusses main parts of maps, types of maps of use to genealogists, where to find maps both in print and online, other map-related online sites, and the pros and cons of print versus online maps.TRANSCRIPT
Maps: A “Must Have” Item for Genealogists
RUSA Genealogy Preconference Las Vegas, Nevada
June 27, 2014
Katherine RankinSpecial Collections [and maps] Cataloger,
Libraries’ Genealogy LibGuide creatorUniv. of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries
Parts of a mapScale
Coordinates
Coordinates
Image from Wikipedia
Projection
Relief
Legend
Types of MapsPolitical
1861
Types of MapsPolitical
1856
Political map--Nevada
1863
Types of MapsPolitical
1856
Political map--Nevada
1867
Thematic
Panorama
Cadastral
Cadastral
Image courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
Cadastral
Image courtesy of the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
Google Earth
Google Earth
Trail Maps
Census District Enumeration Maps
http://stevemorse.org/census/
1940 Census Page
Google Earth
Cemetery location
"Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin."
City maps showing cemetery
"Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin."
Forest Cemetery Map—Circleville, Ohio
Cemetery maps
Roseville, Ohio
Topographic maps
Geo-rectified maps
Home Owners’ Loan Corporation
Map Mistakes
From blog about strange maps posted by Frank Jacobs on February 11, 2014
Cartographic toolsGazetteers
Print:• U.S. Board on Geographic Names—Gazetteer of Convention Names for United
States. Other titles for other countries• Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America• Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World• Times Index-Gazetteer of the World Online:• US Gazetteer – Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer
Place names
• Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)http://geonames.usgs.gov/
• GEOnet Names Server http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/index.html
• National Geospatial Intelligence Agency https://www.nga.mil/Pages/default.aspx
More cartographic tools
• Topographical dictionariesHistorical; often a lot of information about a locale; like
Victorian England.Example: Topographical Dictionary of England • Directories
Reverse, postal, telephone books
• AtlasesA book of maps--Current and historical
More map web sites
• Map History/History of Cartographyhttp://www.maphistory.info
How to locate map collections
Print:• Map Collections in the United States and Canada: a Directory, edited by David K.
Carrington and Richard W. Stephenson, 4th ed., Special Libraries Association, 1985 • Guide to U.S. Map Resources, Map and Geography Round Table of the American
Library Association, edited by Christopher J.J. Thiry, 3rd ed., Scarecrow Press, 2006 Online:• The John R. Borchert Map Library at the University of Minnesota website:• https://www.lib.umn.edu/borchert
Online map gateways
• Cyndi's List - Maps, Gazetteers, & Geographical Informationhttp://www.cyndislist.com/maps.htm
• Old Maps Onlinehttps://sites.google.com/site/oldmapsonlineorg
Public libraries• Library of Congresshttp://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/
• New York Public Libraryhttp://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman/map-division
Sources of maps: Major map collections
Academic libraries
• American Geographical Society Library, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/digilib/maps/index.html
• Perry Castañeda Map Library, University of Texas (Austin)http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html
• Alexandria Digital Library, Univ. of Calif., Santa Barbarahttp://alexandria.sdc.ucsb.edu/
Academic libraries--Nevada
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries’ digital map collection Southern Nevada: History in Mapshttp://digital.library.unlv.edu/collections/maps
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries’ digital map collectionNevada in Mapshttp://www.delamare.unr.edu/maps/digitalcollections/nvmaps/Default.htm
Private map libraries
• Newberry Library (Chicago)http://newberry.org/collections/mapoverview.html
• LDS Family Library Cataloghttps://familysearch.org/catalog-search
Archives
• National Archives and Records Administration. Cartographic & Architectural Branch
http://www.archives.gov/research/formats/cartographic.html
• Bureau of Land Management. Land & Mineral Recordshttp://www.blm.gov/lr2000/
US General Land Office (GLO)
Federal maps • US General Land Office (GLO)http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/Visitors/GLO.asp
• National Mapping Information - USGS (United States Geological Survey)
http://mapping.usgs.gov/
• Bureau of Land Management. Land & Mineral Records
http://www.blm.gov/lr2000/
Archives
• National Archives and Records Administration. Cartographic & Architectural Branch
http://www.archives.gov/research/formats/cartographic.html
• Bureau of Land Management. Land & Mineral Recordshttp://www.blm.gov/lr2000/
US General Land Office (GLO)
Archives
National Archives and Records Administration. Cartographic & Architectural Branchhttp://www.archives.gov/research/start/by-format.html#cartographic
Museums, historical societies, private collections
• David Rumsey Historical Map Collectionhttp://www.davidrumsey.com/
• Oregon Historical Societyhttp://www.ohs.org/
Where to buy maps
• Can buy maps from federal agencies from U.S. Geological Surveyhttp://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/start/%28xcm=r3standardpitrex_prd%29/.do
• International Map Trade Association http://www.imiamaps.org/
• Omnimap.com http://www.omnimap.com
• East View Geospatial http://www.geospatial.com/
• There is a map store here in Las Vegas:Gotta Getta Map at 1566 Western Avenue (NW corner of Oakey and Western) 702-678-6277
• Other cities also have independent map stores
• Rand McNally has stores in some cities and also sells maps online
Buy at a local store
Learning more about using maps in genealogy
Genealogy “guidebooks’ may have a section on using maps:• ‘Geographic Tools: Maps, Atlases, and Gazetteers’ by Carol Mehr Schiffman in
Printed Sources, a Guide to Published Genealogical Records, edited by Kory L. Meyerink, published by Ancestry in 1998
• Chapter 19, ‘Cartographic Records’ in Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States, edited by Anne Bruner Eales and Robert M. Kvasnicka, 3rd ed., published by the National Archives and Records Administration in 2000
• Online maps information• http://geography.about.com/od/understandmaps/Understand_Maps_and_Cartography.ht
m
Advantages of electronic maps
• Increased access to map collections
• Allow user to select and display information for a particular geographic area or on particular themes
• Easier to produce maps and to revise them; genealogists can include them in publications
• Computers can also help us manipulate data derived from traditional maps in increasingly sophisticated ways (GIS and historical mapping)
Advantages of print maps
• Can see the "whole“
• Nothing replaces the experience of seeing and handling the “original”
Disadvantages of electronic maps
• Web is not necessarily organized and easy to use; quality and reliability of content can vary greatly
• Usually only a small portion of map can displayed at any give time; can be hard to use without having entire map available
• Size of file and download time can cause problems
• Image quality can be poor for a number of technical reasons
• Map files can take a long time to transmit, especially without a high-speed network
Disadvantages of print maps
• Can be difficult to handle because of size and condition
• Can be hard to locate collections because of inadequate cataloging
• Perhaps less accessible – private collections, visiting foreign libraries, etc
Credits
Images not otherwise credited are from UNLV’s Special Collections and most are from our digital map project.
Where to go for more information
• MAGIRT—Map and Geospatial Information Round Table of ALA
http://www.ala.org/magirt/
• WAML-Western Association of Map Librarieshttp://www.waml.org/
Questions?
Katherine RankinSpecial Collections Catalog Librarian
University of Nevada, Las Vegas [email protected]
702-895-2224