Ligue des Bibliothèques Europeénnes de Recherche, Groupe des Cartothécaires de LIBER

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Map collections and the Internet: some ideas about various online map services, based on the ETH map collection in Zürich

Bühler, Jürg

© LIBER and author
Published from: LIBER Quarterly, the Journal of European Research Libraries, ISSN 1435-5205, Vol. 10(2000), No 4. With permission from K.G. Saur Verlag, Munich, Germany
E-mail: juerg.buehler@library.ethz.ch

Why Internet - How to find the homepage of the map collection - The homepage of the map collection
Level 1: Information - Information about the map collection and how to use it - How to use the catalog
Level 2: Online catalog and search tools - OPAC of the library - Indexes of map series - CD-ROM holdings - Search for maps and mapping on the internet
Level 3: Online products - Digital map archive - Geographical gazetteers - Literature - Tutorials and reference sources - Who is who in map librarianship - Virtual library Ed. Imhof
Conclusion


Map Collections on the Internet - Why?

Internet enables a map collection to be easily available to the general public. It provides a convenient way of informing about the collection, searching tools for maps and access to own and external digital products. There are three different levels to consider:

The Internet access promotes worldwide usage of map libraries. It is well suited for public relations - important for today's map libraries.

How can we develop and maintain a Web site? Usually there is no Webmaster available for map librarians. We have to do the work ourselves:

The map librarians have to learn, how to create web sites using html. They have to learn, how to navigate efficiently on the Web to find useful links for the own Web site. In addition, it is an advantage of being graphically creative developing Web sites. This means more work and additional training and education.

On the other hand, we can profit from the work from our colleagues e.g. by copying their index sheets or lists, selecting links from their Web sites or by consulting them. Communication between colleagues is helpful in developing and maintaining a useful Web site. The ETH-Bibliothek map site will show some possibilities of map services on the internet.


How to find the Homepage of the Map Collection

The site can be located by:


The homepage of the Map Collection

Illustration 1: http://www.ethbib.ethz.ch/ks/karten_e.html

The homepage introduces the services and the collections. The services and collections can be divided into three levels:


Level 1: Information

a) Information about the map collection and how to use it:

Listed are available maps, people to contact, address, opening hours, terms and conditions, available workspace. Illustration 2
A link takes you to examples of digital maps covering our subject area. Illustration 3: http://www.maps.ethz.ch/digarchiv.html


b) How to use the catalog

Illustration 4: http://www.ethbib.ethz.ch/ks/kartenkatalog.html

The catalog help offers:


Level 2: Online Catalog and Search Tools

Maps can be searched in:
Library online catalog (NEBIS-WebOPAC), an index sheet of the map series, CD-ROM and GIS data holding lists or an internet search tool such as the World of Maps.

a) Online Catalog NEBIS (Network of Libraries)

Illustration 5: http://opac.nebis.ch:4505/ALEPH/-/start/nebis-eng/

NEBIS comprises over 60 libraries. It contains holdings of the map series and atlases as well as the monographs in the ETH map collection. In NEBIS 40.000 records represents 300.000 maps.


b) The Indexes of Map Series

Illustration 6: http://www.ethbib.ethz.ch/ks/karten-indexbl_e.html

Sheets of the map series are not recorded in NEBIS-WebOPAC. To find specific map sheets you have to go to the index of a map series. Illustration 7
Select a map series, on the index map with links you can click on the desired sheet number, and you can see a list of sheets with different editions. Illustration 8
WolfgangCrom (Berlin) presented this idea on a workshop in January 1999, which is easy to reproduce and also convenient for small map collections.

For a map collection with large holdings of map series is to prefer for index sheets the professional software product TOPORAMA. It is user-friendly and has the map serial control function. TOPORAMA works with the software ArcView and requires an Internet map server from ESRI.
Illustration 9: Toporama: An integrated, interactive search net for map sheets worldwide. By clicking on an area of the index the desired map sheet can be obtained.)


c) CD-ROM holdings

Illustration 10: http://www.ethbib.ethz.ch/ks/kart_cd_e.html

The Web site contains a list of over 100 CD-ROMs with digital maps, spatial data and GIS products. They can be viewed on three large screen workstations in the map library. Examples:


d) The World of Maps - Search for maps and mapping on the Internet

Illustration 11: http://www.maps.ethz.ch/maps3.html

The World of Maps is an extensive link collection for maps, spatial data, map catalogues and cartographic information.
It contains a geographical and a thematical map catalogue with Metadata and digital maps and numerous links in cartography and map librarianship :


Level 3: Online Products

a) Digital map archive

Illustration 12: http://www.maps.ethz.ch/digarchiv.html

The digital map archive shows examples of the map holdings in digital form on the internet. It was created as idea of a map catalogue with image information. With zooming you can see a bigger size of the map with more cartographic and bibliographic details. Illustration 13


b) Geographical gazetteers

Illustration 14: http://www.ethbib.ethz.ch/ks/kart_ortsreg_e.html

Gazetteers on the Internet are useful and popular sources. The map collection should have a website with a list of them.
A "World Gazetteer" is compiled also from the index of Bartholomew Times Atlas, containing more than 100.000 names worldwide searchable by name, country, coordinators etc. We plan to connect the World Gazetteer to TOPORAMA index sheets. From the index sheet it is easy to select a local place to get to the right map sheet.


c) Map Literature

Illustration 15: http://www.maps.ethz.ch/gdc-education2.html

The Web site was composed for the "Groupe des Cartothécaires de LIBER" containing extensive multilingual bibliographies in map librarianship, map history and GIS/cartography, and important gateways for map curatorship. (Illustration 16), (Illustration 17)


d) Tutorials and reference sources

Illustration 18: http://www.maps.ethz.ch/gdc-education4.html

This is a link collection of free educational programs and reference sources in cartography, GIS, geography and geosciences. Illustration 19


e) Who is Who in Map Librarianship

Illustration 20: http://www.maps.ethz.ch/gdc-education6.html

"Who is Who in Map Librarianship" contains useful information about map librarians and their special fields of knowledge, serving as a guide to find help for any particular problem on a personal level. A valuable tool, organized by country and subject to find the relevant person. Illustration 21, 22


f) Virtual Library Eduard Imhof - History of Cartography on Internet

Illustration 22: http://www.maps.ethz.ch/imhof_engl.html

"Virtual Library Eduard Imhof" is created from original documents of the famous cartographer. This virtual library, is an interesting product making our archival material accessible world-wide, containing over 50 web sites with closed to 200 pictures divided in 11 chapters, a biographical section and a reference list of the original resources - a precious Web site for historians in cartography and people alike. Illustration 23, 24, 25


Conclusion

The Map Collection on Internet - An Opportunity with many possibilities:

.... a broad and demanding field - a challenge for our profession!

Illustration 9: Toporama

October 23, 2000

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