Access to Geographical Information in Library Catalogs: a Case Study Ralph Hartsock and Daniel Gelaw Alemneh University of North Texas Libraries Pioneer.

Access to Geographical Information in Library Catalogs: a Case Study

Ralph Hartsock and Daniel Gelaw Alemneh University of North Texas Libraries

Pioneer America Society, October 10, 2014 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Objectives

• Libraries offer a variety of methods to retrieve geographic data. – The online catalog (Case no. 1) provides access to

various materials. – Special Collections in general (Case no. 2) provide

access to primary source material, including the Portal to Texas History, and Library of Congress.

– Case no. 3 is a collection digitized by UNT: The map collection of the University of Texas at Arlington.

Classification System: Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/classification/lcco/lcco_g.pdf)

Case no. 1: Online Catalog

• The online catalog provides access to various materials.– Books – Music– Audio or Video recordings– Maps

• We start with a sample of a catalog at UNT: http://www.library.unt.edu/

UNT Libraries homepage

Search Subject: Music United States799 entries found

Subjects subdivided Geographically, most are indirect

Mounds — Ohio — Ross County

Ohio Maps: indirect to Columbus and Ross County; also may be searched by

keyword

Ohio Politics and government by period

OCLC WorldCat and OCLC FirstSearch

WorldCat.org, OCLC bibliographic database of 2 Billion Library holdings, for 328 million bibliographic records. In over 10,000 libraries.

• Subscription to OCLC databases (depending on your institution), Anthropology Education, Medicine, books, scholarly articles, dissertations, digital resources, ebooks, conference proceedings.

FirstSearch searching screen

Map by Thaddeus Fowler, on Wichita Falls, Texas

Map by Thaddeus Fowler, on Wichita Falls, Texas -- results

Texas OU Red River Rivalry

Case no. 2: Portal to Texas History

• http://texashistory.unt.edu/ • 2002--UNT Libraries began planning The Portal to Texas

History, – digital gateway to historical materials from private collectors and

collaborative partners– including libraries, museums, archives, and other historical

groups. – The goal was to structure the Portal in a way that would ensure

long-term sustainability. – By 2010, the Portal hosted over 900,000 digital images from 130

partners. – By 2015, the Portal hosted 5.5 million images from over 250

partners.

16

Portal: Maps"Wolfe City, Texas: 1891“; east of Dallas, Texas

17

Wolfe City Methodist Church on left Public School on right.

Mississippi River, Vicksburg to Baton Rouge

Mississippi River Vicksburg to Baton Rougeclose up

Library of Congress

• http://loc.gov/maps/collections/ • Map Collections• The world’s largest and most comprehensive cartographic

collection:– 5.5 million maps– 80,000 atlases– 6,000 reference works– 500 globes and globe gores– 3,000 raised relief models– 19,000 cds/dvds

• The online map collections represents only a small fraction that have been converted to digital form, over 13,000.

Library of Congress Geography and Map Division.

Guthrie, Oklahoma, Indian Territory, 1890

22

LC Prints and Photographs CatalogHoly Ascension Russian Orthodox Church,

Unalaska Island, Unalaska, Aleutian Islands, AK

Case no. 3: UT Arlington Map Collection, digitized by UNT

• 5,188 maps, located at the University of Texas at Arlington• Digitized by the University of North Texas• Indexed in the Portal to Texas History• Maps date from 1493 to the present and feature noted

cartographers. • While international in scope, the collection emphasizes

the region of the Gulf Coast and the Greater Southwest: Texas and other southwestern states annexed by the United States after the U.S. War with Mexico of 1846-1848.

Arlington, Texas land use plan, 1980

Oklahoma Map, [between 1905 and 1925]

Geologic cross section: Arbuckle Mountains to Muenster Arch, southern Oklahoma and Texas.

Map by Thaddeus Fowler, on Wichita Falls, Texas

1895 railroad map of Ohio

Summary

• Considering the unique value of maps, and in light of the evolving landscape of geographical information, academic institutions are increasingly supporting initiatives that advance digital scholarship for worldwide research.

• Digitization and aggregation of parts of theses and dissertations not only add value but also facilitate greater public access and use to Geographical Information in Library.

• Our usage statistics show that users from more than 200 countries around the world already visited the UNT Digital Libraries’ and engaged and interacted with the maps in unique and meaningful ways.

Library Advantages

• Advantages– Original map preserved

for in-person viewing– Access from anywhere,

desktop, laptop, mobile device

– Magnification allowed– Those seeking content

may reap benefits of remote usage

• Limitations:– Certain characteristics

must be observed on-site, like water marks

Thank you.Access to Geographical Information in Library

Catalogs: a Case StudyRalph Hartsock and Daniel Gelaw Alemneh

University of North Texas LibrariesPioneer America Society, October 10, 2014, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma