By CHRIS COXE and GARY FITZPATRICK
"The Map Library in Transition," a two-day conference held at the Library last October, explored the future of map libraries and the ways in which the "digital revolution" in cartography and geography is changing the very nature of map libraries and the services they provide.
Cosponsored by the Congress of Cartographic Information Specialists Associations and the Library's Geography and Map Division, the conference was also designed to provide map librarians with information about automated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) so that they can begin planning for the impact this method will have on cartographic and geographic information.
GIS allows the user to work with many layers of geographic information and is revolutionizing the possibilities for map making. In addition to selecting the data they will work with, users can create an endless variety of maps by redefining the geographic area, the scale, the symbology and coloring, and the algorithms by which data are analyzed.
Keynote Speakers
Four keynote speakers touched on several themes that pervade discussions about map libraries and GIS today.
Barbara Adele Fine, president of the Map Store Inc., in Washington, D.C., is worried about the future for marketing of paper map products. She observed that all major U.S. map producing firms have turned to GIS-based solutions for their cartographic production. Once their data bases are built, it is logical to expect these firms to market many products in electronic form that are now available only in paper, circumventing more traditional outlets like map stores. Consequently, many specialized paper map products may become more difficult to find.
David Beddoe, the Washington, D.C., regional manager for Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., focused on the ability of GIS systems to work with information that in the past would never have been a part of a map library. He pointed out that any form of information that has a geographic component, such as a ZIP code, address, or county name, can be displayed in map form in a GIS. Map libraries will, therefore, find themselves working with data sets from a wide range of disciplines.
"The ability to analyze virtually any type of information in a cartographic environment is one of the driving forces behind the rapid growth of the GIS industry," Mr. Beddoe said.
"Geographic Information in the Research Library of the 21st Century" was the topic addressed by Larry Carver, director of the Map and Imagery Laboratory in the library of the University of California at Santa Barbara. With GIS, said Mr. Carver, "it is clear that there will be no hours of service, and access to information will be more important than ownership of it."
Librarians will still have a role to play in such an environment, however, according to Carver: "It is important that map librarians conserve resources by coordinating the collecting of digital data and the conversion of existing paper maps." Map librarians still need to be involved in GIS evaluation, testing, production and training, Mr. Carver added.
The final keynote speaker, Ronald Abler, executive director of the Association of American Geographers, described the "Essential Skills for GIS Competency in the Year 2000."
Dr. Abler pointed out that most curricula now offer only a single GIS course that is too focused on a single application or software package. He said he expects this approach to change, with the focus shifting to manipulation, analysis, and decision making.
"In 10 years," he said, "network navigation will be an absolutely essential skill for geographers and cartographers."
Participants' Concerns
Other participants in the two-day conference made their own points about how the digital revolution is challenging map librarians.
Chris Baruth, from the American Geographical Society Collection at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, said that libraries with high space requirements and information systems that are not well understood are already vulnerable. The logical solution to this problem, digital cartography, often requires more expensive equipment than these libraries can generally afford.
As GIS is more heavily used in map libraries, the focus on maps shifts from their form to their function. Map libraries allow people to view maps as artifacts (form) or as carriers of spatial information (function). With GIS, map libraries will be used less for their form and more for their function.
Focusing on the function of map libraries instead of the form means that the library can be anywhere that a personal computer can connect to it. Thornton P. McGlamery of the University of Connecticut said the map library is "not just in the basement anymore." A Local Area Network (LAN) becomes the file server on a network, thereby connecting information held in the library with anyone on the LAN.
The number of users on digital networks is increasing skyrocketing All these users will eventually be able to access geographic information held in libraries around the world from their own homes through a network such as Internet. Mr. McGlamery asked, "Will anyone come to the map library anymore?"
People will continue to visit map libraries, but for different reasons. With GIS in place, people will go to map libraries more often for training and archival curiosity than for data research.
GIS is growing fast, but most of these developments in the digital revolution have yet to be implemented. According to a survey by the Congress of Cartographic Information Specialists Associations, reported at the conference by Alberta Wood of Memorial University in St. John, Newfoundland, only 46 percent of American academic libraries currently hold digital data. The most frequently cited reason for the absence of digital data is lack of funds.
Geography and Map Plans for GIS
Although the Library of Congress is also operating under budgetary constraints, the funding of electronic initiatives is a priority for the institution. Ralph Ehrenberg, chief of the Library's Geography and Map Division, discussed four initiatives under way in the division.
The first is to develop GIS reference capability by creating a systems specialist position and acquiring the needed software. This will allow the division to create maps on demand for Congress.
Second, the division plans to use GIS technology to create graphic indexes for more than 2 million of the almost 4 million maps in the Geography and Map Division that lack bibliographic control. Those already cataloged will be integrated into the system as well.
The third initiative is to assist in establishing and distributing standards for digital data. This will be done by working closely with the Federal Geographic Data Committee, an interagency group working to coordinate the production and dissemination of digital spatial data in the federal government.
Finally, the Geography and Map Division wants to establish a center for GIS. This would involve converting the division from a paper environment to an electronic one to extend its service to users beyond its congressional constituency.
Group Discussions
During the evening of the first day, attendees met in four groups to discuss various themes raised during the conference. They covered such issues as the hardware and software that is needed to equip a map library to handle spatial data sets, the training that will be needed to become conversant with this new discipline, communicating the needs of the map library to library directors and administrators and defining the inventories and services of the future map library. The results of these sessions were shared at the closing portion of the conference.
Federal Agencies and GIS
On the second day of the conference, attendees had the chance to discuss the role of digital spatial data with key officials of federal agencies, including the Government Printing Office, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Census Bureau and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. The representatives of these cartographic agencies all noted that production of many basic types of paper maps, such as topographic quadrangles and nautical charts, will be supplanted by digital data sets by the end of this century. The Census Bureau, for instance, relied completely on digital mapping to govern the collection of data for the 1990 census.
GIS Demonstrations
Compelling demonstrations of the power of GIS were given by a number of federal agencies on the second day of the conference. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Census Bureau, the Agriculture Department and several units of the Defense Department showed ways in which they use GIS. From these exhibits, it was clear that GIS is an important tool in understanding environmental issues and regulating activities that can have an impact on it.
The conference, organized by Christopher Baruth of the American Geographical Society Collection at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, and Gary Fitzpatrick of LC's Geography and Map Division, concluded with an "open microphone" for conference attendees and a final summary by Edward Dahl of the National Archives of Canada. Although many frustrations had been expressed about the complexity of dealing with GIS in a library setting, attendees agreed that important concepts had been discussed and that the conference was the largest assembly yet dedicated to this issue.
Chris Coxe was an intern in the Public Affairs Office; Gary Fitzpatrick is the Geography and Map Division's GIS specialist