Wednesday, January 29, 2014

China Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries








Celebrating the Chinese New Year with Cartography:  China Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library has a large collection of maps of China available for research and learning.  Cartographic resources can be an excellent visual resource, and the maps and atlases in the collection include both historic and new maps of China, its provinces, and cities.

The collection includes dozens of cities in China, including new and historic maps of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanning, and Xi’an.  Many of the city maps are folded and easy to use for touring, but the collection also includes large street and topographic maps.

The collection includes maps showing precipitation, military regions, and even clothing recommendations for travel in China.  An illustrated Yangzi River map includes the Three Gorges Dam. 

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency publishes updated maps of countries, and these new maps (top map above, click to enlarge) can be accessed digitally via the University Libraries’ Digital Media Repository in the Maps of the World collection.  Historic maps of China are also available in the International Historic Maps collection.

The Atlas Collection also provides great resources for studying China. Environmental concerns like air pollution, soil degradation, and water quality are shown on the map (above) from the National Geographic Atlas of China published in 2007 and available from the Atlas Collection. The tourism map (above) is from the atlas, China: A Provincial Atlas published in 1995.

Atlases also offer charts and graphs depicting various topics.  Defense spending and total armed forces in the People’s Liberation Army of China are shown from the State of China Atlas published in 2007.  The second chart (above) from the atlas shows the number of forces and military equipment in China versus Taiwan.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.  Atlases from the Atlas Collection circulate for 28 days or longer.

The complete collection of maps of China has not yet been cataloged, so visit or contact the staff of the GRMC at 765-285-1097 to discover maps not listed in the library CardCat system or for more information about any of these cartographic resources.




Friday, January 24, 2014

Maps of the Super Bowl Stadium Site



Mapping the Super Bowl:  Locations of Giants and MetLife Stadiums from Ball State University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries' GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) includes a collection of historic and current U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle maps for the entire United States.  These maps provide an excellent resource for studying the development of places over time.

The topographic map shown above (top, click to enlarge) was published in 1995 and shows the location of the former Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  Giants Stadium was demolished in 2010.

The bottom Google Earth image shows the location of the new MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and Jets of the National Football League.  Ground was broken on the stadium in 2007, and it opened in 2010.  The satellite image shows the relative location of the stadium to the heart of New York City, Manhattan.

MetLife Stadium will be the site of Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014.  This is the first time the Super Bowl will be played in an open-air stadium in a cold weather city.

For more information about using topographic maps to study development, visit the GRMC Map Tutorials page to check out Maps and Cartography:  Topographic Maps or contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Friday, January 17, 2014

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) will be closed on Monday, January 20 for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.  The GRMC will reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 21.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014




Commemorative Martin Luther King, Junior Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library has created a map of the travels of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, to commemorate the national holiday.  The map, Journey of a King: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, (shown above, click to enlarge) depicts some of the places the civil rights leader visited during his lifetime.  The map is based on locations documented in the book M.L.K.: Journey of a King by Tonya Bolden available from the General Collection in Bracken Library.   The map is currently being displayed in the front window of the GRMC.

The map features photographs from the book and a timeline of important events in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior.  Dr. King also visited Africa, the Holy Land and Oslo, Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.

A PDF-format version of the map is available from the Ball State University Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar at https://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/195146.

The map may be used for classroom lessons and presentations.  The GRMC has a large-format plotter available for members of the Ball State University community to print off larger copies of the map.

Please contact the GRMC Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 at 765-285-1097 for more information about this map and other maps for exhibits and classroom lessons.

Friday, January 10, 2014

George Washington Bridge Map


Maps in the News:  Map of the George Washington Bridge Available from Ball State University Libraries

Ball State University Libraries' GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a huge collection of quadrangle topographic maps for the entire United States.  This U.S. Geological Survey topographic map, Central Park, NY-NJ (click to enlarge), details the area surrounding the George Washington Bridge near Fort Lee, New Jersey.  

The map shows the line marking the boundary between New York and New Jersey.  Red shading on the map depicts developed areas, with only significant buildings identified.  Green space is also identified--note the location of Central Park on Manhattan southeast of the bridge.  

Topographic maps are excellent research tools for studying the development of places over time.  Maps from this collection may be circulated for two weeks or longer.  Contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097 for more information.