Rinker Center for International Programs Culture Exchange Program Today

Rinker Center for International Programs Hosts Weekly Culture Exchange Program

The Rinker Center for International Programs hosts hour-long Culture Exchange presentations every Wednesday at noon in Student Center room 102. Each week a different country is highlighted, and presenters are typically natives who can offer an insider’s look into their country’s culture.

This week the presentation features Farah Alam teaching about the Diwali festival of South Asia. Diwali (Deepavali) is popularly known as “the festival of lights” and is an important one-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Deepavali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji (shown above).  The Tally also features a dish inspired by the country presented every Wednesday.

Next week’s presentation will be given by Sophie De Hond about Netherlands. A presentation about the holy pilgrimage to Mecca will be on November 2. Countries featured for the rest of the semester are Pakistan, Peru, Bangladesh, and Libya.

The University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) provides posters for the Culture Exchange every week. The posters feature maps and photographs from atlases depicting the culture of the country. These posters are available for use for other presentations, exhibits, or in classrooms from the Cardinal Scholar institutional repository at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/. Just type in the name of a country in the search box on Cardinal Scholar to save or print a copy of the poster.

For more information, please contact the GRMC or the Rinker Center for International Programs.

Laura Ling Speaks at Ball State University

Laura Ling at Ball State University: Mapping the Journey of Hope

Journalist Laura Ling presented “Journey of Hope” at Ball State University’s Pruis Hall last night. Ling recounted her time in captivity in North Korea and showed a video featuring footage from assignments in Mexico, Myanmar, Turkey, and other places around the world for the Current Network.

The National Geographic map of China (click to enlarge) shows the border with North Korea where Ling and journalist Euna Lee were captured along the Tumen River in March 2009. After being sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, Ling was allowed to return to the United States after diplomatic efforts by President Clinton.

During the presentation, Ling described North Korea as literally a “black hole.” She referenced seeing a satellite map of the world with South Korea lit up “like Las Vegas on steroids” and North Korea literally appearing completely dark on the map. Details from the National Geographic Earth at Night satellite map shown above graphically demonstrates this fact with both South Korea and Japan shown with white lights and North Korea nearly invisible.

These maps are available for research and learning in the GIS Research and Map Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library. Maps circulate for two weeks or longer. For more information, please call 765-285-1097.

Travel Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps Available for Fall Break Destinations

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library offers over 140,000 maps for circulation. Some of the most popular maps in the collection include convenient travel maps of tourist destinations. Ball State students planning a weekend getaway for this weekend or for the upcoming fall break may wish to check out some of the maps of places around central Indiana.

This is the first weekend of the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival. This annual event is headquartered in Rockville and includes guided tours of the covered bridges and crafters, vendors, and entertainment. The GRMC has available two different maps featuring the covered bridges of Parke County. The map of Parke County (shown above) features points of interest and information about camping sites, horseback riding, and boat rental and canoeing on the Wabash River and at the Raccoon Recreation Area near Hollandsburg.

Another central Indiana location is Whitewater Memorial State Park in Liberty, Indiana. The park features a 200 acre lake, family cabins and camping, and nine miles of hiking trails from easy to rugged. The GRMC has maps of this and other state parks available for circulation.

Another resource available from the GRMC is Indiana State Parks: A Guide to Hoosier Parks, Reservoirs, and Recreation Areas by John Goll. This book features detailed maps and helpful information about visiting any of the state parks throughout Indiana and is an excellent guide for campers, hikers, fishermen, boaters, hunters, and nature lovers.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer. And many of the travel maps are waterproof so they can be used on excursions.

For more information about these maps or any other resources, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097 Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Maps of Yemen and Palestine Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Palestine and Yemen

Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas will seek United Nations membership from the Security Council, despite opposition from Israel and the United States. Yemen is also in the news this week as the country faces the worst violence in its uprising.

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library houses dozens of historic and current maps of Palestine and Yemen. The map shown above (click to enlarge) is a 1947 map of the Palestine Plan of Partition proposed by the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee “on the Palestinian Question.” The orange shading represented the Arab state, and the blue shading represented the Jewish state as of 1947.

Current maps of the West Bank and Gaza are also available from the GRMC, including a terrain model published by the Central Intelligence Agency and maps showing Israeli settlements. A map folio of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is also available in the GRMC. A detailed aerial photograph of the Gaza Strip from 2007 is also available for circulation.

The GRMC also has a varied collection of Yemen maps, including nautical charts of the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea. A map of the road networks of Yemen is available, as well as maps of Sana and Aden. The GRMC also has topographic maps of the Arabian Peninsula.

For more information about these resources, please visit the GRMC Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 or call 765-285-1097.

Hispanic Heritage Month Map Exhibit at Ball State University Libraries

Mapping Hispanic Heritage: Exhibit at Ball State University Libraries

September 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. Seven Latin American countries declared their independence during the month of September, and Columbus Day also falls within this period of celebration.

A special map exhibit commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month is currently on display in the GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library, which coincides with a Hispanic Heritage book display in the lobby of Bracken Library. The exhibit features maps and images (click to enlarge above) from the Atlas of Hispanic-American History available from the Atlas Collection.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Miss Universe Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

Beautiful Map: Miss Universe Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

Miss Angola was crowned the winner of the Miss Universe pageant in Brazil last night. The map shown above (click to enlarge) is from the State of Women in the World Atlas available in the GIS Research and Map Collection and the Atlas Collection in Bracken Library. The purple shading identifies countries who participate in the pageant, and the crowns represent past winners. The map offers a cultural lesson of why certain regions and countries of the world do not participate in the pageant. A related inset map displays countries where Avon beauty products are sold.

For more information about this atlas, please contact the GRMC Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 P.M.

Rugby and New Zealand Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Rugby Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

New Zealand is hosting one of the largest international sporting competitions in the world, the Rugby World Cup through October. The current tournament model features twenty nations competing over a month in the host nation. The United States team is gearing up to play Russia on Thursday in New Plymouth and will play later in the month in Wellington and Nelson.

The map shown above (click to enlarge) shows the participants of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the team rankings. A chart includes the former winners of the World Cup, noting that only once has the winner come from a northern hemisphere country. The final chart shows the size of the television audience and revenues for the international competition. The map is from the Atlas of Sport available in the Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library.

This GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) also includes maps of New Zealand that are available for research and learning. The collection includes detailed topographic maps, maps of national parks, geological maps, and tourist maps including maps of New Zealand cities. The Atlas Collection also includes road atlases of New Zealand, a cultural atlas, a historical atlas, and an atlas called New Zealand in Maps.

Maps from the GRMC may be circulated for two weeks or longer. Atlases may be circulated for 28 days or longer.

For more information about these resources, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Tour of Muncie Via Bike on September 17

Bike Tour of Muncie Set for September 17

Ball State University and other community supporters are sponsoring the Tour of Muncie via bicycle on September 17 beginning at 9:00 A.M. This is the second year for journey through Muncie that allows participants to learn about some interesting spots from their bikes.

This year six tours will be led by experts on the area, including Green City Infrastructure, Natural Areas, Community Gardens, Historic Places, Weird Muncie, and Ball State University Green Tour. Routes are 7-10 miles long, start downtown, and are suitable for most cycling abilities.

The Ball State tour will feature stops at the geothermal heating and cooling stations, the new Glick Art Glass Center, Christy Woods, and the Ball State Recreation Center and Outdoor Pursuits Equipment Rental and Resource Center.

The Weird Muncie tour (map shown above—click to enlarge) highlights strange places in Muncie including the Castle House, Algier’s Barber Shop/truck/house, the “Letters for David Letterman” mailbox, and the Muncie Inn swimming pool garden.

Participants can ride in morning and afternoon tours. Lunch will be served downtown at noon. A mini bike lap race and bike toss competition will also be held. An after-event party will be held at the Fickle Peach at 4:00. All participants will receive an event t-shirt, water bottle, and reusable shopping bag.

The Tour of Muncie event headquarters will be located in the parking lot behind the Fickle Peach on Walnut Street downtown. To register for the rides or for more information about the tour, please visit http://sites.google.com/site/tourofmuncie/home.

Ball State University Libraries' High School Football Map Exhibit

Maps in the News: High School Football Map

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library is featuring a “Maps in the News” exhibit on high school football in America. The map (above, click to enlarge) shows the number of high-school boys per 1,000 in population playing football in school leagues as of 2009. The map is from the Atlas of Sport by Alan Tomlinson from the Atlas Collection.

Atlases circulate for 28 days or longer. For more information about maps and atlases available from the GRMC, please call 765-285-1097.

Hurricane Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Hurricane Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

As the Atlantic coast prepares for Hurricane Irene to make landfall, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is constantly updating maps of its path. Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library houses a number of maps and atlases depicting hurricanes and other natural hazards.

The map above (click to enlarge) shows Hurricane Isabel from September of 2003, the last major hurricane to strike the coast of the Carolinas. This map is from the World Atlas of Natural Hazards by Bill McGuire published in 2004. The atlas includes maps of historic events and their impact, hazard management, and future prospects for natural hazards.

The GRMC also includes maps of the relative water depth of New Orleans just after Hurricane Katrina, world maps of the most intense tropical storms, and a map of the Caribbean that includes a hurricane log.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer. Atlases circulate for 28 days or longer. For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Maps of Libya Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Tripoli, Libya

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library houses a large collection of historic and modern maps of Libya, including maps of the capital city of Tripoli. The Atlas Collection also includes resources of Africa and the Sahara region including Libya.

The maps shown above are available in the GRMC. The topographic map of the region of Tripoli (click to enlarge) was published by the Army Map Service in 1942 during World War II. The street map of Tripoli (Tarabulus) displays green spaces in the coastal city. The map of the region between Tripoli and Surt along the coast is from the National Geographic Africa Adventure Atlas. Tripoli is described as a tourist destination in the 2008 atlas:  A thoroughly modern city, with tall contemporary structures, a well-planned infrastructure and latter-day tourist traps, the old section was built on the original site of ancient Oea….The most impressive mosque in the city is the stately Karamanli Mosque off Green Square which, in turn, is guarded over by the most recognized landmark in Tripoli: the Old Castle—known locally as Assai al Hamra—overlooking both the harbor front and the ancient medina….As long as you observe the traditions and customs of the locals and reserve judgment on the political situation, it may prove to be one of the safest and most enjoyable destinations in North Africa.

For more information about these maps and atlases, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097 Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 P.M.

Ball State University National Road Project

National Road Farmhouse To Reopen as Heritage Site
(Provided by J.P. Hall, Indiana Landmarks)


The National Road Heritage Site at the Huddleston Farmhouse promotes public awareness of one of the first significant national engineering achievements in American transportation. The Huddleston Farmhouse is on the National Road (US Highway 40) at the western edge of Cambridge City. Indiana Landmarks will reopen its 1841 Huddleston Farmhouse in September with an entire floor of new exhibits focused on the historic National Road, from the pioneer era to the present. The new exhibits will debut on September 10 with a free open house from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. in conjunction with Cambridge City’s Canal Days festival.

The exhibits tell the 200-year story of the National Road from its start in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1806 through Indiana in the mid-1820’s to its end in Vandalia, Illinois. The new exhibits allow visitors to hear from a covered wagon traveler about the conditions on the road, the food they ate, and where they found lodging. Visitors will experience the road surfaces over time, from a bumpy mud track dotted with tree stumps to brick, concrete, and the current asphalt.

Children can try out the straw-filled mattress like the ones pioneers used on the floor of the travelers’ kitchens. At an interactive wall-sized map, visitors can click on places from Maryland to Illinois to learn more about sites to visit on the National Road today. A simulation allows tourists to drive along the road viewing important National Road landmarks of the past.

Indiana Landmarks received a National Scenic Byways Grant to create the new exhibits, which were produced by Split Rock Studios in collaboration with the Ball State University Department of Telecommunications and the Indiana National Road Association. The project also received support from private donors across the state.

Nancy Carlson, Associate Professor in the Department of Telecommunications, coordinated a student team to create the documentary completed in 2009 as an immersive learning project from the National Scenic Byways Grant from the Federal Highway Administration. Carlson and her students researched stories from residents who lived near the National Road in Indiana, which stretches from Richmond to Terre Haute near Indiana Highway 40. According to Carlson, “no one has told the many human stories of building the road, living along it or traveling across it.” The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) and University Libraries provided maps, books, and other research resources for the project. The documentary, Movers and Stakers: Stories along the Indiana National Road, is available from the Educational Resources Collection in Bracken Library.

For more information on the National Road Heritage Site at Huddleston Farmhouse, contact J.P. Hall at 317-822-7937 or visit www.indianalandmarks.org. For more information about the maps of the National Road, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Back-to-School Resources from Ball State University Libraries

Back-to-School Resources from the GIS Research and Map Collection

Students and faculty returning to the Ball State University campus will be able to access important classroom resources created by the GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) from the University Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar institutional repository. Cardinal Scholar allows users to access these invaluable resources from any location with Web availability.

Teachers and student teachers headed back to the classroom can find numerous games, posters, lesson plans, map worksheets, cartographic tutorials, and other resources in Cardinal Scholar. These classroom resources were developed specifically for K-12 teachers. Access the Cardinal Scholar by visiting the University Libraries main Web page or directly from http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/. To find all of the available resources from the GRMC in Cardinal Scholar, click on “Communities and Collections” on the left side of the page. Scroll down to the Information Technology section, and the GIS Research and Map Collection will be under University Libraries. On the GRMC collection home page click on “browse by title” in the middle of the page. This lists all the titles in the collection. For a more specific search, you may also type in a subject, such as “Africa” or “game.” Users can click on the title of the resource and save it for use in papers, presentations, or other research or print any of the games and maps.

Students and other researchers writing papers or preparing presentations may consider using maps from the GRMC or the Atlas Collection as visual aids to add interest and impact. These collections include maps and other cartographic images that visually depict numerous current issues. The new online guide, Using Maps and Atlases as Resources for Papers, Posters, and Presentations, details how cartographic images can enhance research. The guide can be accessed from Cardinal Scholar at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/194308.

The State of the World Atlas Images is a poster available from the GRMC in Cardinal Scholar that gives examples of the different maps, charts, photographs, and other images available from atlases in the Atlas Collection or the GRMC. This poster was created using a single atlas, The Penguin State of the World Atlas, which is available in the Atlas Collection and the GRMC and displays numerous topics like war, child labor, obesity, smoking, women’s issues, and the environment. This resource can be accessed from Cardinal Scholar at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/194313.

The GRMC has two large-format color plotter printers available for printing some of the large maps or posters, and a large-format laminator is also available. (The GRMC charges printing and laminating directly to the Bursar). Students and faculty can create posters to use in presentations and print them in the GRMC. A guide to creating posters is also available on Cardinal Scholar at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/194312.

Faculty, students, and other researchers using maps and atlases can also find information about citing these resources in Cardinal Scholar using the Guide to the Citation of Maps and Atlases. This guide describes the format for citing cartographic resources and provides examples from University Libraries. The guide can be accessed at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/194310.

For more information about any of these classroom resources, please contact Melissa Gentry at 765-285-1097 or email mgentry@bsu.edu.

 

Maps of World Refugees Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: World Refugees

The map shown above is part of a feature on world refugees from The State of the World Atlas. The atlas was created by Dan Smith in 2008 and is available from Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) or from the Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library.

The map shows some of the areas of the world affected by the 14 million refugees worldwide. The bright red countries at the top host from 100,000 to one million refugees. The darker red countries on the bottom map show countries that have over one million internally displaced people—people who have fled their homes but remain in their own countries. For example, Colombia has 3 million internally displaced people, while Iraq has 1.8 million. These maps were created using data from 2006.

The atlas explains that “unsatisfactory and inconsistent statistics” exist to describe the plight of refugees. “While a well-respected independent U.S. organization counts 99 countries as hosting refugees, the U.N. identifies 163 host countries.” The population of refugees includes Palestinians, Iraqis, Afghans and people from countries in Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Somalia.

For more information about using atlases, please contact the GRMC Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 at 765-285-1097.

GIS Presentation at the Indiana State Fair

GIS Goes to the Fair

The Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC) will be offering a presentation highlighting GIS initiatives at the Indiana State Fair next Wednesday, August 17 from 12:30 to 2:00 P.M. in the Normandy Barn (click to enlarge above map). The presentation will explain how the growing geographic information infrastructure and technology is helping make Indiana a leader in precision farming, alternative energy, economic development, homeland security, and infrastructure and environmental management.

Jim Sparks, State of Indiana Geographic Information Officer, Phil Worrall, IGIC Executive Director, and others will discuss and demonstrate some of the latest high-tech GIS data and technology advances in the state. Presentation topics include an introduction to IGIC and GIS for Indiana; demonstrations of statewide data programs, including orthophotography, LiDAR, and broadband mapping; and previews of new initiatives across Indiana, including the new IndianaMap Viewer.

Attendance to the presentation is free with a paid admission to the State Fair. Admission to the State Fair is $8. For more information, please contact IGIC at info@igic.org.

Maps of London Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: London

Researchers interested in studying the geography of London, England will find dozens of maps of the city in the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library. The maps range in scope from historic maps to reproductions to current street and tourist maps. And the Atlas Collection also includes many street finders and guides, as well as atlases of the history of London in maps.

A pictorial map of the detailing the history of the city included in the collection features images throughout the city and coats of arms. The GRMC also includes historic reproductions of views of the city in 1413, 1500, 1560, 1616, 1647, and 1749. Another reproduction shows the plan of London designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The National Geographic map Shakespeare’s Britain also features London.

Numerous tourist and guide maps are included in the collection, as well as railway and bus route maps, throughway maps, maps of theaters and cinemas, and maps of London’s postal districts. The London Crafts Map details the location of artists and other craftsmen around the city. A pictorial map of London architecture includes the locations of landmarks with building diagrams. There are also detailed maps of Westminster and other areas of London.

The GRMC created a map called Storybook England that includes works of children’s literature, including many associated with London. And the GRMC’s My Fair Lady Map of London was created to show English students the locations of sites from the play/movie.

The GRMC also includes a copy of Ben Jonson’s London: A Jacobean Placename Dictionary and The Oxford Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland. These reference books provide details about the history of places in London.

For more information about these maps, please visit the GRMC Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 4:30.

Maps of Somalia Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Somalia


The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library includes a collection of maps of Somalia and its capital city, Mogadishu. The collection also features historic maps of this region of Africa formerly known as the Somaliland Protectorate (1956 map) and Somalia and Djibouti (1977 map).

The GRMC has general maps of Somalia produced by the Central Intelligence Agency, maps showing roads, and topographic maps of the country at various scales. Maps depicting the country’s land use and natural resources, population, and ethnic groups (shown above) are also included in the collection. A chart on the map shows the clan families of Somalia and major subclans.

The satellite map of Mogadishu (above) at 1:50,000-scale was published in 1992 by the Centre Geographique Interarmees. The red circles on the map mark the locations of hospitals at that time.

Maps of Somalia have not yet been cataloged and will not appear in the University Libraries’ CardCat system, so contact or visit the GRMC for more information about the maps. The phone number for the GRMC is 765-285-1097 or email mgentry@bsu.edu.

Delaware County Aerial Photographs Available from Ball State University Libraries

The View from Above: Aerial Photograph Collection Added to Digital Media Repository


A new collection of aerial photography is now available on the Ball State University Libraries’ Digital Media Repository at http://libx.bsu.edu/.  The Roger Conatser Aerial Photograph digital collection currently contains over 1500 aerial views of Muncie and Delaware County, Indiana, taken by Muncie resident Roger Conatser in 2005. The collection will grow to include aerial photographs from 1985 through 2005.


The Roger Conatser Aerial Photograph digital collection documents the landmarks and landscape of Muncie and Hartford City. The digital images of Muncie include the central business district, Ball State University, Ball Memorial Hospital, churches, schools, agricultural areas, shopping centers, the White River, Cardinal Greenway, the Minnetrista Cultural Center, parks, industrial sites, and major roadways. The courthouse square, agricultural and residential areas, industrial parks and major roadways of Hartford City are also included in this collection.


For more information about the Digital Media Repository, please contact the Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078.

Maps of Syria Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Syria

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a significant collection of maps of Syria and the Middle East. The maps include both historic maps of the country and the region and new, updated maps.

The image shown above (click to enlarge) is from a historic pictorial map of Syria from 1943 called “Illustrated Syria.” The map depicts agricultural and industrial products and places of interest, including parts of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and then Palestine. An inset map shows main roads, air routes, railroads, pipelines, and political divisions. The map text is written in English and Arabic.

Other maps of Syria in the collection include tourist maps, maps of archaeological sites, road maps with images of sites of interest, economic activity maps, and land use and population maps. A unique tectonic sketch map showing oil wells and petroleum exploration from 1978 was produced by the Foreign Scouting Service. Four sets of topographic maps of Syria at varying scales are also available. Newer maps showing administrative divisions and relief show the changing borders of the region, and many of the maps include the Golan Heights. City maps of Syria are also featured in the collection, including a reproduction of a bird’s eye view map of Damascus from 1575.

The Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library also includes resources on Syria and the Middle East. The Historical Atlas of Syria and the Lonely Planet Atlas of Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon are available for circulation for one month or longer.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.

For more information, please contact the GRMC Monday through Friday during the summer from 7:30 to 4:30 P.M.

Ball State University Libraries Map of the Month

Looking Back: Back to School in 1978
Ball State University Libraries’ Map of the Month

The map of the month for August in the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is a map of Ball State University in 1978 (click to enlarge above). The pictorial map features all sorts of activities happening around the campus. The map offers an interesting glimpse of life at Ball State during that time and a chance to review all the new buildings and other changes to the campus.

A copy of the map is available in the Digital Media Repository. For more information about this map, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

University Libraries: Planned CardCat Downtime

Ball State University Libraries’ Catalog Upgrade

As part of a planned systems upgrade, CardCat, the University Libraries' online catalog, will be unavailable between 9:00 a.m. on Monday, August 1, and the evening of Wednesday, August 3.

During this systems upgrade, the following CardCat services will be unavailable:

• Searching for items owned by the University Libraries
• My Library Account (including online renewals)
• Hold and Recall requests
• CardCat links from WorldCat, MultiLink, and MultiSearch

Users will be able to:

• Check out items, including course reserves
• Renew items in person
• Turn in items

Users researching maps, atlases, and other cartographic resources during this time may visit the GIS Research and Map Collection for assistance, and all maps and atlases can still be circulated.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while CardCat is unavailable. If you have any questions about library services or your library account during this time, please contact the Library at 765-285-5143 or via email at libemail@bsu.edu.

New Resources in Ball State University Libraries' Atlas Collection

Historical Atlas of Weaponry, poisonous gas attacks map

Atlas of Sports: Who Plays What, Where, and Why, high school baseball map

Los Angeles in Maps, Hollywood

Los Angeles in Maps, Wrigley Field

Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where, and Why, meals eaten out in a year chart

What's New in the Atlas Collection?

The Ball State University Libraries’ Atlas Collection and the atlases included in the GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) cover a wide-ranging list of topics and themes and geographic locations from all over the world. The Atlas Collection houses over 2,500 atlases, including volumes from nearly every country of the world—many in the native languages.

The thematic atlases in the Collection cover topics from many different disciplines, including political science, art, education, health, women’s issues, literature, and recreational activities depicting topics in cartographic form like world tobacco use, obesity, women in government, rainforest loss, illiteracy, wealth distribution, and even golf, fishing, and surfing. The Atlas of Fantasy actually includes maps of fictional places.

Atlases offer more than just maps for research and learning: charts and other images provide graphic descriptions of numerous issues. And atlases are an excellent tool because their smaller size allows for convenient reproduction of the maps for research and learning. Topical maps from atlases can be easily scanned and inserted into papers and presentations for the classroom.

Some new atlases recently added to the collection include the Routledge Atlas of the Holocaust, Illustrated Atlas of Wildlife, Atlas of Transatlantic Slave, and Atlas of Human Rights.

The Historical Atlas of Weaponry is an excellent new resource for history and military science students. The atlas includes 180 maps detailing the use of weaponry around the world dating back to prehistoric times. Maps of important battles are also shown, including Pearl Harbor (shown—click to enlarge).

Atlas of Sports: Who Plays What, Where, and Why by Alan Tomlinson is another interesting new resource in the Atlas Collection. The atlas includes maps about the economics of sports, international sports politics, and country profiles. Sports from around the world are included.

Los Angeles in Maps by Glen Creason is a new atlas describing the cartographic history of the city from the colonial era to the present. Over 70 map reproductions and other historical documents detail the discovery of oil in Los Angeles, the rise of Hollywood (shown), the streetcar system, earthquakes, urban sprawl, and sports history, including a map of Wrigley Field (shown).

The Atlas of Food: Who Eats What, Where, and Why by Erik Millstone and Tim Lang features maps covering a broad range of topics related to the food industry.  Maps, charts, and other illustrations in the atlas describe issues of feeding the world and unequal distribution, organic farming, fast food, pesticides use, changing diets, disease, and world trade.

To investigate the scope of the Atlas Collection, perform an "Advanced Search" in the Library CardCat online catalog: Simply type a topic or geographic place, and choose "Atlas Collection" in the location field. Or type the topic or geographic place and the word "atlas." Atlases can be circulated for 28 days or longer.

For more information about using atlases, please contact Melissa Gentry in the GRMC at 765-285-1097 or email mgentry@bsu.edu.

Disappearing Muncie Exhibit in Ball State University Libraries

Disappearing Muncie: Ball State University Libraries’ Exhibit Depicts Lost Architecture and Heritage

The featured exhibit in the Archives and Special Collections in Bracken Library is Disappearing Muncie: Our Lost Heritage. The exhibit illustrates the changes in Muncie`s downtown during the first half of the twentieth century. The exhibit was made possible by resources from the Ball State University Archives and Special Collections and the Drawings and Documents Archives. Photographs from the W. A. Swift, Spurgeon-Greene, and Otto Sellers collections will be on display, as well as architectural drawings, ephemera, and newspaper articles.

During its peak, downtown was vibrant and bustling with many multi-storied structures, an illustrious courthouse, hotels, several movie theaters and opera houses. However, decades of structural decay and an increased need for more parking led many of these structures, including the Delaware County Courthouse, to be demolished.

The Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of Muncie available from the Archives and Special Collections are another invaluable resource detailing lost architecture of the city. The map shown above from 1887 shows the location of the courthouse at that time (click to enlarge). One of the opera houses can be seen in the block just south of the courthouse. Other now nonexistent shops and businesses can also be viewed on the map, including a billiards hall, cigar and hat shops, agriculture implements, a carriage factory and marble works, and boarding house. The Sanborn maps of Muncie are available from the Digital Media Repository on the University Libraries Web page.

The aerial photograph shown above is part of the historic collection in the GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) and is of the northernmost part of downtown Muncie in 1941. The existing Muncie Fieldhouse can be seen near the river. However, the Minnetrista Golf Course along the river has disappeared. The aerial photograph provides evidence of the freeways on the golf course. The photograph of golfers on the course is from the W.A. Swift collection in Archives and Special Collections.

This featured exhibit will be available through the middle of August. For more information about the exhibit or any of the resources, please contact the Archives and Special Collection at 765-285-5078. For information about the maps, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Oslo, Norway Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Oslo, Norway 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 includes a large collection of maps of Norway and Scandinavia. The Oslo map shown above (click to enlarge) is an inset map from a 2009 Insight Travel Map of Norway from GeoGraphic Publishers.

The collection includes city maps of Norwegian cities, CIA maps of the country, vegetation and land use maps, and a set of topographic maps of the country. The Atlas Collection also includes road atlases and map books of Norway.

Maps of Norway and Scandinavia have not been fully cataloged and may not appear in the Libraries’ CardCat system, so contact the staff of the GRMC for more information about maps available at 765-285-1097.

Ball State University Libraries Release New Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository

University Libraries Release New Version of Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository

by Michael G. Szajewski, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records

A new version of Cardinal Scholar Institutional Repository, a project of the University Libraries, is now available for searching and community contributions. It utilizes DSpace digital asset management software to enhance access to resources uploaded to the repository, and it is designed to encourage further contributions to the repository through its streamlined and simplified uploading process.

Designed as a user-deposit system, Cardinal Scholar allows university community members to contribute to its collection of digital assets. In order to organize its assets better, the new Cardinal Scholar has been divided into two communities: Ball State Theses and Dissertations, and Ball State University Records and Publications. In addition to the repository’s new organizational structure, Cardinal Scholar includes many additional improvements to facilitate access and encourage user contributions. For example, the new repository allows a user to login using his or her Ball State username and password, no longer requiring a separate set of credentials. Once a user is logged-in, the new repository’s streamlined, simplified upload procedure allows the person to upload and provide information about a document in two simple steps.

When describing an item, users may now choose from a broader range of fixed terms, allowing categorization of uploaded documents to be completed more easily and with greater specificity to enhance search precision. Cardinal Scholar’s search interface has been improved, too, as the repository home page now includes an advanced search option to allow users to construct search queries of increased complexity. Furthermore, Cardinal Scholar 2.0 provides improved searching ability at the community and collection levels.

Visit the new Cardinal Scholar page at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/. For more information, visit Cardinal Scholar Frequently Asked Questions, http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/bsu/faq.jsp, or contact Michael G. Szajewski, Archivist for Digital Development and University Records, in the Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078.

(The map shown above, Storybook England, features popular children’s literature from England. The map is available in Cardinal Scholar from the GIS Research and Map Collection).

John Dillinger Gang Robberies Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

Public Enemies: John Dillinger Gang Robberies Map Available from Ball State University Libraries

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) created the map Public Enemies: Robberies of the John Dillinger Gang (click to enlarge above) based on information from a book by Bryan Burrough, Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-1934 (available from the General Collection of Bracken Library) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Historic Famous Cases Web page. The movie Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp is also based on the Burrough book.

John Dillinger was a legendary bank robber from Indiana who became America’s first “Public Enemy Number One.” The map marks the locations of reported robberies of Dillinger and his gang beginning with a robbery in Daleville, Indiana in the summer of 1933. Other events related to Dillinger are also featured on the map, including the location of his death in Chicago on this day—July 22—in 1934.

A copy of the map is available in PDF-format from the Ball State University Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar repository at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/194224.  The map is available for circulation for two weeks or longer. Additional printed copies of the map may be obtained from the GRMC weekdays from 7:30 to 4:30. Contact the staff for more information at 765-285-1097.

Ball State University Cardinal Kids Camp Mapping the World

Ball State University Cardinal Kids Camp Colors the World (Map)

The Ball State University Cardinal Kids Camp kicked off its “Around the World” week coloring world maps from the University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC). Cardinal Kids Camp is a summer program managed by the Office of Recreation Services that provides children weeks of activities including games, arts and crafts, tours, and swimming. The campers range in age from preschool to age 13. Each year the GRMC coordinates some special learning projects for the campers and organizes a visit to Bracken Library with Educational Resources Collections staff for other games and activities.

Many of the activities used for Cardinal Kids Camp and other youth activities are available from the GRMC on the University Libraries' Cardinal Scholar institutional repository at http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/.  For more information about using maps in the classroom or for special learning activities, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Obesity in America Map from Ball State University Libraries

Growing Pains: Obesity in America Map

According to a report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, obesity rates in the United States have climbed at least 90 percent in 17 states from 1995. Nine of the ten states with the highest obesity rates are in the South, with Mississippi leading at 34.4 percent, followed by Alabama and West Virginia. These states also lead the nation in diabetes and high blood pressure, showing how obesity rates can be related to other health issues and healthcare costs.

The above maps (click to enlarge) are from the Penguin State of the World Atlas by Dan Smith available in the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) and Atlas Collection. The maps show the percentage of adults who are obese. In the 1996 map, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. Five years later in 2001, only Mississippi had a rate over 25 percent, but many states had crossed over the 20 percent obesity mark. And in the span of ten years in 2006, only Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Colorado remained below 19 percent.

These maps clearly depict the growing problem of obesity in America, and also show how maps can be an important visual aids for explaining data. Maps offer an excellent way to communicate complex data visually. The GRMC developed an online guide about using maps and atlases as visual aids for academic papers and presentations on the Digital Map Resources section of the GRMC Research Tools Web page at http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/Libraries/CollectionsAndDept/GISandMaps/MapCollection/ResearchTools.aspx.

For more information about these maps or using maps in presentations and papers, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097 Monday through Friday.

Ball State University Libraries Independence Day Map Exhibit

Not So Independent: GIS Research and Map Collection July Map of the Month

The July “Map of the Month” exhibit in the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is the American Associations with Britain map (click to enlarge) in honor of Independence Day. The map was published in 1970 by British Travel to mark the 350th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower.

A map of Great Britain and Ireland is shown with links to people and places in American history and culture: The Southwark Cathedral in London has a Harvard Memorial Chapel commemorating John Harvard, founder of Harvard University in Massachusetts, who was born nearby. Skibo Castle in Scotland was the home of Andrew Carnegie in his later years. Memorials of Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Kennedy are located throughout London. Birthplaces of prominent Americans and ports of departure of explorers of early America are also shown.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer. For more information about this map, please contact the staff at 765-285-1097.

Holiday Hours at Ball State University Libraries

Holiday Hours at the Ball State University GIS Research and Map Collection
The GIS Research and Map Collection will be closed on Monday, July 4 and will reopen at 7:30 A.M. on Tuesday, July 5.