Bracken Library 40th Anniversary Celebration Next Week

Images from the Digital Media Repository

Bracken Library 40^th Anniversary Celebration

Ball State University Libraries is celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the opening of Bracken Library.  The dedication ceremony for Bracken Library, named for Ball State University trustee and benefactor Alexander M. Bracken, took place on March 26, 1976.  The Library is hosting a celebration (complete with cake) on Friday, March 25 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Archives and Special Collections on the second floor, and University administrators will speak at 1:30 pm.

The celebration marks the opening of a new exhibit in the Archives and Special Collections, Bracken Library:  40 Years of Service, Innovation, and Growth.  The exhibit runs through May 6 and is organized into a timeline highlighting major developments throughout Bracken Library’s first 40 years, including the automation of the Library’s card catalog, the development of innovative classroom spaces for library instruction, and the acquisition and creation of signature research collections, online databases, and technology.  The exhibit includes historic photographs and digitized film from the Library’s early years and a jewel-covered book donated by the Bracken family.

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library will feature an exhibit of the floor plans for the Library in 1976 and floor plans from today.  Changes in the layout of Library collections and the changes in available technologies can be viewed on the floor plans.  For example, the Library did not include one computer in 1976, and typing rooms were available for use by students and faculty.  However, the 320,000 square foot building was planned with an eye toward the future and designed with flexible space to accommodate the changes in academic needs and a growing student population.  An interesting note about the 1976 design of the Library:  Smoking lounges were available throughout the building (denoted by the pipe symbol on plan above, click to enlarge).

For more information about this exhibit or the opening event, please contact the Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078.

International Women's Day Cartographic Resources

Her Story:  Cartographic Resources for Women’s Studies Available from Ball State University Libraries

Today is International Women’s Day, and March is Women’s History Month.  The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) created a special collection of online maps for Women’s History Month available from the Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar institutional repository.  The collection includes maps about women working in agriculture, women heads of state, women in tertiary teaching, the travels of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the life of Madam C.J. Walker, and countries with high breast cancer rates.  And a map commemorating the Girls Professional Baseball League is also available from the GRMC.  (Type “women in the world map” in the search box in Cardinal Scholar to access the available cartographic resources).

The GRMC also created a map celebrating women’s history in Indiana to commemorate the state’s bicentennial anniversary.  Her Story: Indiana Women’s History (above, click to enlarge) marks the accomplishments of Indiana women in politics, human rights, education, the arts, and sports.  The map features Helen Gougar, a teacher and newspaper owner from Lafayette, who became the first woman to argue before the Indiana Supreme Court in 1895 when she demanded her right to vote.  Toni Stone, Connie Morgan, and Mamie “Peanuts” Johnson made history playing baseball for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro League.  And U.S. Representative Katie Hall of Gary is commemorated as the leader of the campaign to establish the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday.  The map is currently displayed in the front windows of the GRMC as the “Map of the Month.”

The GRMC and the Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library also feature cartographic resources depicting women’s issues.  The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World was published in 2009 and features maps about families, birthrights, women’s health issues, employment, resources, power, and education.  The Routledge Historical Atlas of Women in America, Atlas of Firsts, Atlas of Anthropology, and many others also include maps describing women’s issues.

For more information about cartographic resources for Women’s History Month, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

White House Launches Open Data Project

White House Opportunity Project Gives Access to Open Data

The White House announced today the launch of “The Opportunity Project.”  According to the official press release, this is “a new open data effort to improve economic mobility for all Americans.”  The data can be used by “technologists, community groups, and local governments” and many companies and non-profit organizations, including ESRI—the world’s leading publisher of GIS software—are committed to the development of the project and its tools.

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library provides access to the latest ESRI GIS software and assistance from the GIS Specialist Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 pm.  Students can also access GIS software on computers throughout Bracken Library during its extended evening and weekend hours.

Super Tuesday Election Maps



Super Tuesday on the Map

ESRI, the world’s leading publisher of GIS software, has created a Story Map detailing the demographics of tomorrow’s “Super Tuesday” primary elections.  Voters in 13 states will participate on Tuesday, March 1.  Republican and Democratic primaries are shown in magenta, and Republican only primaries are shown on the map in red (Alaska and Wyoming).

Users can click through the tabs to reveal the county-level demographics in each state.  Then click on the county to reveal more detailed data about political party affiliation percentages, population, median income, unemployment rate, and the sociological makeup of the population.  The population of a county is critical:  For example, the state of Minnesota appears mostly red (Republican), but the two counties marked blue (Democratic) have a population of nearly two million people—much larger than the populations of the rest of the counties in the state.  (Click maps above to enlarge).

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library provides access to the latest GIS software from ESRI and assistance from the GIS Specialist Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 pm.  And students wishing to use the mapping programs after hours will find computers throughout Bracken Library equipped with the latest GIS software.

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



Ball State University Libraries Provide Cartographic Resources for the Classroom

Elijah of Buxton, Educational Technology and Resources Collection 

Putting Children’s Books on the Map:  Social Studies Students Using Cartography in the Classroom

Ball State University social studies teaching students are learning to create maps based on children’s books.  Students in Dr. Dorshell Stewart’s Social Studies 397 classes, Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary School, are collaborating on a cartography project that they can use in their future classrooms.

The staff of the University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) provided an instructional session for the students, showing them how to create custom maps using online mapping and design software.  Students working in groups then chose a popular children’s book featuring a story or biography of a person whose life could be mapped.  Then the maps are incorporated into a lesson plan teaching history or geography in coordination with the book.  Students chose biographies of Marian Anderson, Amelia Earhart, and John Adams and books about the Underground Railroad and other historical events.

The students can print large copies of their maps using the large-format plotters in the GRMC.  And the large laminator will preserve the maps for use in the classroom for years to come.  

For more information about creating custom cartographic resources for the classroom, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Maps in the News

Places in the News:

Ball State University Libraries' GIS Research and Map Collection

Vatican City map

GRMC map of Cuba, 1911, available from the Digital Media Repository

2010 Census Atlas Available Online

Do It Yourself Cartography:  2010 Census Atlas Available Online

The Superintendent of the Census, Francis Amasa Walker, published the first statistical atlas of the United States census from 1870.  The atlas, Statistical Atlas of the United States, was published in 1874 and includes population, social, industrial, and vital statistics and maps.  The U.S. Census Bureau continued to publish the atlases through the 1920 census and then again in 2007 using data from the 2000 census with the Census Atlas of the United States.  But an atlas of the 2010 census was never published due to budget cuts.

Nathan Yau, Doctor of Statistics from UCLA, author of three books on statistics and data, and publisher of the FlowingData Blog seized the opportunity to create a new version of the popular statistical atlas.  Yau decided to create a new atlas based on data from the 2010 census, but he created the atlas in an artistic format similar to the atlas from 1874.  The result is the Statistical Atlas of theUnited States Based on the Results of 21st Century Government Analyses.  Yau produced maps depicting geology, weather, taxation statistics, transportation, education, and population statistics—age, foreign population, predominant gender, and race.

The 2007 Census Atlas of the United States is available in the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library.

Black History Month Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Black History Month Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has created new custom maps in celebration of Black History Month.  Map of the Life of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave commemorates an influential person in American history, while Hurley’s Muncie: 1950’s celebrates an influential person in Muncie and Indiana history.

The Sojourner Truth map identifies the locations of important events in this advocate/orator’s life, like her attempt to desegregate the city streetcars and meeting Presidents Lincoln and Grant in Washington, D.C.  The map also shows the locations of some of Truth’s famous speeches.

Hurley’s Muncie is being exhibited as the “Map of the Month” in the front windows of the GRMC through February and is available from Cardinal Scholar.  The Sojourner Truth map is also available for download from Cardinal Scholar.  Both maps may be used for educational research and learning and for special exhibits.  (Members of the Ball State University community may print large copies of the maps using the plotters in the GRMC).

A subject guide identifying African-American cartographic resources is also available from the GRMC.  For more information about using cartographic resources in the study of Black History, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Map of the Month Celebrates Muncie Black History

Map of the Month:  Celebrating Muncie Black History

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is exhibiting a new “Map of the Month” in celebration of Black History Month.  The map, Hurley’s Muncie: 1950’s, identifies locations mentioned in the 1950’s chapter of the book A History of Negroes in Muncie by Hurley C. Goodall and J. Paul Mitchell published in 1976.

Goodall was one of the first African-American firefighters in Muncie, was the first African-American elected to serve on the Muncie Community Schools Board of Education, and was elected in 1978 to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives.  Goodall served as a visiting professor in the Department of Political Science and visiting scholar at the Center for Middletown Studies at Ball State University.  Goodall worked tirelessly to document the history of African Americans in Muncie as an author, lecturer, and scholarly researcher.

The artistic map features Black-owned businesses, schools, churches, parks, and factories important in the Black history of Muncie during the 1950’s.  Text from the chapter is provided and details important events like the desegregation of Tuhey Pool and the hiring of the first two African-American firefighters in Muncie—one being Goodall.  The map also identifies the neighborhoods of Whitely, Industry, Blaine, and Southeast.

The map exhibit is available in Cardinal Scholar and may be printed for research and learning purposes.

Goodall’s papers, oral history, and other books are available in the Archives and Special Collections.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097 or Archives at 765-285-5078.

Maps of the Kennedy Space Center Available from Ball State University Libraries

This Day in History:  Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Thirty years ago today on January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch.  The space shuttle missions launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.  

The space shuttle program began using Launch Pad 39A with the launch of Columbia in 1981.  The Challenger used Launch Pad 39B, which is now a historical landmark.  

The top map above is from the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) and is part of the National Park Service map, Canaveral and Merritt Island, which was published in 1993.  The Kennedy Space Center neighbors the Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on the east coast of Florida between Daytona Beach and Melbourne.

The GRMC also includes dozens of tourist maps of Merritt Island and Florida.  The collection also includes topographic maps, ortho-photography, and nautical charts of the area.

The Google satellite map of the area shows the details of the Launch Complex 39.  The complex includes the launch pads and a vehicle assembly building.  A third launch pad was constructed and opened in July 2015. (Private companies now utilize the complex to fly missions for the commercial market).

For more information about using maps for research and learning, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Mapping the Zika Virus

Places in the News:  Mapping the Zika Virus

The World Health Organization announced that it would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to decide whether to declare a public health emergency due to the Zika virus “spreading explosively” across the Americas.  The first confirmed Zika virus in the Americas occurred in Brazil in the spring of 2015.  The virus has now found its way to 17 other countries in the Americas.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites and commonly results in fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes.  However, the outbreak in Brazil resulted in Guillain-Barre syndrome and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes.  According to The Economist, El Salvador, Colombia, and Ecuador have recommended that women delay pregnancy until 2018. 

The Economist published the above map showing where the Zika virus could become endemic based on a research paper published in the Lancet.  The map indicated cities with over 1,000 travelers from Brazil with red dots.  The turquoise bubbles show the number of travelers from Brazil by country between September 2014 and August 2015.  The United States had nearly three million visitors from Brazil during that time.  And the pink and red shading shows where the risk is seasonal (with mosquitoes) and where the risk is year-round.

Mapping Lead Contamination in the United States

(Click to enlarge GIS map of Flint)

“It’s Not Just Flint:” Lead Emitters and Contamination Maps

A state of emergency has been declared by Mayor Karen Weaver in Flint, Michigan, due to the dangerous levels of lead found in the water since the city switched from the Detroit water system to the Flint River as its water source in 2014.  According to a Flint medical study, the proportion of infants and children with above-average levels of lead in their blood has nearly doubled during this time.

While the situation in Flint is making news, the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that “more than 16,000 lead polluters exist in communities across the country, and their harmful emissions are found in every U.S. county."  The Council created an online interactive Google mapping tool so users can locate lead polluters nearby.

Vox reports that the soil of urban areas has been contaminated by lead for decades, sometimes at dangerous levels.  “…The biggest problem is inner-city soil contaminated by decades-old gasoline.  Gas went unleaded in the mid-1970’s, but all the old lead burned in the past was dumped into the air and then fell back to earth.”  And unfortunately “the tiny lead particles don’t biodegrade.”  Maps included in the article show the lead contamination in New Orleans, the District of Columbia, and New York City—especially Brooklyn.

For more information about these online cartographic resources, please contact the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) at 765-285-1097.

Culture Exchange Programs at Ball State University

Around the World in One Semester: Ball State University Culture Exchange Program

The Ball State University Rinker Center for International Programs will be presenting another semester of international speakers for their Culture Exchange program.  Presenters from around the world will highlight the culture and lifestyles of their home countries every Wednesday at noon in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Phyllis Yuhas Room (Student Center 102).

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) provides maps and photographs from atlases to create exhibits to serve as a backdrop and visual aid for the program.  Some of the poster exhibits from past speakers are available for use in other displays and programs from the Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar repository.

The program begins on January 27 with Raheleh Ravanfar presenting about Iran.  The complete program schedule:

• ·        February 3: Germany with Lisa Tuech and Nadja Rottman
• ·        February 10: Belarus with Maryia Skarakhod
• ·        February 17: Mongolia with Oyunzul Ariunbold
• ·        February 24: Kazakhstan with Dinara Shadyarova
• ·        March 2: India with Ramkrishna Apsingekar
• ·        March 16: Japan with Yuki Kurita
• ·        March 23: England with Matt Woolridge and Sam Grubb
• ·        March 30: Rwanda with Ines Dushime
• ·        April 6: Spain with Lucia Escolano and Carmen Pardo
• ·        April 13: Turkey with Ceren Dincel

Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch to the program.

Places in the News: Winslow, Arizona

Winslow, Arizona

U.S. Geological Survey topographic map, 1986

Ball State University GIS Research and Map Collection

Places in the News:  Winslow, Arizona

Glenn Frey of the rock group the Eagles passed away on Monday.  One of the group’s most popular songs, “Take It Easy,” has an opening line that was originally written by Jackson Browne.  Browne wrote the lyrics, “…standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona,” but was stuck with those words.  So according to the Showtime History of the Eagles documentary, Glenn Frey finished the line “…such a fine sight to see—a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford…”

The song made Winslow, Arizona (east of Flagstaff) in Navajo County famous.  Today visitors can actually stand on a corner that commemorates the song with a statue of a guitarist and a red flatbed Ford truck.  The corner is now a popular tourist destination on the famous Route 66 highway.

GIS Maps of Midwest Flooding Available

Before and After:  ESRI and NOAA Aerial Photography Reveal Midwest Flooding

ESRI, the world’s leading producer of GIS software, and its ESRI Disaster Response Program provides software, data, imagery, project services, and technical support to organizations dealing with the recent flooding in the Midwest.  Aerial photography from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of these affected sites is online.

Supporting organizations dealing with the flooding disasters can request assistance from ESRI.  Users can view continuously updated flooding information from the National Weather Service on the Public Information Map.  The map details the levels of flooding from near flood stage to major flooding, and the site includes photographs and YouTube videos.  Users can type in a specific address to see the conditions on a map or via satellite imagery.

The 2016 Midwest Flooding Swipe Map provides a view of aerial photography from NOAA that was collected after the flooding—January 2-4.  Users can swipe the map to show aerial imagery from the ESRI ArcGIS Online World Imagery (before the flooding) and then view the post-event satellite imagery.

The site also provides flooding support resources.  Maps, data, images, general information, and volunteer opportunities are given.

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library provides access to the latest GIS software from ESRI and assistance from the GIS Specialist.  Computers throughout Bracken Library also offer access to GIS software.  

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

Martin Luther King, Junior Holiday Hours

The Ball State University Libraries' GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) will be closed on Monday, January 18 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  The GRMC will reopen on Tuesday, January 19 at 8:00 am.

Mapping Indiana Exhibit in Indianapolis

Mapping Indiana Exhibit at the Indiana Historical Society

Mapping Indiana: Five Centuries of Treasures is a new exhibit of maps from the Indiana Historical Society.  The exhibit will be featured in the Rosemary McKee Lanham Gallery at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center (450 West Ohio Street) in Indianapolis from January 16 through April 2.

This exhibit includes several original maps from the Society collection.  “Mapping Indiana explores the ways we think about maps, how we use them, and how they have helped shape Indiana.”  The exhibit includes maps from the early exploration of the state through the mid-20^th century and also features maps created by Hoosiers.

Maps in the News: Istanbul and Syria

Places in the News:  Istanbul and Madaya, Syria

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a significant collection of maps of Syria, Turkey, and the Middle East.  The maps include both historic maps of the countries—including the Ottoman Empire—and new, updated maps.

The top map (click to enlarge) is from a historic pictorial map of Syria from 1943 called Illustrated Syria available in the GRMC.  The map depicts the country’s agricultural and industrial products and places of interest before the current civil war. 

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 in the Collection 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 reveal 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 second map was published by BBC News using data from the United Nations.  The map depicts the towns of Syria that are besieged by government forces, rebel fighters, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State.  A United Nations aid convoy was able to bring food to the city of Madaya yesterday.  Madaya has been under siege from government forces for months.  The city of 40,000 has not food rations since November, and reports of starvation are widespread.  The cities of Foah and Kefraya in the north are also desperate.

BBC News published the map of the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul showing the location of a suicide bombing today.  This area of Istanbul is popular with tourists with the nearby locations of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.

The last map is a detailed tourist map of the effected part of Istanbul from a road map of Turkey available in the GRMC.  The map is published in English and Turkish and also includes maps of Ankara and Izmir.  The map was published by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Information in 1980.

The GRMC includes a large collection of historic and modern maps of Turkey, including original maps of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 and 1877.  (These maps are also available in the Digital Media Repository).  A unique historical reproduction map of then Constantinople from 1635 is also available.  City, provincial, and strategic maps of Turkey published by the Army Map Service and the Central Intelligence Agency are also included in the Collection.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.  The maps can be used for research and learning or travel planning.  Contact the GRMC for more information at 765-285-1097.

Maps in the News: North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Firearms

Maps in the News: North Korea, Sunnis and Shiites, and American Gun Violence

North Korea has reported a successful testing of a hydrogen bomb, and the U.S. Geological Survey detected a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in the vicinity of a known Pyongyang nuclear site.  National Geographic published this map of the Korean Peninsula in 2006 (above, click to enlarge) showing the locations of nuclear sites.  This map is an inset on a larger comprehensive map of the two Koreas and is available for circulation from the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC).

The Middle East continues to be in the news with the two branches of Islam aligning with different countries in various conflicts.  Sunni-led allies of Saudi Arabia have cut diplomatic ties with Shiite Iran, but this map from The New York Times demonstrates that most of the Middle East is made up of mixed populations of Sunni and Shia Muslims.  (Note: Non-Muslims and other Islamic sects are not shown on the map).

The Second Amendment and the right to bear arms is also making the news.  For perspective, The Guardian published this map of private firearms ownership around the world from 2012 data.

The GRMC provides access to cartographic resources that can be used in research and learning.  Maps offer a unique format for conveying messages and make excellent visual aids for papers or presentations.  For more information about using maps to learn about current events or social topics, call the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

ESRI Online MOOC Information

ESRI Offers Online GeoApps Course

ESRI, the world’s leading GIS software producer, is offering a free online course teaching how to create custom Web apps on the ArcGIS platform.  The course, Do-It-Yourself Geo Apps, will demonstrate how to combine location and narrative to build valuable geo-enabled apps to make communities and businesses smarter and more successful.

Users can learn about the GeoDev community and the spectrum of resources ESRI provides for software developers.  Discover the collection of application templates that can be configured as custom geo apps for storytelling and more.

The four-week course includes seven sections with 1-2 hours of study per section.  It includes hands-on exercises, short video lectures, quizzes, polls, and discussion.  A certificate of completion and awards are also given.  Registration for the course is open through February 17.

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is a vital resource that provides comprehensive GIS support to the entire Ball State University community.  The GRMC offers access to the leading GIS software and online GIS tutorials, datasets, online mapping applications, in-house GIS data, and one-on-one assistance from the GIS Specialist.