Recreational Maps Artwork Display

Summer Fun Displayed on Recreation Maps

Click to view the special summer map display featuring artwork from recreational maps in the Geospatial Resources & Map Collection.

New Orleans Map Acquisitions in the GRMC

New Materials in the GRMC for Hurricane Katrina Research

August marks the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane formed on August 23, 2005, and devastated the Gulf Coast and New Orleans by August 29. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes ever in recorded history.

The Geospatial Resources & Map Collection has added two maps related to Hurricane Katrina to the Collection. The U.S. Geological Survey created a map showing the water depth of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The map was produced using remote sensing data. According to the map vendor Terra Prints, “Because an accurate delineation of the flooded area was not yet available, the flood water level within the city was derived from a lake level gage on Lake Pontchartrain, with the assumption that the level of the lake and the floodwaters had equalized by Friday, September 2, 2005.”

The second map is a satellite wall map of New Orleans, Louisiana (shown above). This map of New Orleans was acquired via satellite in 2000 prior to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Lake Pontchartrain borders the city to the north, and the Mississippi River winds its way through the image.

Both of the maps will be available for checkout in the GRMC. Be sure to check the map exhibit of Historic Hurricanes displayed in the front window of the GRMC on the second floor of Bracken Library.

Scanner Available in the GRMC

Scanning in the GRMC

The Geospatial Resources & Map Collection offers a scanner for use digitizing maps and atlases from the Collection. This service is especially convenient for use with reference atlases and maps. Maps from the Collection could be included in papers and presentations in digital format. (The GRMC also offers information on how to cite maps, atlases, and other cartographic resources).

The UMAX Power Look 2100 XL scans images up to 12 ½ x 17 ½ inches. The staff of the GRMC will scan the maps and save the images at the requested resolution. The digital images may be saved to a disc or iLocker account.

Contact the GRMC during regular business hours Monday through Friday for more information.

New Materials in the GRMC

New Materials in the GRMC

The University Libraries Geospatial Resources & Map Collection and the Atlas Collection have recently added new materials to the collections.

Atlases of Canada and Costa Rica have been added to the Atlas Collection, along with the Historical Atlas of the Napoleonic Era, Penguin Historical Atlas of the British Empire, and the Atlas of Global Development.

New maps of Indiana cities have been added to the Map Collection. New editions of maps of Carmel, Evansville, South Bend, Fort Wayne, and Muncie were recently acquired. Also a new Cancun travel guide map was added to the Collection, along with Three Centuries of Earthquakes: Earthquakes in the Central United States, 1699-2002. New maps were also acquired from the National Geographic Society: North America in the Age of Dinosaurs, Germany, and a map of the West Indies. A colorful map of Crater Lake in Oregon has also been added to the Collection.

Maps from the GRMC can be checked out for two weeks, and atlases can be checked out for four weeks.

GRMC Displays for July

In the Window: July 2007 GRMC Map Displays


The “Map of the Month” for July 2007 celebrates the birth of the nation. The map featured is of the Ohio Valley. This map is one of seventeen in a series created by National Geographic called The Making of America. These maps feature different regions of the United States and describe the history and geography of the area.

A world map in the window reveals the winners of the newly-elected New Seven Wonders of the World.

A special movie-related map display is also presented to commemorate two July premieres. A map featuring The Simpsons’ Springfield is shown with other Springfields across the United States competing to host The Simpsons Movie premiere. Another map shows places connected to Harry Potter in the United Kingdom.

A map of the United Kingdom is featured with a street map of Baghdad in the Maps in the News display of the GRMC due to the recent terrorist attacks. Also a GoogleEarth image of Wembley Stadium in London, England, shows the location of “The Concert for Diana” that was held on July 1 and the "Live Earth" concert on July 7. This image was printed using the large-format plotter. Prices for printing on the plotter are $8.00 for 36 inches and under, $10.00 for items 37-72 inches in length, and $12.00 for items larger than 72 inches.

Please visit the GRMC to see these map displays or to use the plotter for printing.

Geospatial Resources & Map Collection Special Hours

The Geospatial Resources & Map Collection will be closed for Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4. The GRMC will reopen at 7:30 A.M. Thursday, July 5.

What’s happening in the GRMC? June 2007 Edition

The Geospatial Resources & Map Collection welcomed visitors from the Delaware County Historical Society on June 4. This group was visiting the University Libraries to learn more about the genealogical resources available for research. The group used historic maps and atlases to learn more about their family trees.

Another group visiting the Collection was the summer social studies methods class, SS 392. Christy Wauzzinski, Instructor in the Department of History, wanted her class to learn more about including maps, atlases, and GIS in their lesson plans. After a presentation about using the GRMC as a classroom resource, the students searched the Collection to find a map to include in a lesson plan for elementary students. (View the presentation at http://mgentry.iweb.bsu.edu/SocialStudiesMethodsabbrev.htm)

Football season at Ball State University is fast approaching, and assistant coach Eddie Faulkner used the GRMC to create a poster welcoming his new players. The GIS Specialist created a map showing the hometowns of all the running backs on the football team and printed the map on the large-format plotter. Coach Faulkner plans to display the map in his office.

Students from geography, natural resources, geology, anthropology, landscape architecture, and urban planning also visited the GRMC in June to use the maps, atlases, and GIS resources for classroom assignments and projects.

The GRMC is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. throughout the summer.

2007 Fiscal Year Statistics for the GRMC

A Year in the GRMC…by the numbers:

Statistics covering the fiscal year 2006-2007 for the Geospatial Resources & Map Collection:

· Circulated materials: 2,450 items

· Maps circulated via Interlibrary Loan: 11

· Maps/atlas reference questions: 1,938

· GIS software users: 269

· Plotter users: 1,415

· Instructional classes: 29 sessions, 498 participants

· Collection items used for research: 15,892