Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Ball State University Libraries' Collection of Indonesia Maps


Maps in the News: Indonesia

Natural disasters have once again put the archipelago country of Indonesia in the news: The nation has been hit by an earthquake, tsunami, and volcanic eruption all in a matter of days. The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) in Bracken Library has a diverse collection of maps of Indonesia available for researchers.

The National Geographic Society featured a map of Indonesia in its magazine in 1996. This map depicts a basic location map of the country’s 17,000 islands on one side with several ancillary maps on the verso. A contour map is centered on the verso circled by ancillary maps showing economic activity, a map of timber exports, a population map, and maps depicting rainfall amounts and climate zones. The map also features colorful illustrations of the unique plant and animal species native to Indonesia.

Updated maps of the nation including the addition of the country East Timor are also available from the GRMC. Individual maps of Sumatra, Bali, Java, and Sulawesi are also included in the collection. As an archipelago, Indonesia is also featured on dozens of nautical chart maps in the GRMC including maps produced by the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the Royal Australian Survey Corps. Maps of Jakarta are also available, and many of the maps are presented in English, Indonesian, German, Dutch, Japanese, and French.

The Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library also includes several resources about Indonesia. The collection includes Atlas Republik Indonesia, Historical Atlas of Indonesia, Illustrated Atlas of Indonesia, Indonesian Travel Atlas, and Road Atlas of Indonesia. Atlases of Jakarta are also available.

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

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

Friday, October 15, 2010

Weekend Getaway Maps from Ball State University Libraries



Fall Breaking Away: Central Indiana Weekend Getaway Maps from Ball State University Libraries

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 final 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.

A closer destination for Ball State students is the Mounds State Park in Anderson. The map shown above from the GRMC details the trails winding through the park and shows contour lines.

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.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

International Festival October 14 at Ball State University

Amazing Taste and iFest at Ball State University October 14th

The Ball State University Rinker Center for International Programs, the Multicultural Center, and the University Program Board are joining forces with Ball State Dining Services to sponsor this year’s International Festival. The event will be called “The Amazing Taste: Global Food Fair and iFest,” and will be held in the lawn between DeHority Park and Woodworth Halls on October 14 from 5-8 P.M.

The University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) will be providing maps and posters for the country booths at the iFest. Every week the GRMC provides posters for the Culture Exchange at the Rinker Center for International Programs, and many of these countries will be represented at this event. Some of the countries represented are Jamaica, Afghanistan, Germany, Korea, France, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Ball State Dining Services will host an elaborate multicultural menu from around the world. Students can use their meal card for this event. Visitors can watch sword fighting and martial arts demonstrations, get henna tattoos, watch and participate in salsa and belly dancing, get caricatures and names written in various languages, listen to the steel drum troupe, play Bocce ball, and have their picture taken with live camels. (Bring your own camera).

For more information about the menu and costs, please visit
http://cms.bsu.edu/CampusLife/Dining/AmazingTasteMenu.aspx.

Maps of Chile' Available from Ball State University Libraries


Maps in the News: Chile’

The Ball State University Libraries’ provides resources about places in the news. The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library contains a large collection of maps and other cartographic materials of Chile’ and other areas of South America. And the Atlas Collection in Bracken Library also provides resources about the geography of Chile’.

The Atlas Collection includes an atlas published by Lonely Planet that details travel information for Chile’ and Easter Island. Guia Caminera de Chile, Atlas Geografico de Chile, Atlas Regionalizado de Chile, and Atlas de la Republica de Chile are atlases about Chile’ published in Spanish. Colonial Hispanic Cartography of Chile’ is an atlas published in 1952 that includes reproductions of early maps of Chile’ originally published in 1924.

The GRMC includes hundreds of maps of Chile’ and South America. A set of topographic maps depict 16 different cities in Chile’. The GRMC also includes tourist maps of Chile’ and Santiago, maps of Patagonia, the Chile’-Peru border region, and Tierra del Fuego. Nelles Maps produced a map of Chile’ available from the GRMC that includes detailed maps of Santiago, Easter Island, Peninsula Valdes, Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, La Serena, and Punta Arenas. The map of Santiago shown above was published in 1949. There are also maps of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. The GRMC also includes nautical charts published by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency that detail the areas along the Chilean coast. Che's Route: Ernesto Guevara's Trip Across South America is another map available from the GRMC that includes Chile'.

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

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