Maps of Korea Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Yeongpyeong Island, Korea

Recent events have once again placed the Korean Peninsula in the world spotlight: The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library contains hundreds of maps of the Korean Peninsula and North and South Korea, including topographic maps identifying Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea (Click to view map above larger).

The GRMC has three different sets of topographic maps of the Korean Peninsula, some created by the Army Map Service. These topographic maps are available at 1:50,000; 1:250,000; 1:500,000 scales.

The GRMC also houses a set of city plan maps of cities from North and South Korea, including Ulsan, Keijo, Masan, Pusan, Pyongyang, Chinnampo, and Najin Rashin. Updated maps of Pyongyang, Seoul and Inchon are also available.

Numerous maps of the two countries or the combined peninsula are also available for research and learning, including the National Geographic comprehensive map The Two Koreas: Forgotten War. Bracken Library is a federal depository library, so the GRMC receives updated maps of Korea from the Central Intelligence Agency and nautical charts from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

The Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library also houses resources about Korea. Several road atlases of Korea and tourist atlases of Seoul are available. Many of these atlases are available in English and Korean.

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

Thanksgiving Break Hours in the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library will be closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26 for Thanksgiving Break. The GRMC will reopen on Monday, November 29 at 8:00 a.m.

Researching the History of Your House Presentation at Ball State University Libraries

History Detectives Presentation at Ball State University Libraries

“History Detectives: Researching the History of Your House” will be presented by Susan Lankford, Director of the Ball State University Center for Historical Preservation, on Tuesday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Bracken Library, room 104. This free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library and is open to the public.

The map shown above is from the Muncie Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps collection available in the University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections and from the Digital Media Repository. These maps are an excellent starting point for researchers interested in the history of local buildings and neighborhoods.

For more information, contact John B. Straw, Assistant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections in the University Libraries and Executive Secretary of the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library at 765-285-5078.

Smoking Maps from Ball State University Libraries

Tobacco Maps from Ball State University Libraries

The American Cancer Society is marking the 35th “Great American Smokeout” today by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit. Quitting smoking is not easy but the American Cancer Society states that to have the best chance of quitting successfully, smokers need to know what they’re up against, what their options are, and where to go for help.

The map above shows the percentage of the population who smoke cigarettes in each country (from 2005 data). The top map shows the percentage of men who smoke. The lower map shows the percentage of women who smoke. “Although fewer women smoke than men, there is a worrying increase among younger women in many countries.”

This map is from The Penguin State of the World Atlas by Dan Smith. The atlas is available in the Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library or from the GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC). Another valuable atlas in the collection that features maps on various issues is The Tobacco Atlas.

Atlases can be useful educational resources as visual aids in papers and presentations, and the images from atlases can be easily scanned. Atlases circulate for 28 days or longer.

For more information about using maps from atlases in education and research, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Geography Awareness Week at Ball State University Libraries November 14-20

Freshwater Map Presented for Geography Awareness Week

Geography Awareness Week is an annual celebration enacted by Congress in 1987 that encourages educational experiences that draw attention to geo-literacy and the importance of geography education. During Geography Awareness Week 2010, the National Geographic Society’s theme is learning about freshwater and how it connects to geography.

National Geographic published a map in April 2010 called World of Rivers: A New Mapping of Every River System. The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is displaying a copy of this map in its windows on the second floor of Bracken Library to commemorate Geography Awareness Week.

The map describes rivers and their significance in human civilization: “Rivers and lakes store less than half a percent of Earth’s fresh water, but they are the lifelines of human history—where people settled, farmed, traded, built cities, explored.” The map depicts all the major rivers of the world and their “intricacies” as smaller tributaries feed into larger rivers.

The verso of the map describes the “hidden water” consumed in the production of products. “It’s called virtual water: the amount of water used to create a product.” For example, the virtual water in meat like pigs, cattle, and chickens is the water the animals drink and the water used to grow their feed and clean their waste and process the edible end product. In order to produce one pound of beef, it takes 1,857 gallons of water.

Cotton is an example given on the map of a water-intensive crop—it takes a lot of water to transform cotton into fabric. One pair of blue jeans requires 2,900 gallons of water to produce. One cotton t-shirt takes 766 gallons of water.

National Geographic clarifies that “more important than any product’s virtual-water total is whether the region it comes from has sustainable water to grow the crop.” The challenge will be to increase water-use efficiency in the production of future products.

This map is encapsulated for convenient display and can be circulated from the GRMC for two weeks or longer. For more information about using maps for education and research, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Maps of Jerusalem Available from Ball State University Libraries

Maps in the News: Jerusalem

Jerusalem is once again in the international spotlight. Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library contains over 140,000 maps and other geographic resources, including dozens of maps of the city of Jerusalem.

The National Geographic Society in 2008 published a map called Crucible of History: The Eastern Mediterranean which features a map of Jerusalem’s holy ground on the verso. The map includes historical notes and a timeline, a map of the Old City of Jerusalem, and colorful illustrations of temples and domes.

The Central Intelligence Agency published a map in 2006 of Greater Jerusalem. This map shows settlements, refugee camps, fences, and walls. A chart on the map describes plans for new settlements.

Heart of the Middle East from 2002 is another map published by the National Geographic Society that features an inset map of Jerusalem. This map includes ancillary maps depicting conflicts in the region since 1948, religions, and oil and water on the verso.

The GRMC also includes several maps of the Old City of Jerusalem (shown). Some of the maps date back to when East Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan.

Archaeology of Jerusalem: First Temple, Second Temple, and Byzantine Periods is actually four maps included on one sheet. This map includes major archaeological remains that are visible today and a Diagram of Madaba map. Jerusalem: Pictorial Map and City Guide includes a map of the historic buildings of the city and line-art sketches of the actual architecture.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.

For more information about these maps or any of the cartographic resources, please contact the GRMC Monday through Friday at 765-285-1097.

Election Cartographic Materials Available from Ball State University

Map the Vote: Political and Election Cartographic Materials from Ball State University Libraries

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has created cartographic subject guides to assist researchers searching for geographic materials related to multiple academic fields. Ball State University Libraries includes a wealth of valuable cartographic resources on numerous topics, and the subject guides include materials in the GRMC, the Atlas Collection, Educational Resources Collections, the General Collection, Government Publications, Oversize, and the Reference Collection. These cartographic subject guides are available in PDF-format on the GRMC Web page “Research Tools” section at http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/Libraries/CollectionsAndDept/GISandMaps/MapCollection/ResearchTools/SubjectGuides.aspx.

Students of political science or others interested in the election process may wish to use the subject guide Cartographic Resources for Political Science and Elections Research. Maps and other cartographic resources can be an ideal tool for illustrating various information and statistics about elections. The widely-used “blue states and red states” explanation of states’ party affiliations has become a cultural phrase and was made popular from an election map from the 2000 presidential election.

This cartographic subject guide lists the many maps and atlases about elections—current and historical—available from Ball State University Libraries. In the GRMC researchers can review maps of the newly-drawn Congressional districts, presidential election results since 1789, and even state and local city council districts and precinct boundaries.

The Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library can also be an invaluable resource for political research. Atlases about specific political themes are available. Atlas of American Politics, Atlas of American Women, Atlas of U.S. Foreign Relations, Atlas of World Affairs, Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989, and Student Atlas of World Politics are all available from the Atlas Collection. Ball State University Libraries also includes rare atlases about the 2000 and 2001 elections in Kosovo.

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

Please contact the GRMC Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 for more information about these resources or other cartographic subject guides.