Digital Maps and Digital Map ReferenceEd Redmond, Geography and Map Division, Library

of Congress

Brief History

1995G&M’s Digital Scanning

Lab • Digitization of Historic

Items• not “Born Digital”

• Research Quality images through the Internet

What Do We Scan

Scanning Goals:

• Research quality images (not facsimiles)• Access to surrogates without risking the

original item(s)• Controlled access – Voyager

– Persistent URLs (aka: Handles)– Digital IDs

• Example:http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3750.ct000097

©Scanning Priorities

• Popular items (cartobibliographies)

• Out of copyright (pre-1923 for U.S. publications and U.S. Government publications)

• Items with existing catalog records

Scanning with JumboScanner

This scanner uses an overhead camera that scans Red, then Green, then Blue. A full bed scan of over 3’x5’ takes about five minutes (same as with Tangent) to scan a 300dpi item 1:1 resolution

Processing

• Raw TIFF images are stored on a server

• DELLs:

– 200GB of RAM – 80GB hard drive– 160GB 2nd hard drive

• Adobe Photoshop • Aware JPEG2000

Metadata

• Metadata tables• Who, what, when, by whom, on which scanner,

what project, file name, file location, geographic location, and notes

Cataloging

Digital ID: g3300 ct000232Handle: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3300.ct000232

Cataloging

Conservation

Mark before Refiling

Retrieval

Stacks

We have a “Beaver” Map!?

Are there any other benefits to scanning?

• Funny you should ask…

LC Map Collections website now features

more than 10,000 cartographic items

LC Leaning Page created especially for teachers

LC “Collection Connections” marries digital content with education standards

Lesson Plans arranged by theme

Erie Canal lesson plan derived from LC online materials supporting 4

weeks of classroom education

Two video conferences featuring maps

                                            

                  

Survey for John Lindsey November 17, 1750

Survey Description

1748 Map of Alexandria, VA

1749 Map of Alexandria, VA

Washington and Fairfax

1754 Sketch Map map prepared to accompany

“Journey to the Ohio” [Jan. 1754]

“The French are now coming…”

Lands Mapped at Mount Vernon by GW, 1747-1799

Plan of Clifton Neck, 1760

Plan of Clifton Neck, 1760 [recto]

Clifton Neck/River Farm

Plan of Clifton Neck, 1760 [verso]

“Inclosure lying West of the Garden..”

Captain Posey’s Woodland

Little Hunting Creek, 1766

River Farm, 1766

“Spy” Map of Princeton, NJ sent from Colonel John Cadwalader to George

Washington Dec. 31, 1776

Defenses

Road behind Princeton

[Eight Survey

Tracts Along the Great Kanawha,

1774]

1774 [Eight Surveys along the Great Kanawha River,

WV]

Map abt. Redstone Creek and Fort Pitt, [1780]

Detail showing land claims