The History and Current Direction of Canadian Map Libraries

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The History and Current Direction of Canadian Map
Libraries

• Marcel Fortin,
• GIS Map Librarian

ALA / Map and Geography Round Table, June 23, 2003
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Overview

• History of Map Libraries in Canada
• Past Issues and Developments
• Current Challenges and Developments
• Future of Map Libraries in Canada

Map Libraries in Canada
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Map Libraries in Canada in 1954

• Canada 31 map collections
• United States 500 map collections
• (Canadian population is always at about 10 of
  American Population)
• 8 Universities with 13 collections
• Why so few?
• - No strong depository agreements
• - No legal deposit
• - No startup collections from the US Army Map
  Service maps
• - Not many Universities

Map Libraries in Canada
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1960s Growth

• 1967 45 Collections
• 1969 87 Collections (562 in the US)
• WHY?
• Canadian Centennial in 1967
• Mapping agencies at full force as Canada was
  exploring and developing in its quest for natural
  resources
• Canadian studies / geography encouraged
• Universities grew to accommodate the Baby Boomers
• Depository system grew to accommodate the
  Universities
• New map Libraries formed at new universities
• RESULT
• Growth - Association of Canadian Map Libraries
  formed in 1967

Map Libraries in Canada
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Why ACML(A)?

• Temporary organization
• Librarians identified more with the subject than
  with other librarians
• Membership was also from the archival and
  government fields
• Was to eventually merge with a broader library
  association but never did
• To tackle some of the big issues of the day

Map Libraries in Canada
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Early Issues in Map Librarianship in Canada

• National Union Catalogue
• Bibliographic Control
• Computer Cataloguing
• Depository system / Resources
• Legal deposit
• Education / Training of Map Librarians

Map Libraries in Canada
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Depository Services

• Began in 1907 but to a select few
• Depository agreement law in 1955
• Implementation in 1957
• Somewhat Standardized by the 1960s
• Still ironing out the details of agreements in
  2003!

Map Libraries in Canada
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Legal Deposit

• ACMLA has been lobbying the government since 1967
  for a National Map Library
• In 1969 officially requested the government to
  impose a law demanding legal deposit on maps
• ACMLA letter in 2002 for legal deposit on
  cartographic material (digital and paper)
• ACMLA about to send yet another letter in 2003

Map Libraries in Canada
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Map Library Education

• 1960s Difficult to find trained librarians with
  map sense
• 1970s University of Toronto offered a course in
  map librarianship
• 1990s-2000s Still an issue, especially with GIS

Map Libraries in Canada
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Map Library Growth
Map Libraries in Canada
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1970s-1980s Growth
1980 111 Collections (684 in the US) 1986 122
Collections (716 in the US) ACML changed to ACMLA
1987
Map Libraries in Canada
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Why the growth?

• 1970s 1980s Period of expansion, depository
  system was at full force including USGS and other
  foreign government agreements
• 1970, Every Square Inch of Canada was mapped at
  1250,000
• Government Objective map Canada at 150,000 by
  1995
• Continued expansion of Universities

Map Libraries in Canada
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Period of Decline

• 1992 112 Collections (974 in the US)
• 1999 91 Collections

Map Libraries in Canada
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Why the decline in 1990s?

• Budget Issues
• Technology / GIS
• Data Culture

Map Libraries in Canada
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Budgets

• CAUSES
• Funding at the Government / University level
  drained
• Budgets were strained by the economy
• EFFECTS
• Depository Agreements changed / disappeared
• USGS
• NRCan (fewer maps made, fewer published, fewer
  distributed, Canada still not mapped completely
  at 150,000)
• Mergers / Reorganizations (MadGIC effect) / Moves
• Early Retirement Incentives offered to map
  library leaders
• RESULTS
• Fewer map libraries and fewer map librarians

Map Libraries in Canada
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Technology / GIS

• Discussion of GIS in libraries (1979) The demise
  of the library came along with it
• Change from paper focus to digital focus in
  libraries affected all libraries
• Libraries seen as passé

Map Libraries in Canada
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Map Librarys Perception

• Perception of the Map Library changed because of
  technology / GIS
• Seen as outdated
• No longer a place for geographic education (many
  dont know we exist)
• Users shifted back to the geography department
  for data and help

Map Libraries in Canada
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Data Culture in Canada

• Canada / United States tremendous difference
• Data costs prohibitive
• Natural Resources Canada tiles at 150,000 on
  average cost 800.00 per sheet
• Provincial Base Map Data at 120000 and 110000
  110.00 per sheet
• Landsat images jumped from 0 - 5000 in the
  early 80s
• Attitude of Governments too protective and
  vendors caught in between

Map Libraries in Canada
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The Unexpected Still Occurred GIS librarianship!

• Most map libraries offer at least the most basic
  services in GIS
• For many, GIS has become the modus operandi
• Becoming the centre for data

Map Libraries in Canada
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How did this transformation Occur?
Map Libraries in Canada
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Reasons for Transformation

• Map Librarians have worked hard at self-training
  and broadening their vision
• Reclaiming the role as educators in geographic
  information
• ACMLA has made things happen and kept the
  membership educated and informed

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More Reasons for the Transformation Mergers are
not always bad!

• Government Publications Librarians (dealt with
  changes to depository agreements)
• Science Librarians (dealt with technical
  subjects)
• Data Librarians (dealt with data issues well
  before GIS)

Map Libraries in Canada
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Data Librarians

• Digital Census data and Satellite imagery in some
  University Data Libraries since the 1970s
• Canadian Association of Research Libraries Census
  Consortium (CARL) - (1988)
• CARL Census Consortium (1991)

Map Libraries in Canada
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Data Landmarks

• In 1995, Phase III of the ARL GIS Literacy
  Project 27 Canadian Universities and the National
  Library of Canada
• Statistics Canada - Data Liberation Initiative
  (1996) replaces all data consortia for one yearly
  fee

Map Libraries in Canada
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More Landmarks

• www.GeoConnections.org (1998)
• KPMG Study on pricing (2001)
• NRCan National Topographic Database (2002)
• www.DMTIspatial.com consortium
• Provincial Agreements (OGDE for fee, Manitoba for
  free)
• Municipal government agreements
• ESRI Site licenses

Map Libraries in Canada
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Things are looking good but there are challenges
and changes ahead

• Funding our success comes with a price
• Data management famine to feast
• Administrative changes
• Data and map legal deposit
• Abandonment of map collections
• Changing user base

Map Libraries in Canada
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• How do we meet and beat these challenges?

Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon

• Funding Issues
• Donations
• Contracts
• Cost Recovery
• Data selling, storage, conversion
• Teaching
• Partnerships
• Grant Proposals

Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon

• Data management
• Consortia
• Collaborative projects for data distribution /
  management
• Smartly hire good networking / web managers to
  help create Geography Network type applications

Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon

• Administrative Issues
• Retirements
• Map Library Association membership dwindling
• More moves and mergers
• Librarians dealing with the geographic who have
  no geographic experience

Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon

• Data and Map Legal deposit
• Still no map and data legal deposit in Canada
• National Library / National Archives merging in
  2003 (ACMLA lobbying for new law for merger to
  include legal deposit)
• Do you trust your government to preserve your
  data / history?

Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon
Do you trust your government?
Source topozone.com
Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon
Do you trust your government?
2nd edition
1st edition
Source NTS Sheet 32c01
Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon

• Do we abandon the map and our history in our
  struggles for data?
• No, the wise patrons and librarians know not to
  trust their governments
• People are still using our map collections!

Map Libraries in Canada
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• Users are asking for paper maps and GIS data!

• About 55 of patrons of map libraries in North
  America walk away with both digital and paper
  maps for their research. (2000 survey)

Published in Stone Muilenburg, J. The changing
role of GIS in the map room, in The Map Library
in the New Millennium. London LAP, 2000
Map Libraries in Canada
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On the Horizon Expanding Base of Users

• Geography but also
• Landscape Architecture
• Geology
• History
• Environmental Science
• Engineering
• And more

NOTE All Ontario High School students are
currently learning GIS as part of the curriculum
Map Libraries in Canada
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Map Library is regaining its status as the Centre
for Geographic Information and Education

• Software
• Equipment
• Skills
• Building large data libraries
• Weve got the original GIS the maps!

Map Libraries in Canada
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The future of Map Libraries may be in the past
Map Libraries in Canada
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Garrison Creek and Parcel Data
Map Libraries in Canada
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Creating new parcel data
Map Libraries in Canada
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Conclusion

• Resurgence in the map library as a place for
  geographic education
• But, we must educate and convince our
  administration why what we do is important
• Alternatives to funding required to keep growing
• Map Library Associations have to be ever more
  vigilant as advocates must bond with other
  associations and data librarians
• Protect and use our map collections until we get
  legal deposit
• Remember that GIS is a tool for geographic
  information and that our maps are still just as
  important

Map Libraries in Canada