International Polar Year March 2007-March 2009
Thanks to advances in global telecommunications technologies, people worldwide have a rare opportunity to follow, and sometimes even participate in, Arctic and Antarctic research and exploration as part of the International Polar Year (IPY), a global scientific campaign which began in March 2007. IPY promises to advance our understanding of how the Earth's remote polar regions affect global climate systems, to bring about fundamental advances in many areas of science, and to fire the enthusiasm of young men and women for careers in science and engineering. The Polar Year actually will extend from March 1, 2007, until March 1, 2009, to allow researchers to conduct two annual observing cycles in each region, particularly in isolated areas that are prohibitively cold and dark for roughly six months of the year. International Polar Year Continue reading
Angie Cope, Senior Academic Librarian
My name is Angie Cope and I am a Senior Academic Librarian at the American Geographical Society Library at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries. I am principally a catalog librarian - cataloging maps, atlases, globes and geospatial data. My secondary responsibilities include collection development, reference and web page maintenance. It's becoming ever more challenging keeping track of free government information as we move from a print society to digital. From a high of over 2,000 items in 2001 to only 833 in 2005, my library alone, has experienced an extreme reduction in the amount of paper maps being delivered by the U.S. Government. I'm concerned that the USGS is moving to all digital with a print on demand option but not all our patrons will know how to find information or what to do with digital information when they find it. The NationalMap.gov is a nice site allowing for an interactive experience. Continue reading
National Atlas of the United States and the U.S. National Map
The United States government, led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has initiated a project to cooperatively develop, market, and distribute The National Atlas of the United States of America. The participation of many agencies of the federal government has been crucial to the successful development of the National Atlas. Congress recognized that no single government agency could deliver an atlas that is truly national in scope and breadth when it assigned the USGS to direct the project. That's why so many Federal producers of reliable and authoritative geographic information have joined in developing National Atlas products. More information can be found here: NationalAtlas.gov The National Map is an online, interactive national map with contributors from around the country. Check it out: NationalMap.gov. Continue reading
Angie Cope, Senior Academic Librarian
My name is Angie Cope and I am a Senior Academic Librarian at the American Geographical Society Library at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries. I have an M.L.I.S. from UW - Milwaukee ; an M.S. in Resource Planning and a B.S. in Geography both from Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU). In my current position, I am principally a catalog librarian - cataloging maps, atlases and geospatial data. My secondary responsibilities include collection development. I also assist with outreach, reference, web page maintenance and other projects around my library. For more information on my library, visit me here: AGS Library I also moderate a popular map librarian discussion list called Maps-L. The list maintain an subscribership of around 1,000 people from around the world. The topics discussed include anything related to map librarianship. Often the list is a bit of an announcement board but frequently serves as a great place to pose questions to colleagues. Issues relating to cataloging, air photos, scanning policies, government map index availability or interpreting unusual map codes are examples of what has been discussed in the past. For more information on Maps-L, take a look here: Maps-L Info I'm looking forward to guest blogging in May of 2007 and being a part of FGI. Continue reading
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