The American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection showcases maps of American cities, states, and national parks from the American Geographical Society Library. The cartography featured in this collection spans the United States from the 19th to 20th centuries. Development continues on this collection as all the maps are added into the website for viewing. This interface is designed to bring these maps of the United States together in one website.

The American Geographical Society Library houses one of North America’s largest geography and map collections. The Library’s former center of operations was in New York, until it was transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries in 1978. The Society was created in the 1850’s in order to collect geographical and statistical information in a library as a collection of maps, charts, and instruments. Currently, the American Geographical Society Library has an extensive collection of worldwide maps, atlases, books, journals, pamphlets, photographs, slides, landsat images, and digital spatial data.

The maps were scanned at 300 dpi resolution using a large format scanner Colortrac 4280 in the American Geographical Society Library. Digital master files in the TIFF format serve as a source for JPEG2000 images presented in CONTENTdm software. Users can browse, pan, and zoom into the map files using JPEG2000 high resolution images. The records were built with CONTENTdm digital media management software using Dublin Core metadata. In addition, the records provide a link to an optional view using Zoomify tool.

Project Staff:
Krystyna K. Matusiak, Digital Collections Librarian, UWM Libraries
Eleanore (Nellie) Bednarek, staff, Digitization Unit, UWM Libraries
Joe Tomich, Monographs Department, UWM Libraries

Metadata Consultant:
Steve Miller, Monographs Department, UWM Libraries

Other Contributors
Tom Brittnacher, American Geographical Society Library, UWM Libraries
Angie Cope, American Geographical Society Library, UWM Libraries

We would also like to acknowledge Athena Baranowski and Rebecca Buchmann, graduate students in UWM English Professional Writing Program for their contribution to the collection's Web design.

The American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection is published by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries. Copyright © 2006. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved.

The map images may be copied by individuals or libraries for personal use, research, teaching or any "fair use" as defined by copyright law. Fair use of copyright-protected works for study, research, and other purposes does not require the permission of the copyright owner provided that the use meets the standard specified in Section 107 of the U. S. Copyright Law.

Permission to reproduce materials in this collection for publication or distribution must be obtained from the American Geographical Society Library of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries. Please see the Permission Form for Reproduction of Materials at: http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/AGSL/repoperms.html

UWM Libraries
November 2006

E-mail: digilib@uwm.edu

Phone: 414-229-2214

Mailing address:

Digitization Unit

UWM Libraries

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

PO BOX 604

Milwaukee, WI 53201-0604