Joshua W. Sadvari, A. Koshoffer, R. Gorham, Katie Phillips
{"title":"GIS Day across the Association of Research Libraries: Outreach, Education, and Collaboration","authors":"Joshua W. Sadvari, A. Koshoffer, R. Gorham, Katie Phillips","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1944950","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1944950","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT GIS Day is an annual, international celebration of geographic information systems (GIS) and geospatial technologies that provides organizations with an opportunity to help others learn about the real-world applications and positive societal impacts of geography and GIS, highlight services, and celebrate accomplishments. Many academic libraries participate in GIS Day programs, using this well-known event to engage with their campus and local communities. In this article, we build on earlier research conducted by Weimer, Olivares, and Bedenbaugh to reassess the landscape of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member involvement in GIS Day programs and, in particular, how these events demonstrate the educational and collaborative aspects of geospatial information services in libraries. For our web content analysis, we specifically focus on gathering information about GIS Day programs in 2019 and 2020, allowing for an examination of how libraries participating in GIS Day responded to the operational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as new opportunities that may have emerged during this period. Finally, we offer our own 2020 GIS Day program as a brief example highlighting how it led to our first cross-institutional collaboration and fostered new opportunities for promoting and partnering on digital scholarship projects at our institutions.","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"283 - 299"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15420353.2021.1944950","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42909231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Announcement: Best Paper of the Year Award for Volume 15","authors":"Theresa Quill, N. Piekielek, Ifigenia Vardakosta","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1937765","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1937765","url":null,"abstract":"The selection committee is happy to announce the best paper of the year for Volume 15 of the Journal of Map and Geography Libraries. The committee, comprised of three current members of the editorial board, unanimously selected a winner based on methodological soundness and overall quality of the research, originality, significance to the field of map and geographic librarianship, and quality of writing. Most of the articles referred to geo-literacy and were addressed to librarians and library users. Geoliteracy is an issue that constantly concerns librarians while shaping their provided services. The committee concluded that all of the considered papers from Volume 151 were of high quality and contained adaptable and actionable information for map and geographic library professionals. However, there was one paper that stood out as the best paper of the year. We would like to congratulate Philip White and Susan Powell (White and Powell 2019) for their article, “Code-Literacy for GIS Librarians: A Discussion of Languages, Use Cases, and Competencies”. In the winning article, White & Powell argue that code literacy is quickly becoming an essential competency for GIS librarians, much to the chagrin of this committee chair, who had been putting off learning R or Python until reading their article. The authors argue that while libraries have been offering data services for decades, the growth of data science programs and the open science movement, and the increase in the scale of data sets has created new challenges for librarians both in supporting researchers using spatial data, and in using data for their own work. They assert that code literacy is the natural progression in the ever-evolving core competencies for GIS librarians. Both R and Python are free and open source and have been used for spatial analysis for some time. The authors lay out the strengths and primary users of each language, concluding that either option would be a good choice for librarians to have in their skillset. https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1937765","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"320 - 321"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15420353.2021.1937765","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47873744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supporting Geography and GIS Education in Libraries Now and into the Future","authors":"Jessica G. Benner, E. Slayton","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1965404","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1965404","url":null,"abstract":"As library educators with a spatial focus, we are always reframing how we analyze the world around us, and what skills or knowledge we need to instruct others on how to do the same. Addressing spatial thinking within the walls of libraries is not a new idea, and indeed has been covered by previous special issues of this journal (Bidney 2019). However, with the constant change in GIS technology and an increased focus on these skills by students and faculty from departments outside of geography, more librarians are grappling with how to best develop and deliver educational content related to core concepts and ever-changing technologies. We work to constantly develop and redevelop pedagogy materials and instruction opportunities to best address the growing need to engage with spatial thinking. This issue brings together works by library educators from both academic and public libraries, to showcase programs that broaden our communities’ understanding of mapping and spatial research. The title of this editorial and special issue is quite ambitious. We dispatched a call to library educators teaching in informal settings asking them to describe pedagogical approaches, research, or the construction of materials to promote spatial literacy or GIS education through library instruction and/or outreach. We received a balanced set of articles that illustrate the variety of formal and informal GIS education happening in libraries. From focused lesson plans and a GIS Day program description to workshops, full workshop series, university courses, and community-based events, this issue provides some examples of the role that libraries are playing in teaching people about geographic concepts, spatial literacy, basic and advanced GIS skills, and spatial data management. Libraries teach people of all ages about geographic practices, maps, data, and spatial information. However, that does not always mean we have a clear idea about what services or instruction we need to offer. In fact, this is an open question for the community posed in a recent editorial https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1965404","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"225 - 228"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45215566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teaching GIS in a Digital Humanities Environment","authors":"Meagan Duever, E. McGinn","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1944951","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1944951","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The University of Georgia Libraries has been teaching a one credit introductory GIS class as part of the Undergraduate Certificate in Digital Humanities which transforms library education from a one-shot model of teaching map and data literacy, to a credit bearing semester long course that provides a deeper understanding of GIS. The class focuses on student learning objectives, which include the ability to critically evaluate cartographic information, gain a proficiency in data literacy as it applies to geospatial data, gain introductory skills in GIS technologies and to use GIS data to explore and answer humanities based research questions in the Digital Humanities.","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"229 - 238"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45939072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"WAML 2020 Conference Highlights","authors":"M. Toro","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1953327","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1953327","url":null,"abstract":"The Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML) is a community for promoting excellence in the map and geospatial library profession. Four overarching activities structure the WAML mission: (1) providing a welcoming and inclusive space where professionals and enthusiasts alike can learn, share, thrive, and build expertise; (2) advocating for access to and preservation of geospatial data and collections; (3) energizing our members through networking, mentoring, collaboration, and continuing education; and (4) developing and disseminating professional standards and best practices that advance our field. WAML held its most recent annual conference event—“WAML 2020”— between October 14 and 16, 2020. The unprecedented circumstances brought about by the on-going global COVID-19 pandemic led to the decision to host the conference fully online. It was the first ever virtual conference hosted by WAML. Annual WAML conferences are open to both WAML members and nonmembers. And, while the explicit geographical focus of the organization is the western regions of North America, attendees from all parts of the globe are welcome. WAML is a relatively small organization, with its conferences typically seeing attendance by no more than approximately 50-70 members and nonmembers. The size of WAML is often lauded as being among the organization’s most appealing traits. Map and geospatial library professionals feel comfortable networking and bonding with like-minded individuals in the relatively intimate, small-scaled spaces of WAML events. They develop a sense of camaraderie and solidarity through their engagements with the WAML community, becoming part of that community themselves. Moving to a virtual format was a difficult, but necessary, decision. As so many organizations have learned throughout 2020, and continue to learn, coordination of fully remote events presents a unique set of challenges. The online format dissolved many of the conventional geographical frictions and transportation costs involved with in-person functions. https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1953327","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"317 - 319"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15420353.2021.1953327","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41732452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Developing Lesson Plans for Teaching Spatial Data Management in Academic Libraries through a Lens of Popular Culture","authors":"Hannah C. Gunderman","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1944948","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1944948","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Understanding data management in spatial data science is fundamentally important when ensuring a project’s data is appropriately collected, analyzed, stored, and communicated. However, these concepts are often introduced to learners through compliance (i.e., we do this because we are required to or it is the right thing to do), and as a result can mean learning experiences around spatial data management are viewed less than enthusiastically. Academic libraries are places where engaging learning experiences around spatial data management can be explored and implemented through unique pedagogical techniques. For example, activities teaching spatial data management in academic libraries through a popular culture lens can make these topics more approachable and reduce learning barriers. In this paper, I present three lesson plans for academic librarians which approach teaching spatial data management through popular culture. The following concepts are represented: (1) understanding spatial metadata through Dungeons & Dragons; (2) learning to write good documentation through drawing Pokémon; and (3) developing good file naming habits with 1980s album covers. Alongside the lesson plans, I provide a narrative outlining why popular culture pedagogy is a useful technique to spatial data management education to increase the inclusivity and engagement around geospatial learning experiences in academic libraries.","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"239 - 253"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15420353.2021.1944948","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43795413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond the Map: Engaging Audiences with GIS at the Leventhal Map & Education Center","authors":"Michelle Leblanc, Belle Lipton","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1944949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1944949","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The Leventhal Map & Education Center (LMEC) at the Boston Public Library (BPL) has expanded its activities in recent years to include educational and technical support for audiences working with geospatial data, tools and concepts. At the K-12 level, LMEC’s Empowering Maptivists initiative engages Boston public high school students in a deep exploration of the uses of geospatial data and mapping in order to help foreground relevant community issues and propose possible solutions. In its role as a partner with the BPL, the LMEC also offers a suite of free, helpful resources for any library visitor, including one-on-one project support and digital guides geared toward decoding and translating the sometimes-complicated intricacies of geospatial data and tools. The LMEC’s recently grant-funded Data Hub project accelerates this momentum by further expanding educational activities, and allowing the LMEC to build out the necessary technical infrastructure to support them, including a searchable and browsable digital library to hold geospatial data, as well as other learning materials for deciphering data.","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"254 - 263"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45528120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Capturing the Complex Histories of German World War II Captured Maps","authors":"S. Powell, H. Mühr","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2021.1922569","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2021.1922569","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Following the end of World War II the U.S. Army Map Service distributed maps captured from the German military to research libraries across the United States, where they have remained largely hidden collections. One focus of the University of California Berkeley’s German World War II captured maps digitization project has been the creation of detailed metadata for the German military map series. Data-rich catalog records with information about source maps and the need to do authority work for related corporate bodies provided entry points for exploring issues of provenance. The topographic map series that make up the bulk of this collection reflect the fragmentary nature of German cartographic history, with varying contributing corporate bodies, diverse source material, and a range of sophistication and technique. All of these characteristics evolved between 1936 and 1945 when the Nazi regime ramped up production of military maps. The authors make the case that it is worth the time and effort for libraries to invest in creating rich bibliographic descriptions for these map series.","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"166 - 193"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15420353.2021.1922569","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41524847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the Ecosystem of Geospatial Research and Service in Universities","authors":"W. Guan, Elizabeth Hess","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2020.1765942","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2020.1765942","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The study of location and location-based phenomena is a flourishing field. Many universities have grown their research and/or services in this field (often called GIS), established centers that are primarily engaged in the research of GIS, or applying GIS technologies to support researches of other fields. Some straddle “research of” and “research with” GIS in the same center, engaging in both GIScience research, often by researchers in a department or school, and geospatial technology services, often for users across the university. We conducted an online survey to scour the landscape of such centers in universities worldwide, to understand how they are structured, managed, financed, and sustained. The survey also included units as part of a library, department, or lab. Eighty-one valid responses were analyzed, revealing these organizations’ administrative, financial, staffing, and operational status; their history, visions, responsibilities, resources, constrains, challenges, and opportunities. The result showed differences between universities with and without a geography department.","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"7 - 26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15420353.2020.1765942","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41781053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contextualizing Map and Geography Library Collections as FAIR Research Data: A Case Study of Historical Landscape Photographs","authors":"Hannah C. Gunderman","doi":"10.1080/15420353.2020.1817832","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2020.1817832","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Collection management techniques used in map and geography libraries to describe and provide access to materials ensure researchers can engage with collections as viable sources of research data. Many practitioners create frameworks to market these collections as potential sources of data, whether used alone or alongside other research data. These frameworks bear similarities to the FAIR data movement, where data producers are encouraged to make their data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. I frame the historical landscape photograph collections of the American Geographical Society Library and the United States Geological Survey Library as FAIR research data, offering the potential to engage with trends, concerns, or concepts being explored by geographers. When highlighting the FAIRness of these collections, we have an opportunity to better understand how they may be used as standalone sources of data, as well as alongside other FAIR data sources in scientific research. As another FAIR data source, I use the DataONE Data Catalog to contextualize these photographs alongside present-day datasets from fieldwork in similar landscapes. I encourage map and geography libraries to understand how the FAIRness of their collections enable unique research opportunities, leveraging the momentum surrounding FAIR research data in open science/open research communities.","PeriodicalId":54009,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Map & Geography Libraries","volume":"16 1","pages":"54 - 77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2020-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15420353.2020.1817832","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44663254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}