Lost in the Stacks: Assessing a Map Room for Content, Services, and Space Considerations

The Binghamton University Libraries' Map Room is a facility which primarily houses maps from the US Federal Depository program and individual purchases. Environmental conditions prompted an assessment of the Libraries' Map Room for its' content, services, and space usage. The librarian gathered map reshelving statistics, interviewed departmental faculty library liaisons and a map librarian colleague, and observed patron use in the Map Room to determine the usage of space and perceptions of services. It was found that the USGS quadrangles, cataloged maps, and the atlases had the highest usage based on reshelving statistics. Various departmental faculty suggested the purchase of paper maps, data sets, a scanner, and for more flexible loan periods. It was observed that many students used the Map Room for practicing presentations, and group study sessions. Services such as printing on demand, as well as scanning and plotting maps were considered.

After recommendations were submitted, challenges to implementing recommendations include staffing, funding, and alternate space options. Concerns about services include providing accessibility to materials in multiple formats. Despite these challenges, higher priority activities were identified such as staffing and training with a goal of increasing access to the map collection. The librarian wrote a grant proposal to acquire equipment and students were hired trained to work on specific projects including reshelving, processing, cataloging and barcoding maps.