MAPS, MAPS AND MORE MAPS: THREE APPROACHES TO REACH THE MASSES

Online mapping applications and services have made promoting data collections easier than ever, affording opportunities to visualize and disperse map content to the masses. While paper libraries still exist, librarians and archivists are adopting measures to preserve content and make their collections widely accessible. Web mapping can enhance a collection by depicting: 1) news on maps, 2) visualizations on maps, and 3) interoperability via maps. The interoperability aspect is crucial as it allows the map services to be used in ways and with clients that the original authors may not have foreseen. Examples of these approaches include the use of a GeoRSS feed, Google Earth and a Web Map Service.