Perhaps of interest to the readers of this email list. > From: "Anna St. Onge" <[email protected]> > Subject: [Arcan-l] OCUL releases over 1000 historical maps online > > Hello everyone; > > This announcement from OCUL may be of potential interest to some who > subscribe to this list. > > best, > Anna St.Onge > Archivist, Digital Projects & Outreach > York University Libraries > > > Ontario University Libraries Collaborate to Release Over 1000 Historical > Maps Online > > *[le message en français suit la version anglaise]* > > *Ontario University Libraries Collaborate to Release Over 1000 Historical > Maps Online* > *- April 4, 2017 * > *[For immediate release] * > > Coinciding with the celebration of Canada?s 150th anniversary and the > Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) 50th anniversary, Ontario?s > university libraries are releasing a collection of over 1000 historical > topographic maps of Ontario. The project highlights Ontario?s rich history > and changing landscape over the past 100 years, and is evidence of how > Ontario?s academic libraries continue to play a key role in preserving our > national and provincial heritage in the digital age. > > The project is a province-wide collaboration, led by the OCUL Geo > Community, an open forum for the exchange of information relating to maps > and GIS, to digitize and geocode early topographic maps of Ontario at the > 1:25000 and 1:63360 scales. The maps were originally produced by the > Department of National Defence (until 1923: the Department of Militia and > Defence) and show a variety of both natural and man-made features covering > towns, cities and their surrounding areas in Ontario, over the period of > 1906 to 1977. This project represents the single most comprehensive > digitization project of the early-National Topographic Series map > collection in Canada. > > Early topographic maps are heavily used by historians and researchers > interested in examining change over time. The project aims to improve > access to the maps by making them available online and offering visual > exploration through the project website <http://ocul.on.ca/topomaps> and in > the Scholars GeoPortal <http://geo.scholarsportal.info/> platform. There is > benefit for Ontario?s students in having access to these resources. ?A > project with the functionality of this one makes discovering the history of > land use/development in Ontario far more accessible both for researchers > and as a learning tool for students,? says Ted Wilush, McMaster University > Bachelor of Commerce graduate, and map enthusiast. > > Researchers and students can explore the maps and compare changes over time > using the GeoPortal?s map viewer that contains current base map data and a > transparency slider feature. ?The ability to use layers to compare the same > (map) sheet from multiple eras against both each other and a modern > map/satellite image is invaluable?, Ted states. > > Ontario?s university libraries have been working together through OCUL on > initiatives such as this since 1967. ?Preserving and expanding access to > the broad research collections held by Ontario?s university libraries is at > the core of OCUL?s collaboration,? explains Vivian Lewis, OCUL Chair and > University Librarian at McMaster University. ?It is exciting to have this > collection digitized and openly available to the public.? The OCUL Geo > Community (previously named the OCUL Map Group) formed in 1973 to > communicate and collaborate on map projects, including a union catalogue of > topographic maps. Moving forward, the group plans to engage with the larger > map community in Canada about the project, and identify opportunities to > build on it to include other maps from this national collection*.* > > ?We hope this is a first step to developing a national framework for map > digitization in libraries and improving access to these rich historical > maps for researchers and the public at-large,? states Lewis. In 2017, OCUL > is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and this project demonstrates the > ongoing success of this collaboration. > > For more information about OCUL?s Historical Topographic Map Digitization > Project visithttp://ocul.on.ca/topomaps > > ------------------------------
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