TopoNC

J.Y. Joyner Library

Project History

The position of Maps and GIS Coordinator was established in August 2005 as 25% of a reference librarian’s time. It quite naturally went to the library’s liaison to the Department of Geography. The first task was to ascertain which map collections were in highest demand. For Joyner Library that collection is of 7.5 topographical maps for the state of North Carolina. Unfortunately, the inventory of these maps in the Government Documents section was still in paper format and was kept behind the service desk. The inventory for the maps in the North Carolina Collection was also maintained in paper format and the maps were kept behind a locked door. In a digital age, these conditions were unacceptable. Time for a database!

Goal 1:

Create a database of Joyner Library’s 7.5 topographic maps from both the Government Documents section and the North Carolina Collection that serves as an electronic inventory.

Goal 2:

Create a database that allows the identification of quadrangle names from all data fields to facilitate the location of print topographic maps since Joyner’s topo maps are arranged by quad names.

Action Plan

Inventory the topographic map collections in the Government Documents section and the North Carolina Collection of Joyner Library.
Work with Systems Department to download information on the quadrangles from the GNIS website.
Fold the inventory into the database and create keyword searching functions.
Add Advanced Search feature, add Quadrangle names list, and add County list.
Look for errors. Look again for errors. Solicit input from anyone who finds errors.
Launch it!

Similar Databases

Digital Images Only Databases

Virginia Gazetteer from the Geospatial & Statistical Data Center

MAGIC Geospatial Data Resources for Connecticut

Historical Images Only Databases

Historic Topographical Maps of California-San Francisco Bay Area

MapTech’s Historical Maps

Carolina Places in Time
(Primarily for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area)

For more information, email Jean Hiebert at
hiebertj@ecu.edu