Academic

A 1972 study of Map Room use at Southern Illinois University during summer and fall quarters, involving the circulation of 2,721 maps and aerial photos to 223 borrowers, showed that borrowers were undergraduates (44%), graduate students (32%), and faculty (19%). However, graduate students accounted for 72% of the loans, undergraduates for 16%, and faculty for 10%.               (Source)

        Ibid…. showed thatthe stated purpose of 60% of the loans was research.                  (Source)

        Ibid…. showed thatborrowers were “widely scattered in approximately 40 departments.” The largest number of borrowers came from the Forestry Department and included 23 individuals or 10% of the borrowing population.                       (Source)

        Ibid…. showed that, in terms of broad areas, 58 (26%) borrowers came from the social sciences, 52 (23%) from the sciences, 37 (17%) from the applied sciences, 24 (11%) from education, and 22 (10%) from humanities.                      (Source)

        Ibid…. showed that, of the items borrowed, 1,869 (68%) were maps and aerial photos of Illinois areas; 253 (9%) were maps and aerial photos of nearby states; 430 (16%) were U.S. areas except for Illinois and nearby states; 77 (3%) were Canadian and Latin American areas; and 70 (3%) were areas in the Eastern Hemisphere.                    (Source)

        Ibid…. showed thatthe 2 most common types of maps borrowed were aerial photos (1,641 items or 60% of the total) and topographic maps (639 maps or 23% of the total).                    (Source)

A survey reported in 1981 of 85 North American academic map libraries that have medium or large research collections (usable responses: 49 or 58%) showed thatthe average map collection of respondents was 158,000 sheets with approximately 65% of the collection consisting of topographic maps.                 (Source)

        Ibid…. showed thatin conjunction with data from the 2nd and 3rd editions of Map Collections in the United States and Canada, the average size of map collections had grown from 83,650 sheets in 1968 to 113,816 in 1975 (an increase of 36.0%) to 157,696 in 1980 (a further increase of 38.6%). The average annual accession rate for 1968 was 4,654 sheets; for 1975 it was 5,565 (an increase of 19.6%); and for 1980 it was 5,734 (a further increase of 3.0%).            (Source)

        Ibid…. showed thatin conjunction with data from the 2nd and 3rd editions of Map Collections in the United States and Canada, 77% of the respondents reported depository membership in the United States Geological Survey in 1968, 94% in 1975, and 96% in 1980. 84% reported depository membership in the Defense Mapping Agency in 1968, 86% in 1975, and 88% in 1980. 13% reported depository membership in the National Ocean Survey in 1968, 27% in 1975, and 49% in 1980.                      (Source)

Dr. David Kohl

 "Libraries in the digital age are experiencing the most profound transformation since ancient Mesopotamian scribes first began gathering and organizing cuneiform tablets."

Go to top