Dear all,

 

The annual business meeting of the Map Curators’ Group of the British Cartographic Society will be held at 8pm, on Tuesday 8^th September, in the Park Inn, York.

The agenda is:

1.  Apologies for absence

2.  Notes of the last meeting 2014 and matters arising not covered elsewhere

3.  LIBER

4.  LIS-maps

5.  Cartographiti

6.  Training

7.  Publications

8.  2016 Map Curators’ Group Workshop

9.  Any other business.

 

Please find below the draft minutes from last year’s meeting. Any suggestions for the agenda should be sent to Paula Williams [log in to unmask]. Thank you!

 

 

Notes from the annual business meeting of the MAP CURATORS’ GROUP of the British Cartographic Society

Held at Hornton Grange, University of Birmingham, Wednesday 10th September 2014

 

Ann Sutherland, convener of the Map Curators’ Group, chaired the meeting.

 

IN ATTENDANCE: Julian Ball, Southampton University; Jane Brown, National Archives of Scotland;

April Carlucci, British Library; Tinho da Cruz, Liverpool University; Judith Fox, Reading University Library; Brian Garvan, Defence Geographic Centre, retired; Debbie Hall, Bodleian Library; Francis Herbert, Royal Geographical Society, retired; Pete Jones, Defence Geographic Centre; Jamie  Peart, University of Birmingham, Geoscience Department Library; Magdalena Pesko, British Library;

Donna Sherman, Manchester University Library; David Sherren, Portsmouth University Library; Mark Szegner, Loughborough University; Anne Taylor, Cambridge University Library; Huw Thomas, National Library of Wales; Kirsteen Valenti, Glasgow University Library; David Watt, Defence Geographic Centre; Paula Williams, National Library of Scotland.

APOLOGIES: Eunice Gill, National Archives; Clare Gordon, Leeds University; Rose Mitchell, National Archives; Richard Oliver, Exeter University, retired.

 

NOTES OF THE LAST MEETING:

Amendment to attendees to include Kirsteen Valenti.

 

LIBER

A statement from the board of the new MAGIC group:

A new strategy proposed by LIBER to face the 21st century does not include expert groups resulting in all expert groups, including the Groupe de Cartothecaires, being closed as of December 2012. (http://libereurope.eu/strategy/ )

It was decided to continue with the planned conference in Ljubljana in 2014 with the primary aim of deciding on a way forward for the group. The following decisions were adopted:

1.            A new international group is formed under the name “Map and Geoinformation Curators Group” (MAGIC)

2.            MAGIC is associated with the International Cartographic Association (ICA) Commission on Digital Technologies in Cartographic Heritage; work on establishing this is ongoing.

3.            MAGIC terms of reference will be focussed on the improvement of:

•             Collection development

•             Cataloguing

•             New services

•             New technologies

•             Access

•             Preservation

4.            MAGIC will aim to achieve a truly international character. The board will establish contact with other national and international map curators’ groups.

5.            MAGIC is open to all types of map collections kept in libraries, archives, museums and any other relevant institutions.

The first MAGIC conference will be held in Riga in 2016, organised by the National Library of Latvia. The 10th ICA commission workshop on digital approaches to cartographic heritage will be held in Corfu, in May 2015.

MAGIC website:  http://xeee.web.auth.gr/ICA-Heritage/MAGIC

Action: MCG to link to MAGIC and encourage members to support their work, e.g. by offering papers to their conferences and workshops

 

LIS-Maps

List owner Tinho da Cruz reported that use of the list remains steady. Clare Gordon is list co-owner. Clare also maintains the UK directory of map collections.

Thanks to Tinho and Clare for their continued work.

Action: All, please check and update directory as required.

Send any amendments to Clare at [log in to unmask]

 

CARTOGRAPHITI

Tinho asked that map curators continue sending reports and articles. Snippets are welcome at any time, there is no need to wait for an official call for articles. Any volunteers for Curator’s choice articles are also welcome.

Action: All, please keep sending map related articles to Cartographiti

 

TRAINING

Paula Williams reported that as a result of the work at last year’s MCG workshop, identifying possible training topics, the training working group, comprising Debbie Hall, Andrew Janes, Donna Sherman, April Carlucci and Paula Williams have organised and run a day training as an introduction to map curatorship. “Feral maps and how to tame them” ran at Hornton Grange, University of Birmingham on Tuesday 9th September. Initial feedback has been positive. It is planned for the talks to be written up as briefing documents and made available through the Map Curators’ toolbox.

Following discussions at both the training and workshop days this year the group will investigate the requirement for a training day on RDA cataloguing for maps and also on geoinformation for librarians and archivists.

Thanks to the group for their work. Andrew will be leaving us, having gained promotion into a non-map role.

Action: Paula to investigate possible trainings

 

PUBLICATIONS

MCG have no new publications in progress.

 

MCG WORKSHOP 2015

The Society of Cartographers have suggested a joint symposium with the British Cartographic Society next year. It was generally felt by the meeting that Map Curators’ Group would benefit from attending this joint symposium. Dates and location are still to be confirmed. The workshop and visits will run as part of the main event.

 

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Day of Geography – map curators should note that this year’s “day of geography” is the 17th November. Originally designated in the United States this day of celebration and awareness is being more generally adopted and could provide a focus for events and displays.

BCS - website is currently being revamped and updated.

Honorary fellowship of BCS  was awarded to our convenor Ann Sutherland for more than 20 years of service to the group.

Royal Holloway  - due to a current refocussing of their map collection Royal Holloway have a number of maps at their disposal. Any other map collection interested in filling gaps or adding stock should contact them directly at:  [log in to unmask]

Anne Taylor suggested that MCG may want to include a note on collection disposal in their briefing notes for map curators.

 

Note taker: Paula Williams

 

Paula Williams

Curator

Maps, Mountaineering & Polar Collections

National Library of Scotland