GIS Service & Outreach in an Academic Library

What is a GIS?  A method to visualize, manipulate, analyze, and display spatial data . Definition courtesy of ESRI: http://www.gis.com (Many definitions out there, but most refer to the power of visualizing and manipulating data.)

Why use a GIS?  Can apply geographic information into almost every area of research or endeavor.  Allows user to view data from a different perspective. New patterns and relationships may be seen.

What can a GIS do? GIS offers a variety of different approaches to analyzing information:  Visualization (Maps)  Data Calculation (Statistics)  Modeling (Projecting “What Ifs”; 3D viewing)

What does a Library GIS Service offer?

 Data Access and Dissemination (for Academic Use) o Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) o Statistics Canada o Ontario Geospatial Data Exchange o Municipal Data   Technical Support  GIS Outreach and Instruction

o Contact with faculty. o Lunchtime presentations o Hands-on workshops o Individual Research appointments o GIS Assignments

Conclusion  Interest in GIS is growing across university campuses.

OLA Super Conference February 2005 GIS Service & Outreach in an Academic Library

 With access to GIS software and growing amounts of data, the academic library is well placed to support an active GIS service.  A Library GIS service can open a wide variety of instructional opportunities between library and faculty.

Selected References:

Argentati, Carolyn D. "Expanding horizons for GIS services in Academic Libraries." Journal of Academic Librarianship 23 no. 6 (1997): 463-9.

Deckelbaum, David. "GIS in Libraries: An Overview of Concepts and Concerns". Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 21 (1999): [http://www.library.ucsb.edu/istl/99-winter/article3.html]

Demers, Michael. Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science. New York : John Wiley, 2005.

Gewin, Victoria. “Mapping Opportunities” Nature 427 (2004): 376-377.

Goodchild, Michael and Donald G.Janelle (eds.). Spatially Integrated Social Science. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Gluck, Myke and Lixin Yu. "Geographic Information Systems: Background, Frameworks, and Uses in Libraries", Advances in Librarianship 23 (1999), 1-38.

Johnson, Ann and Michael Phoenix. “GIS across the Campus” ArcUser (2003), [http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0403/focus1of2.html]

Parry R.B. and C.R. Perkins (ed.) The Map Library in the New Millennium. American Library Association: Chicago, 2001.

Spiegal, Shaun. “Promoting Geographic Information System Usage Across Campus” Computers in Libraries 25 no.5 (2004): 10-16.

Andrew Nicholson

OLA Super Conference February 2005 GIS Service & Outreach in an Academic Library

GIS/Data Librarian UTM Library University of Toronto at Mississauga Phone (905) 828-3886 Email: [email protected]

OLA Super Conference February 2005