Figure 1. Landsat 5 Southern California Wildfire. Acquisition Date:
February 3 and 12, 2006. Nearly 11,000 acres were burned in
Orange County. Image taken from:
landsat.usgs.gov/gallery/images/
Landsat_Gallery_415_1_full.jpg
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Sample Introduction
Where can I find... This is a typical opening for clients approaching any reference desk and the map reference desk is no different. However, when map-related questions are asked, reference desk librarians may have a higher confidence level locating books and journals than identifying maps and other spatial data in non-book formats. It is unlikely that librarians had any more than one course related to science and map resources in their library degree program and likely they had undergraduate backgrounds in the humanities or social science, not specifically degrees in geography or other aspect of the geosciences (Winston, 2001). This lecture will serve to boost confidence levels in finding and obtaining spatial data to satisfy client to librarian and librarian to librarian reference situations.
Reference work is important because it involves client to librarian communication and as a wise professor once told me, you never get a second chance to make a first impression (personal communication, Dr. Roger Greer, 1/1995). Much of the work for librarians involves behind the scenes jobs to select and acquire, classify and catalog, care and repair map and other spatial data resources. Yet, when assigned to the reference desk, librarians are given time to interact with the public, market the collection, and assess selection and acquistion choices. Reference encounters in a digital or physical environment are windows of opportunity to showcase the speciality of map librarianship and spatial data, as well as refine detective skills and expand our perspectives beyond the familiar books and journals!
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