Geographical resources in libraries are extremely important resources for patrons. Through the years, these resources have grown and evolved and adapted to technological changes in society. In the following posts, we will show you how geography resources can be used and why you should or shouldn’t use them.
First off, we should clarify what a geographical resource is. Most importantly, geographical resources help people to locate places; they are responsible for connecting people to physical places. These places could be in your neighborhood, across the state, at the other end of the country or even around the world. You can use geographical resources to look up the location of a city in Russia or listings for pizza in New York. The main types of geographical resources include gazetteers, maps, atlases and guidebooks/travel books. While these are the main sources of geographical information they are not only sources. Other minor resources include geographical dictionaries and geographic information sources (GIS). According to Reference and Information Services – An Introduction, all of the sources described locate something, tell something about a location, or show how to get there.[1] Geographic resources often deal with a period of time which can be in the present or past.
It may be obvious when a user would want to use a resource such as a map or a guidebook, but what about the other resources? Why else would patrons use geographical resources in the library? Questions about current events, recreation and business can be answered using these resources. "Current events are one of the strongest reasons for maintaining up-to-date geographical sources."[2] Patrons often use current events as an opportunity to research certain geography. One example may be the researching Japan after an earthquake or the gulf coast of the United States after a massive hurricane. Almost as important as current events, recreation is common in the lives of so many people. More than a million people travel by air[3] each day and many more travel by land and sea. The amount of travel texts available is overwhelming and used by a wide population each day. People use the library to look at travel and guide books before taking a trip. Finally, business needs by patrons ensure that not only is travel information sought out, but information on travel destinations may also be researched.
The scope of geographical resources is changing as technology changes, which makes print resources a costlier and less viable option. Nonetheless, print resources are still looked at in terms of usefulness and they continue to provide a great service to those that opt to use them. Librarians must pay special attention to how they purchase and use geographical resources. In many cases, the cost, size and storage requirements of a geographical reference section can outweigh the benefits that libraries receive for having these resources. Another problem with printed resources is that they become outdated very easily. We all know that boundaries change, new countries are formed and travel information updates. For these reasons, many resources have converted to new formats like DVD’s and online resources. These new forms of geographic resources help to reduce outdated information. Patrons continue to use these resources for their specialized nature and in depth information of all things geographical. Read on to know more about each type of resource and how they can work for you.
[1] Reference and Information Services – An
Introduction, ed. Richard E. Bopp and Linda C. Smith (ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011),
556.
[2] Reference and Information Services – An
Introduction, ed. Richard E. Bopp and Linda C. Smith (ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011),
556.
[3] Aircraft
Aerodynamics and Design Group, http://adg.stanford.edu/aa241/intro/airlineindustry.html
