Living the Future 6 -- April 6, 20061 The Future of GIS Services in Academic Libraries: Exploring...

Living the Future 6 -- April 6, 2006 1

The Future of GIS Services in

Academic Libraries: Exploring the Next Step

Christine Kollen, Geography & Maps Librarian, Social Sciences Team,

University of Arizona Library


Outline

History of GIS in Libraries Current focus Changes effecting GIS in libraries Trends in academic libraries Changes at UA Acquiring geospatial data Beyond the Arizona Electronic Atlas Next Steps


History of GIS in Libraries

Libraries see advantages in the early 1990s as GIS software becomes more user friendly

Partnership between ESRI (GIS software producer) and ARL -- ARL GIS Literacy Project (1992) provides training in GIS software and access to spatial data

Libraries are starting to provide web access to geospatial data to create maps and to provide access to data

Examples include: Massachusetts Electronic Atlas (morphed into) the Harvard

Geospatial Library Washington State Geospatial Data Archive Inside Idaho (University of Idaho) University of Virginia GeoStat University of Connecticut’s MAGIC collection University of Arizona’s Arizona Electronic Atlas


UA Library’s GIS History

UA became involved with the ARL GIS Literacy Project and offered GIS services in 1996

Developed GeoFac in 1998 in response to student requests for help with the software

Developed the Arizona Electronic Atlas in 2004 in response to student comments about GeoFac

Went from geospatial data on CD-ROM and access to GIS software through one designated computer to currently providing access from all computers in the Information Commons (Main, Science-Engineering, and Fine Arts Libraries)


What are other ARL Libraries doing?

SPEC Kit on Spatial Data Collections & Services (Dec. 2005) reported:

Growth in no. of locations offering spatial data support on campuses

Shift to disciplines beyond geography Challenges reported include: data collection and data

licensing for digital data; processing and storage of electronic formats and online maps

Increase in responsibilities for cataloging & acquisition Half report increase in reference & instruction Most have seen an increase in spatial data users Increase in use of digital spatial data Some report decrease in GIS software consultation,

students & faculty are pretty independent


Other Academic Libraries

Survey of implementation and use of GIS in 128 smaller academic libraries

Out of 138 responses, 22 have adopted GIS in their library and 28 are planning to in the near future

The survey focused on hardware & software, staffing, levels of service, training, monetary support, and use in the implementation of GIS

Difficult to get started with providing GIS services without also obtaining outside funding


Campus GIS Environment

GIS services the Library provides strongly related to what GIS classes and services are available on campus and their needs

School of Natural Resources’ Advanced Resources Technology group has operated a GIS lab since 1988

School of Social and Behavioral Sciences opened a GIS lab in 1999

More classes are being taught that utilize GIS software – desktop GIS and internet applications


UA Advanced Resources Technology (ART) Group

Part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Units on campus with GIS spatial needs are coming to ART

Requests for application development – such as using hand-helds to gather field data

Newly approved GIS certification for graduate students (jointly administered between ART & Geography)

In classes, students are created ArcIMS projects


Center for Applied Spatial Analysis (CASA)

In the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS). Similar mission as ART but not as developed

Faculty and graduate students in SBS come to them for assistance/training


GeoVisualization Lab

New lab (fall 2005) in the Dept. of Geography and Regional Development

Combines research, teaching, and collaboration with the community

Lab is mainly for faculty that teach urban revitalization and public funding projects

Work with community groups to help them address an issue or problem

Help community develop GIS skills Students in the classes develop ArcIMS sites


Current Focus at UA Library

Arizona Electronic Atlas Acquiring geospatial data Providing GIS software and data help


Changes that are effecting GIS in Libraries

GIS is evolving to a federated technology – will be distributed and federated

Organized in metadata catalogs requiring interoperability and content guidelines

Increased availability of online geospatial data especially for the United States – as an example the release of the U.S.Geological Survey National Map

GIS for the Nation – participants from NGOs, federal, state, local & universities


Changes that are effecting GIS in Libraries (cont.)

Online interactive mapping, such as MapQuest

Google’s release of Google Earth and Google Map’s APIs

Integration of GIS into non-geography classes


What trends do other ARL Libraries see?

Overall demand is growing Increase in spatial data acquisition and

user demand for GIS reference services Increase in conversion of analog

materials to digital Increase in acquiring foreign digital

geospatial data


What are other ARL Libraries planning?

Explore data acquisition & discovery strategies Add more staff Change in Service goals – assistance in locating data,

selecting the appropriate use of spatial data instead of how to use the software

Promote GIS to users from disciplines new to GIS More BI and GIS projects, larger web presence through

ArcIMS projects Collection development policy for acquiring geospatial data Tools to facilitate collaboration between data users, scholars,

and the community. Investigate usability of geospatial tools for searching


Map Libraries in Transition

Conference sponsored by Cartographic Users Advisory Council was held last May

Wonderful opportunity for Geography, Map, & GIS Librarians to come together to hear talks focused on maps/spatial data, to discuss issues of common concern, and how we can collaborate

One result was to develop a map scanning registry

How can the individual organizations work more effectively together?

Hold this conference more frequently


Future Direction & Needs of GIS at UA campus

GIS certification for graduate students GeoServ – portal to three UA sites: ART,

CASA, Arizona Remote Sensing Center Add Atlas later if concept is proven Add Arizona state agencies

Data needs include online access to spatial data of Mexico and current street level data for Arizona with geocoding abilities


Needs Assessment of the Arizona Electronic Atlas

Needs assessment as part of Atlas Business Plan last year

Emphasis on community outreach -- translating research that we do at the University into a language that the public can understand.

Go beyond mapping to develop mechanisms or tools to help users make decisions


Atlas Needs Assessment (cont)

Data and data-related needs for research: More local data, federal data, border data

(into Mexico) More collaboration and networking across

various departments on campus to obtain datasets

Develop static maps that could easily be used in classes

Develop more interdisciplinary map themes in the Atlas such as Environmental Justice

Resource that helps teach geographic concepts such as scale, projection, use of color


Changes at the UA Libraries

UA Libraries this past year has reorganized in order to be more flexible and able to deal with changes in the environment

One of our new cross-functional teams, Delivery & Access investigated how the Library should deal with data sets and is also administering a fund for new and continuing Digital Initiatives


Future Directions at the University of Arizona Library

Move from providing assistance with GIS software (most students no longer need help)

Provide online access to spatial data Continue to provide access to mapping

Arizona data through the Atlas Going beyond the Atlas – more

collaboration on campus through new initiatives

Digitizing aerial photography


Acquiring Geospatial Data

Faculty and students in general are requesting that more and more information be available online

A lot of U.S. geospatial data is available online Exceptions include current streets and local data

Majority of information published by the federal government is available online – maps are not

Country data is needed Deciding what to purchase (take into account the

cost and licensing) Spatial data for Mexico and other Latin

American countries


Decision Support Tools & Translating Science for the Public

Move to go beyond ArcIMS applications such as the Atlas to create more of a decision support tool

Need to translate science occurring at the universities into information the public can use

Example: Geography’s GeoVisualization Lab and use of CommunityViz

Example: Arid Land’s WALTER site


New Initiative

Need outside funding to move forward with the Atlas

Importance of collaborating with other units on campus Importance of identifying units with similar

interests and challenges ClimateView How is the approach to ClimateView

different than the Atlas?


What’s Next?

Work with groups on campus to integrate the use of ClimateView into the curriculum

Move on to other topics of importance to the campus and the state

Continue developing these modules that work with the Atlas and provide key learning modules


Questions?

Living the Future 6 -- April 6, 20061 The Future of GIS Services in Academic Libraries: Exploring...

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