The Library of Congress recently released this announcement. --ECW
+++++++++++++++++++
September 27, 2006
Geography and Map Division Announces Milestone of 10,000th Map Placed Online
The Geography and Map Division at the Library of Congress has announced the
placement of the 10,000th map on its Web site at www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap. The
milestone comes 10 years after the division started digitizing maps in 1996.
The map is Samuel de Champlain's 1607 chart on vellum of the North American
coast from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts. The unique document, originally
intended for presentation to Henry IV, King of France, was compiled by
Champlain (1567-1635), founder of New France (Canada). The map provides the
first thorough delineation of the New England and Canadian coast from Cape
Sable to Cape Cod.
"I am pleased to announce the posting of our 10,000th cartographic object on
the Web. This achievement recognizes the great strides that the Geography
and Map Division has made in the past 10 years to share digital images of
its analog collection globally," said John Hebert, chief of the Geography
and Maps Division (G&M).
"The geographic variety of cartographic treasures that have been chosen to
appear on the Web site, from 16th century portolan charts of the
Mediterranean world to contemporary maps of places in the news, and from
city and county plans to detailed topographical maps and nautical charts, I
believe fosters increased use of maps in research and serves to advance our
collective knowledge and appreciation of maps as primary sources," said
Hebert.
Champlain's 1607 chart has been frequently described and reproduced in
articles and books for many years. It came to the Library of Congress in
1915, with the bequest of Henry Harrisse (1829-1910), distinguished lawyer,
historian, bibliographer and author of "The Discovery of North America,
Bibliotheca Americana Vetustissima" and other scholarly works. It had been
owned earlier by Gabriel Marcel. The papers and maps bequeathed by Harrisse
are housed in the Rare Book and Special Collections and the Geography and
Map divisions of the Library of Congress.
The Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress serves as a major
international center for research relating to cartography and geography. Its
collection is the largest in the world, with 5.4 million maps, 75,000
atlases, 500 globes, 3,000 three-dimensional objects and thousands of
digital files.
Press contact: Donna Urschel (202) 707-1639
Public contact: Colleen Cahill (202) 707-8540