This document provides an overview of different types of geographical reference sources and tools. It defines gazetteers as dictionaries of geographic names that include location information. Free online gazetteers from the US and world Census are described. Guidebooks are defined as handbooks providing travel information for specific locations. Atlases are collections of maps with indexes, and examples of print versus online atlases are discussed. The document also covers map reading skills, resources for teaching those skills, and using GPS technology for geocaching activities.

1. Geographical
Reference
Sources
LIB 640 Information Sources and Services
Summer 2013

2. 2
Goals of Geographic
Questions?

3. 3
What kinds of
geographical sources
are there?

4. • gazetteer
• A separately published dictionary of
geographic names that gives the
location of each entry (example: The
Columbia Gazetteer of the World). Also,
an index of the names of the places and
geographic features shown on the maps
contained in an atlas, usually printed in
a separate section following the maps,
with locations indicated by page
number (or map number) and grid
coordinates. Some gazetteers include
information about major geographic
features such as rivers, lakes,
mountains, cities, etc.
4
What is a gazetteer?

5. 5
Columbia Gazetteer of the World?
http://www.columbiagazetteer.org/

6. • U.S. Gazetteer: 2010, 2000, and 1990
• Download 2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer files for
places, counties, county subdivisions, census
tracts, and ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
(ZCTAs). The vintage matches the 2010
Census data available from the Census
Bureau.
• You can also download Census 2000 U.S.
Gazetteer files and 1990 Census U.S.
Gazetteer files. “These files are available to
the public ‘as is’.”
6
A free online US gazetteer
http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer.html

7. 7
A free world gazetteer
http://world-gazetteer.com/
2013-03-24: Unfortunately this site will be closed
end of July

8. 8

9. 9
http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/ky-murray.html

10. • guidebook
• A handbook that provides useful current
information for travelers to a city, state,
region, country, or other geographic area or
for visitors to a museum, park, historical
site, etc. (see this example).
10
Guidebooks

11. 11
Guidebook examples

12. • What is an atlas?
• A bound or boxed collection of maps, usually
related in subject or theme, with an index of place
names (gazetteer) usually printed at the end.
• In most modern atlases, the maps are printed in
uniform style and format, on a fairly consistent
scale. An atlas may be issued as an independent
publication or as accompanying material, with or
without descriptive text, plates, charts, tables, etc.
Some have a special focus (example: The Times
Atlas of World Exploration); others are intended
for a specific use (road atlases).
• From ODLIS definition of atlas
12
Atlases

13. • Is the Print Atlas Dead Yet?
• A recent article in The Chicago Tribune about how
traditional maps have been vanishing from classrooms
got me thinking about one of the staples of the print
reference collection, the atlas. While print dictionaries
and encyclopedias have crumbled under the onslaught of
digitization, it has taken awhile for the atlas to be
replaced by online sources, partly because of problems
with imaging and display. This is changing, however,
thanks to better scanning.
• Tuesday, November 24, 2009 10:31 am
Posted by: Rebecca Vnuk
13
Print vs. Online Atlases
por

14. 14
Some online atlases

15. • Map skills and higher-order thinking
• The skills needed to read and interpret maps are a part of
visual literacy — a set of skills and habits of mind necessary
to “read” images. Visual literacy means not just decoding an
image but comprehending it — grasping the image’s
intended meaning, evaluating it, and incorporating it into
other knowledge.
• Of course, students have to learn map conventions. But
although understanding conventions is the first step towards
literacy, it isn’t literacy. Stopping there would be like
teaching a child the sounds of the letters and then handing
her a book. Just because she can decode the words on the
page doesn’t mean she can comprehend the book — and
just because a child can decode a map doesn’t mean he can
comprehend it.
15
Map Reading Skills

16. 16
A source for map skills resources
http://pinterest.com/montetidbit/map-skills/

17. 17 Copyright 2009
A free map skills site

18. 18 Copyright 2009
A not-so-free map skills site
http://www.maps101.com /

19. • Caching In on GPS
• Map trails, find treasure caches, and solve
problems by using a Global Positing System (GPS)
with your students. GPS technology is made
possible by 24 U.S. military satellites orbiting Earth
that transmit signals to a receiver. This data
provides the location and the current time for each
of the satellites. The receiver calculates its position
based on where the satellites intersect. Data from at
least three satellites is necessary to find a 2-D
position and from four satellites for a 3-D location.
• Joseph, L. C. (2006). Caching In on GPS. Multimedia &
Internet@Schools, 13(6), 21-25.
• See also Anderson, M. (2008). Geocaching for Fun and
Learning. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 15(2), 32-35.
19
What about GPS?
Copyright 2009

20. •
20
Where to do it?
http://www.geocaching.com/