1 - Online Catalogues and Advice on Scale, Cataloguing and Conservation
Map scale and coordinates
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This guide to map scale was produced by the University of Arizona
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Help from the US Geological Survey on scale
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Scale Finder converts linear scales to representative fractions and vice-versa. Written by Nigel James when he worked at the Bodleian Library, it is an invaluable tool for cataloguers and map users and is free to non-commercial users.
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Scale Buddy. Help with scale calculation from Maps International. Does not need to be downloaded.
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Map Scale Calculator. MapTools also produces grids, corner rulers, roamers, and rulers to assist with plotting or measuring positions on many different scales of maps. Tools for both UTM/MGRS and Latitude/Longitude coordinates are available.
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Scale Calculator. Inches, centimeters, miles, kilometres. From Terry Reese.
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Some of the links of the Cambridge University Library Map Department web pages may also be useful
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Bounding Box. Free online tool for determining bounding coordinates of maps.
Natural scale indicators
These devices enable a quick calculation of scale from scale bars and degrees of latitude.
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East View Map Link Scalefinder by East View Press (paper natural scale indicator)
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The U. S. Geological Survey has published a poster to aid the conversion of bar scales to representative fractions: Miscellaneous Field Studies Map, No.MF 1141, 'Graphs showing linear to fractional scale conversions for maps', by Alpha, T.R. and Poole, D.W., 1979, SAP Number 30236.
Cataloguing of maps
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Guide to Cataloguing Printed Maps - Guidance notes for the occasional map cataloguer by Paula Williams and available on the Historic Libraries Forum website.
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MARC standards for cataloguing Also information on RDA in MARC
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Library of Congress Map Cataloging Manual in their Cataloger's Reference Shelf
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Guidelines for Distinguishing Cartographic Electronic Resources from other Electronic Resources from the Library of Congress's MARC Office
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Descriptive Cataloguing of Rare Materials (Cartographic) RDA edition
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Guidelines for Cataloging Cartographic Resources Using RDA, by the Map and Geospatial Information Round Table
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Descriptive Cataloguing of Rare Materials (Manuscripts), or DCRM(MSS)
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Map Cataloger's Toolbox from State University of New York at Buffalo
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See also the Cataloguing section on our Bibliographies page for the basic texts on map cataloguing
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Useful information of the changes to genre/form subject headings for maps made by the Library of Congress in 2010 and on current practice
Conservation of maps
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The Institute of Conservation (Icon). Their Conservation Register will help you find qualified conservators / restorers in the UK and Ireland
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Suppliers - For conservation suppliers see the equipment and supplies page
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Queries on conservation or preservation can be placed on the Global Conservation Forum, an international listserv at Conservation OnLine
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​Preservation Leaflets from Northeast Document Conservation Centre (NEDCC).
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Scrapbook. "Learn how to prevent destruction and preserve personal and historical items for future generations. This page is designed to be the most extensive, and comprehensive page on the protection and preservation of paper on the internet".
These pages were compiled by: April Carlucci (British Library Map Library); Tinho da Cruz (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool); Anne Taylor (Cambridge University Library). They are maintained by the Map Curators' Group of the BCS. Colleagues are requested to help keep this information current by e-mailing suggestions for inclusion, and details of links that don't work.
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The pages are intended to provide a first port of call for new colleagues, as well as a central place to find those documents or websites that you use infrequently but which are important/useful. Sadly, it cannot be an exhaustive list of every website that might be useful to the map curator/librarian/archivist - the maintenance would be a nightmare! We hope that you find it useful!
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The organisers wish to thank the Western Association of Map Libraries, whose original Map Librarians Toolbox was the inspiration for our UK version.