Let me start by saying that I love Google Maps. A big part of that love is my fascination with geography, both human and physical. (In fact, I almost sought a geography minor as an undergrad.) The other part of that love, though, is the sheer usefulness of Google Maps for self-orientation. I’ve never really needed a GPS, because I’ve always managed to find my way with either a printout of directions or just hand-scribbled notes.
One personal geography project that I spent a great deal of time on recently is a map of Georgia’s public libraries and library systems. Tonight, I finally felt that it was complete enough to mark as “public,” so I’ve decided to make it accessible, both via the link above and in Google search results. I would like to think the map itself is especially helpful for job-seekers. Not only can you (naturally) see where a library is located, but you can get a somewhat general idea of a library’s characteristics based on its geography (e.g., rural, urban, suburban, Metro Atlanta, Columbus-area, Macon-area, and so on).
I do, for the record, owe a great deal of thanks to the Georgia Public Library Service, as they list the address and contact information of every public library system in the state of Georgia.
As for future developments, I’d like to add colleges and universities and special libraries (including archives and genealogical centers), as well as libraries in neighboring states (Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina). If anyone wants to help me out, please feel free to email me at libraryriot [at] gmail [dot] com.
And by all means, please let me know if this useful to you or not, or if you have any suggestions for improvements.
Thanks for doing this, Chris! This is wonderful.
Hi Chris! Though I don’t live in Georgia, when I saw this – I thought it was brilliant and made one for our county! Thanks!
Pretty cool! This must have taken you forever.
Hi Chris, looks great, but you’re missing the Randolph County library in Cuthbert, Ga., which is part of the PINES system. Just something I noticed, since I’m from the region. Thanks!
Thanks for pointing that out, Rebecca. For the sake of simplicity, I stuck with pushpins for the the central offices of larger regional library systems, rather than pushpins for every single public library branch in the state of Georgia. (Gwinnett County, for example, has one pushpin for its headquarters, rather than 14 for each of its branch locations.) The Randolph County Public Library is part of the Kinchafoonee Regional Library System, which actually is included on the map.
One day, I hope to make a supplementary map with every branch library in the state — although that would certainly be a much more involved task.
Hey–I just forwarded this link to our LSTA coordinator. And gave her your email address–she had some questions for you–she liked your mappie and wondered if you know about GIS software.
I myself am making a Les Trois Black Paris Google map for next month’s trip.