Getting started: Ready, set, … get organized!

Getting Started: Ready, Set, . . . Get Organized!

by Joan F. Cheverie

With the Association of

Research libraries (ARL) as a

catalyst, the Government

Documents Department at

Georgetown University has

succeeded in developing a

Geographic Information System

(GIS) constituency.

Organization is the key to a

successful program. Twelve

points to achieve organization

are offered to those considering

undertaking a CIS effort.

loan F. Cheverie is Head, Government

Documents and Microforms Department,

Lauinger Library, Georgetown University,

3700 0 Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20057

<[email protected]>.

292 The Journal of Academic Librarianship

G eorgetown University, founded in 1789 and located in Washing- ton, DC., is the oldest Catholic

institution of higher learning in the United States. Enrollment is approximately 12,000 students, in three graduate and professional schools-the Graduate School, Law, and Medicine-and five undergraduate schools-the College of Arts and Sciences, the Schools of Foreign Service, Business, Languages and Lin- guistics, and Nursing. It should be noted that there are no Cartography or Geogra- phy Departments at the University, and therefore, no ready-made constituency or demand for a Geographic Information System (GIS).

The Joseph Mark Lauinger Library serves the faculty, students, and administration and staff of the Main Campus of the University. Since its opening in 1970, Lauinger has served its primary clientele, as well as the surrounding community, by providing open access and information service to its diverse collections.

Lauinger Library also participates in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). Administration of the depository is delegated to the Government Documents and Microforms Department (hereafter referred to as Gov Dots). As a designated selective depository, it selects 48 percent of the document categories made available through the FDLP in support of the University’s curricular and research needs. The Library does not have a map collection, and therefore, the depository does not collect the map series from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Until a new library administration arrived in 1990, Lauinger lagged behind other libraries of the time period in the technology that it offered its users. In the intervening five years, the Library has made great technological advances in providing electronic access and service to its

users. The management team has also implemented a flexible decision-making process throughout the Library which encourages and supports risk-taking by the staff.

Gov Dots embraced these opportunities offered by this change in management, and has exploited the possibilities inherent within them. The Department has thrived in this creative atmosphere, offering increased services and an expanded collection in all formats.

One of the goals of the Department is to provide the best services possible to its primary clientele, as well as to others wanting to take advantage of the resources available within the Department. To support this effort, the Department currently has two full-time professional librarians, 2.5 full-time equivalent staff, and 2.5 full- time equivalent in student assistants. The Department has six public microcomput- ers, with printers, that offer a variety of functionalities including access to the Library’s CD-ROM local area network, OPAC, Library gopher; 20 CD-ROM changers that access depository and commercial government information sources in the Department; Lexis/Nexis; and the dedicated GIS platform with access to the Internet via Mosaic.

Although students, faculty, and staff from all sectors of the University use the depository collection, the faculty and students of the Graduate Departments of Demography and Public Policy are the most active users. The sources most con- sulted by these users are any, and all, statistical materials from a variety of Federal agencies, especially the documents from the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

THE RGER EXPERIENCE

Gov Dots received the TIGER/Line files, on CD-ROM, from the Bureau of the Census through the FDLP in 1991. TIGER/Line files are extracts of the Cen-

sus Bureau’s TIGER (Topologically Inte- grated Geographic Encoding and Referen- cing) system. This system was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct the 1990 census. The files are not maps themselves, but rather contain digital data describing features on a map.

TIGER was the Department’s first experience with a GIS. A GIS is a:

computer-based technology that cap- tures, stores, analyzes, and displays information about places on the earth’s surface. Using geography as a common denominator, a GIS ties data from the different sources into a single map base, incorporates changes, and analyzes information to solve specific problems.’

For a number of reasons, including licensing issues, the Census Bureau did not include the software necessary to orga- nize, retrieve, and manipulate the data when releasing the TIGER/Line files in 1991. In addition, GPO made a policy decision not to offer the software in its dis- tribution program to depository libraries. Libraries were expected to purchase expensive commercial software themselves. As a result, many libraries were slow to use the TIGER system.2

In the meantime, commercial compa- nies began marketing software to access the TIGER/Line files that would convert these files into usable data. Lauinger Library, through Gov Dots, reached an agreement with a local statistical research company whereby the company would provide Gov Dots with its version of this type of software (called IMAGE) in exchange for overnight borrowing of the TIGER/Line discs.

“The Department began to see the power and possibilities that a GIS offered as layers of data

could be linked and users could see the impact of each layer

upon the other.”

In addition to the TIGER/Line files, the Summary Tape Files (STFs) 1A and 3A from the 1990 census were made available on CD-ROM. Lauinger already supported this technology and our experienced users took to this format quickly and with alac- rity because the data provided on these CD-ROMs are more detailed than the data available through the printed census materials. STF 1A provides data collected by

the 1990 census “short form,” sent to every household in the country. STF 3A contains data from the 1990 census “long form,” sent to a sample of households nationwide.

Gov Dots got the IMAGE system working and referred users to it as appro- priate. However, difficulties were soon encountered. The maps thought to be created from the TIGER/Line discs were actually maps that had been pre-made by the commercial company that supplied the software to the Library. These maps were actually few in number and did not repre- sent the entire range of the TIGER files. Additionally, the company did not return telephone calls concerning questions about the software, and technical help was nonexistent.

By offering this service, Gov Dots had created a modest demand for this type of information that it could not meet because of IMAGE’s limitations, and the lack of assistance from the commercial company. However, the Department began to see the power and possibilities that a GIS offered as layers of data could be linked and users could see the impact of each layer upon the other. Users could now solve problems spatially by testing out an idea and seeing the potential results before the idea became a reality.

The Census Bureau rethought its original decision about not including the retrieval and analytical software for TIGER and reissued the TIGER/Line files (called TIGER ‘92) in 1992. Data could now be imported using specialized software (called Landview included on the TIGER discs) that allowed the creation of thematic maps linking geographic entities with census data. The Landview software is relatively easy to use and the user is able to perform both elementary mapping func- tions and GIS applications. It further allows users to go back and forth between the map of an individual block group and the STF 1A and STF 3A data. With TIGER ‘92, Gov Dots was now able to meet the research needs of those users who desired this type of census information displayed in this fashion. However, our users were asking questions that could not be answered with TIGER; questions that went beyond the STF 1A and STF 3A files. They wanted to know about world- wide migratory patterns, health and envi- ronmental information, and more. It became obvious that the IMAGE software was inadequate and the TIGER/Line files too limited to meet the users’ information needs.

THE PARTNERS

As many federal agencies began dis- tributing electronic resources using pro- prietary software, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) was concerned with the effects that this policy decision would have on member libraries and their users. Access to public information could potentially be curtailed. ARL began a series of pilot projects that would address the needs created by this policy. One of these pilot programs became the GIS Lit- eracy Project.

“The breadth and scope of ArcView go well beyond the

capabilities of both Landview and IMAGE.”

The goals of this Project were to introduce GIS into a variety of research libraries in order to address the diverse needs of users; to develop GIS expertise within this library community; to promote research and education through improved access to government information; to initiate projects to explore new applications of spatially referenced data; and to encour- age partnerships among federal, state, and local GIS users.3

ARL brokered an agreement with a commercial software vendor, the Environ- mental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) of Redlands, California. ESRI is an established commercial vendor that provides GIS software to meet the applica- tion needs of both the public and private sector. The company is also committed to educating the public about the potential of GIS and its relevance to their lives, and targeted libraries as an effective gateway. Perhaps most importantly, for the partici- pating libraries, ESRI donated the Arc- View software, along with other digital databases of world and national map data to be used in the ARL Project. ArcView is a desktop system for storing, modifying, querying, analyzing, and displaying geo- referenced data. The breadth and scope of ArcView go well beyond the capabilities of both Landview and IMAGE.

ESRI staff provided several training sessions for project participants. These training sessions, a requisite component in learning GIS, have been two-day, hands- on sessions that introduce new and/or advanced ArcView functionality.

A listserv on the Internet has also been set up for project participants, courtesy of

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ARL. This listserv provides a forum for the exchange of information between project participants and ESRI technical and support staff.

“The overall goals that the ARL Project offered resonated with

the vision that Gov Dots was developing access to

spatially referenced data.”

Gov Dots had already experienced what a GIS was capable of doing by using the IMAGE software and the TIGER/Line files, and was curious to learn more. The overall goals that the ARL Project offered resonated with the vision that Gov Dots was developing access to spatially referenced data. The ARL GIS Literacy Project was the catalyst that enabled us to further develop our GIS effort. Gov Dots became an enthusiastic participant in the ARL Project in late 1992.

PROBLEMSENCOUNTERED

Although ESRI provided the software, the ARL participants needed to provide the hardware, staff time, and public access. In retrospect, we were naive in believing that these three requirements could be easily accomplished. To date we have upgraded our GIS-dedicated platform three times. The original platform included: a Gateway 80486 DX/33mhz processor, VGA color monitor, 12 meg memory, 200 meg hard drive; with Pioneer DRM 600 6 disc changer, manual printer selection box, HP laser jet IV with 2 meg memory, HP desk jet 500C color printer with 640K; and DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1, and Aldus Pagemaker. The baseline investment was $5,490.00. The current platform has been upgraded to include a Pentium 90, 32 mb RAM, 1.2 gb hard- drive, PC1 video card with 2mb video RAM, Pioneer 4 speed DRM 604 6 disc changer, and access to the Internet via Mosaic. This final configuration cost an additional $2,600.00.

As mentioned before, training is a critical component in learning GIS. The Head of the Gov Dots Department attended three ESRI training sessions covering ArcView and ArcView 2; American Library Association (ALA) conferences including sessions on GIS; and a four-day GIS Institute offered at the University of Iowa in June 1994. The Gov Dots reference librarian was also able to attend the

GIS Institute and an ESRI training session. Each training session energized the librarians, but the reality of all the other departmental and public service responsi- bilities soon took over and unfortunately moved GIS down on the list of priorities. The remainder of the departmental staff has learned about ArcView from the librarians, by “playing” on their own with the system, and by utilizing recently developed ESRI tutorials.

None of the staff feels fully proficient in the use of ArcView, and certainly not with the newly released ArcView 2. The learning curve is very steep and the software is not intuitive. To fully exploit all of the possibilities of the system would probably require the almost full-time commitment of a staff member.

Finally, the Department does not have a ready-made constituency driving the need for GIS. So although we were providing access to ArcView as long ago as 1993, the users were not asking for the product, or they declined to utilize the system because of the time commitment involved in learning it. The staff needed to learn the system with actual user requests, which were few in number, and, therefore, the learning process had to start all over again when- ever a request was received. We were fortunate that there were inquiries and requests for demonstrations from such neighboring institutions as the library at the National Geographic Society, the Pub- lic Library in Rockville, Maryland, and the National Center for Health Statistics. These requests kept our skills up.

In an effort to publicize ArcView and the GIS platform, the Department inserted an article in the Faculty Library Newslet- ter in 1993, but it generated few requests for demonstrations. Several faculty members expressed interest, but felt that they could not spare the time to learn the system.

Late in 1993, we were fortunate to host a demonstration for the University’s Exec- utive Vice President for the Main Campus. His enthusiasm for what he saw carried over into a white paper that he developed which mentioned the possibility of inte- grating GIS into the curriculum. Adminis- trative changes at the,University have, at the moment, redirected such plans. How- ever, in an effort to be proactive, Gov Dots has worked with ESRI to develop a proposal for the Department’s role in this venture, and if this curriculum integration becomes a reality, the Department will have a plan to put forth. Briefly, this plan proposes a three stage program that would

introduce GIS broadly across the campus. The first stage would be to train the Gov Dots staff and several faculty members in the use of a GIS. The second stage would be for this core group to demonstrate to the faculty how to integrate this tool into their coursework. The final stage would imple- ment exercises using GIS in as many courses as possible.

We were also approached by a local association with a proposal that would have its staff members training the Gov Dots staff, as well as faculty and students, in the use of GIS in return for them being able to take courses at Georgetown gratis. Both of these potential possibilities were fantastic and exciting, but, in reality, beyond the control of Gov Dots. We were in the position of having to wait for the University to initiate action.

By the end of 1993 we were losing momentum. Our vision was in place, but a structured plan of action that would artic- ulate this vision was not.

TURNAROUND

Administrative restructuring within Lauinger resulted in Gov Dots reporting to the Associate Librarian for Administra- tion and Planning. In order to orient him to our effort, the Department developed a written GIS Implementation Plan, among other plans, for ourselves. This plan focuses and directs Gov Dots to be proactive, not reactive as in our earlier scenario, and the results are much more positive.

The plan is comprised of four parts: identifying user needs, meeting those identified needs, training, and evaluation. Every activity in the plan is designed to expand and improve our support for the GIS program.

“This plan focuses and directs Cov Dots to be proactive, not

reactive as in our earlier scenario, and the results are

much more positive.”

Because this is a dynamic plan, we have made demonstrated progress in some areas; we are still striving to make progress in other areas; we have revisited areas and have either dropped or made changes; and we have made no progress in still other areas. Yet, it continues to be a document that we can use to measure our progress, and it keeps us focused on our goal of being able to provide spatially ref-


erenced data to our users that will meet their information needs.

ISSUES AND ADVICE

When we started in the ARL Project we were inexperienced in thinking that GIS was just another library tool to learn such as all the other electronic products that we had received in the past few years had been. However, as we became more involved, we realized that we were being overwhelmed with a tremendous amount of new information and technology simul- taneously. GIS has a vocabulary all its own and the technology is highly sophisticated: we experienced information and technology overload. We are now able to sort out the different issues that others should be cognizant of before starting their GIS effort.

The most important step is to be organized. None of this can be achieved without organization. Organizational support must exist or be cultivated. Without it, GIS cannot be successfully introduced and integrated into the services that the library offers. There is too much money and time associated with GIS with which library administrators rightfully need to be concerned.

Also, the library cannot operate in a vacuum. It must interact with and cultivate its constituency. This should be true for all library activities, but especially with GIS as it is an intensive and costly technology.

The following is a 12-point list to achieve organization when getting started with GIS.

Staff need to be computer literate. We were fortunate when we began this project that we were already using computers to provide service. We also had a staff member with a natural talent for dealing with computer hardware and software. His skills and productivity enhanced the staff’s computer abilities. He has since moved to the Library’s Systems Office and that has had an negative impact on us as his talent is not easily replaceable. Know- ing a bit about DOS batch file pro- gramming and scripting is a must. We would probably make this a require- ment for at least one position in Gov Dots in the future.

Users and staff need to know Windows 3.1 as well as how to use a mouse. Ini- tially this may sound simple, but if these skills are lacking they create bar- riers to the information. A few examples of Windows proficiency include understanding the file and program

3.

managers, how to create icons, how to use the clipboard, and how to create paths.

Both staff and users need to know geographic and cartographic vocabulary; otherwise, this sets up another obsta- cle. As examples: What is a Mercator projection? What is the meaning of raster versus vector, and what are the implications of each? What are shape files? What is the difference between clipped and unclipped boundaries? These are just a few of the terms one needs to be conversant with in order to think spatially, and, thus, manipulate a GIS. Creating a map is not simple. Colors need to be chosen carefully in order to show the data in a meaningful way. One also needs to know about the importance of legends and their relevance in mapping. These terms and skills can be learned through hands-on, trial and error experience; developing a collection of GIS materials; attend- ing conferences; and/or taking a GIS class or two. All of these, however, require time and commitment.

“GIS has a vocabulary all its own and the technology is

highly sophisticated: we experienced information and

technology overload.”

Staff need to reacquaint themselves with math. Thought those days were over? Familiarity with statistics and percentages is a big part of using GIS. Although ArcView can do the calcula- tions, staff and users need to know what they want calculated and what the resultant numbers mean.

Staff need to be trained. Time, as well as money, need to be budgeted for training. The staff must have a thorough understanding of the system in order to navigate it, as well as to explain it to users.

Users need to be trained. User aids need to be developed and shared among libraries, classroom instruction modules must be written, and one-on- one appointments and instruction should be available because each are needed to facilitate use.

The library’s collection of books, journals, and other electronic sources will need to be reviewed, and, if found

8.

lacking, developed. GIS has its own collection of books and journals that should be included in an existing collection. It may not be easy to locate these sources through standard bibli- ographies as these tools are just begin- ning to include GIS, if at all. The library’s existing collection develop- ment policy may also need to be extended to include digital information. GIS will transform a library’s role from merely housing information to capturing spatial data from the Internet and thereby providing access in a new way; captured images can be incorpo- rated into user created projects. GIS changes the way that we, as librarians, think of information; it becomes an “end” itself not merely a “means to an end.” This fact has major implications for the way libraries think of and collect information. For instance, a book can be used and returned to the shelf in the same form in which it came off that shelf originally. A GIS project may produce entirely new information or alter the original information. Ques- tions that libraries will need to consider include: How does the library deal with this issue(s)? Does the library choose to deal with this at all? What are the implications if it chooses not to deal with these issues?

Consider starting with a simpler system (TIGER for example) in order to become familiar with spatially referenced data.

9. Develop partnerships or find a “GIS buddy” (as one ESRI staff member likes to say). Both internal and external alliances will be important in the effort to offer a GIS service to users.

10. This is a labor-intensive and time- consuming adventure. We have found that the average project takes between five and six hours - from conducting the initial reference interview to instructing the user in the use of the software to the actual creation of the map. As a result, the question becomes: What is our role versus that of the faculty? Librarians will need to consider their roles carefully in this learning process. In order to help the user become a self-reliant researcher, Gov Dots is assuming an unprece- dented teaching role. We are not yet seeing independent use of the system at Georgetown+ven for repeat users. Is independence ever possible? If not, this will have a permanent impact on staffing patterns.

July 1995 295

11. GIS does not come cheap. The high cost of time (both staff and user), materials, and technology all need to be considered in advance when begin- ning a GIS effort. In the ideal world, a full-time staff member would be designated as the GIS person. Not many libraries have that luxury. Yet, GIS is a transformational technology and one that libraries need to embrace. The organizational and research skills that we, as information specialists, have are transferrable to GIS, but it requires real commitment and perseverance.

12. Publicizing GIS is essential, especially if a constituency does not already exist. Users will need to be “educated’ about the power and possibilities of GIS and its relevance to their disciplines.

SUMMARY

The old adage, “You can’t be every- thing to everybody” could not be more true than when talking about GIS. Librar- ies must first identify the needs of their constituency and then carve out their own niche for GIS. Having a vision is not enough. Critical to the success of this effort is organization and a real commitment to public service; acquiring and maintaining the necessary technology; and receiving administrative support. A lack of any of these elements will almost surely hinder, if not doom, the effort.

Libraries getting started with GIS first need to define their own vision, and then develop a strategy to realize that vision. Identifying a constituency and having a documented strategy will be a guide and measure along the way. These elements enable the vision to be realized by plug- ging in a thorough understanding of user needs. That is what we are all here for, no?

What has GIS done for our users? They now have a tremendous technology available to them. Georgetown University users have the opportunity to learn about the analytical capabilities and possibilities that a GIS offers regardless of their disci- pline. GIS, as a decision-making and planning tool, streamlines the process of analyzing and developing alternative plans. Work now becomes more efficient.

“The organizational and

research skills that we, as

information specialists, have

are transferrable to GIS, but it

requires real commitment and

perseverance.”

Gov Dots did not have a ready-made constituency that drove us to get involved in GIS. We had to cultivate one and we continue to do so. We had a vision (even though it was not clear at first), we took a risk, we took many side roads along the way (we still take those side roads for they often offer unexplored opportunities), and we learned a lot about GIS and ourselves. It may have taken us longer to realize our vision, but the project is working and we would not want to abandon the GIS effort.

NOTESANDREFERENCES 1. Adapted from a URISA [Urban and Regional Information Systems Association] promotional brochure: “GIS: Government’s Information Solution,” 1990. 2. Robert E. Dugan & Anthony Cipriano, “Making It Happen in a Depository: Those Pesky CD-ROMs,” Government Information Quarterly 10 (1993): 350.

3. From a letter, written by Prue Adler, to ARL GIS Literacy Participants, March 7, 1993.

SUGGESTEDREADINGS Abner, Amy L. “Modem Cartography Plays

Essential Role in GIS,” GZS World 6(10)

(1993): 48-50. Antenucci, John C., Kay Brown, Peter

Crosswell, Michael Kevany, & Hugh Archer. Geographic Information Systems: A Guide to the Technology (New York: Van Nostrand, 1991).

Baker, Sunny. Market Mapping, How to Use Revolutionary New Software to Find,

Analyze, and Keep Customers (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993).

Chrisman, Nicholas. “A Vision of Digital Libraries for Geographic Information, or How I Stopped Trying to Find the On- ramps to the Information Superhighway,” Geolnfo Systems 4(4) ( 1994): 2 l-24.

Franklin, Carl. “An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems: Linking Maps to Databases,” Database 15 (April 1992): 12-15, 17-21.

Hall, Stephen S. Mapping the Next Millennium: The Discovery of New Geographies (New York: Random House, 1992).

Kofron, Charles P. & Anne Watts. “St. Louis Library’s GIS Disseminates Public Information,” GeoInfo Systems 3(7) (1993): 46-50.

Lang, Laura. “Mapping the Future of Map Librarianship,” American Libraries 23

(1992): 880-883. McGlamery, Patrick & Melissa Lamont.

“Geographic Information Systems in Libraries,” Database 17 (December 1994): 35-44.

Thoen, Bill. “Access the Electronic Highway for a World of Data,” GIS World 7(2) (1994): 46-49.

Van Demark, Peter. “Software Triad Delivers Diverse Consumer GIS Capabilities,” GIS

World 7(2) (1994): 52-55.
