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Group Evaluations / Geographical Sources
[Listings followed by NF indicate my work]
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Atlas of the World
Cambridge World Gazetteer
(Formerly Chamber’s World Gazetteer)
The Columbia Gazetteer of the WorldCambridge Gazetteer of the US & Canada
Guide to Places of the World
Hammond Atlas of the WorldHistorical Atlas of the United States
MapQuest
Atlas of the Universe ~ NF
The National Atlas of the United States of America ~ NF
Rand McNally Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide ~ NF
Rand McNally Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico
The Times Atlas of the WorldThe Times Atlas of World History
The Weather Almanac
Atlas of the World
Citations
George Philip and Son, L., & Oxford University Press. (2003). Oxford atlas of the world. London; New York, N.Y.: Philip’s
Currency/Accuracy
I reviewed the 2003 edition but it is updated regularly. There is currently a 2008 edition available.
Authority/Publisher
Oxford University Press
Audience/Balanced Coverage
Very well balanced coverage. Gives map of each country. Does not give separate maps for each US state. Starts map sequence in the classical arrangement used by cartographers since the 16th century. Maps go from north to south and in clockwise around the globe in the following sequence – Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia & Oceania, North America, South America.
Index/Ease of Use
This atlas is very easy to use. The inside front cover provides a quick pictorial reference to the map pages. It also has a quick reference alphabetical index just for countries in the last page of the book. There is a How To Use section in the front of the book with detailed explanations. The extensive alphabetic index gives the country the city is in, the map number, the grid number on the map, and its latitude and longitude coordinates.
Scale
The scale is given for each map and each one is different. The projection is noted in the border.
Color & Symbols
Color is used to indicate elevation and there are symbols used for natural and man-made objects. A key to color and symbols is given in the How To Use section.
Legibility
All of the maps are clear and easy to read.
Special Features
Sections of the Book: World Statistics, Images of the Earth, Gazetteer of Nations, Introduction to World Geography, City maps, World maps, Geographical glossary and Index.
Cambridge World Gazetteer
(Formerly Chamber’s World Gazetteer)
Citations:
Munro, D. (1990). Cambridge world gazetteer: A geographical dictionary. Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press.
Currency/Accuracy:
There have been no new editions of this made since the 1990 edition. 19 years ago. Obviously currency/accuracy is a problem. The 1990 edition is an updated version of the 1988 edition, which was titled Chamber’s World Gazetteer.Munro, D. (1990). Cambridge world gazetteer: A geographical dictionary. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press.
Authority/Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Audience/Balanced Coverage
The preface said that they tried to be as inclusive as possible but due to size constraints there were many instances where they had to be selective.
Covers countries, regions, cities, and physical features, economical and cultural regions.
Index/Ease of Use
No index. Entries arranged alphabetically.
Scale
Scale is given in the World Atlas section.
Color & Symbols
Some of the entries in the gazetteer contain maps with territorial divisions.
Maps in the World Atlas section shows colors for different elevations and also uses symbols.
Legibility:
Good legibility in both the gazetteer and the maps.
Special Features:
Has a guidance section, sample entry with explanations, list of abbreviations and pronunciations, abbreviations of international organizations mentioned in the entries, and a conversion guide.
The Columbia Gazetteer of the World
Citations:
Cohen, S. B. (2008). The Columbia gazetteer of the world. New York: Columbia University Press.
Currency/Accuracy:
There is now a 2008 edition, which is the updated version of the 1998 edition. The latest edition contains 170,000 entries. There is also an online version that is updated continuously.
Authority/Publisher:
Published by the Columbia University Press. This gazetteer was originally published in 1893. There is a staff of 150 leading geographical scholars from all over the world supervising the writing of the entries.
Audience/Balanced Coverage:
It is meant for librarians, academics, researchers, students, writers, people in industry, governmental use, and for travelers. They have tried to give balanced coverage for each country.
Index/Ease of Use:
It comes in three volumes. There is no index and all entries are alphabetic in word by word arrangement.
Scale:
N/A
Color & Symbols:
N/A
Legibility:
N/A
Special Features:
Covers the political world of boundaries (countries, regions, cities, towns, villages, etc.), the physical world (continents, oceans, seas, etc.), and special places such as national parks.
Cambridge Gazetteer of the US & Canada
Citation
Cambridge gazetteer of the USA and Canada. (1995). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Authority/Publisher
This book is published by the Cambridge University Press, the world's oldest continually operating book publisher. They are known for publishing many well used reference tools used in the library and classroom.
Currency/Accuracy
The information in this book is based upon the latest census data, government statistics, travel literature, information from the chamber of commerce, maps, atlases, scientific works, and specialized handbooks all recent at the time. Unfortunately, that was over ten years ago so some information needs to be updated.
Index
There is no index but an extensive entry section that name each place, define, give size of population and physical extent, location, how far from a familiar point of reference, the essence of the place, why it is of interest, and cross-references. There is also a glossary provided.
Scale
This gazetteer goes beyond basic atlases, and includes urban, suburban, and rural communities, lakes, rivers, oceans, coastal areas, wetlands, mountains, valleys, plateaus, parks, preserves, etc.
Color/Symbols
Its cover boasts that it contains color maps and illustrations, however the 20 maps just include occasional pink tinting to show different regions, states, disputed land, if land is with or without original claims, and to show a drainage basin. Symbols are used to mark Indian villages, forts, historical sites, trails, roads, rails, battles, and battlefields.
Format
Hardcover book with over 12,000 entries and 20 maps.
Guide to Places of the World
Citations
Reader's digest guide to places of the world. (1995) London; Montreal: Reader's Digest Association.
Currency/Accuracy
Printed in 1995 so is not a current reference. However, it contains lots of interesting information on places of the world.
Authority/Publisher:
Published by Reader’s Digest.
Audience/Balanced Coverage
Contains over 8,000 entries and includes all nations in the world, their major cities, and geographical features.
Index/Ease of Use
There is no index. All entries are A-Z in word by word arrangement. The table of contents page has two separate tables with small indexes. One is for natural features such as caves, glaciers, rivers, etc. It indicates where they can be found in the A-Z entries. The second one covers world records such as the longest bridges, biggest dams, most earthquakes, largest mountains, longest waterfalls, extreme weather conditions.
Scale:
N/A
Color & Symbols:
N/A
Legibility:
N/A
Special Features:
Back of the book contains pictures of all the flags of the world and a short list of international organizations.
Hammond Atlas of the World
Citation
Hammond atlas of the world. (5th ed.) (2008). Maplewood, N.J.: Hammond.
Currency/Accuracy
This book was published in 2008 and therefore very current. It has informative sections on current topics such as fossil fuels, global urbanization, and the future of energy and the environment.
Authority/Publisher
This atlas was published by Hammond World Atlas Corporation. They are one of the oldest map publishing companies, and respected for publishing many bestselling maps and atlases.
Balanced coverage
Atlas is organized in four sections: Thematic Section, Satellite Section, Map Section, and Statistics and Index Section. It contains an extensive collection of maps, photographs, and information for countries from every continent. It also takes an in-depth look at the world as a whole, and outer space.
Index
Indexes and helpful guides include: World Statistics, Countries of the World, Population of the World, Population of Major Cities, Index Abbreviations, Index of the World, Population of Major Cities, Glossary of Foreign Terms.
Scale
Scales are available from 1:500,000 to 1:12 million and smaller.
Color & symbols
Many colorful pictures, and maps. Color tint is used to represent the elevation of land area and depth of ocean. There are symbols for land boundaries, transportation, drainage features, cultural features, and other physical features.
Legibility
Literary sections are extremely informative, up-to-date, and easy enough to understand.
Historical Atlas of the United States
Citation
Historical atlas of the United States. (1988). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.
Currency/Accuracy
Curators shared collections, graduate students shared dissertations, and scholars and consultants came in to advise and review all work to ensure everything was accurate and up-to-date. Unfortunately, this atlas was published in 1988, and therefore is 10 years out of date.
Authority/Publisher
This atlas was published by the National Geographic Society. They are one of the world's largest non-profit educational institutions, with a huge interest in geography. They are known for publishing the National Geographic magazine.
Balanced coverage
This atlas focuses on five different time periods from 1400 to 1988. Each period contains discussions, maps, graphs, illustrations, cultural artifacts, memorable events, and colorful personages of the time.
Index
Index is available at end of atlas
Scale
Maps are available in all sizes
Color/symbols
This atlas contains many bright, color pictures. Color is also used to show different variations in land – such as different terrains, precipitation, vegetation, environmental stress, soil erosion, and territorial growth. Symbols mark sites such as archaic sites, forts, and battle sites.
Legibility
The writing is clear and informative with many pictures and graphs to supplement.
MapQuest
Citation
MapQuest. Retrieved April 20, 2009 at http://www.mapquest.com/
Currency/Accuracy
Information for MapQuest is provided by AND Products B.V., Centrus, Tele Atlas, NAVTEQ, and DMTI Spatial, Inc. They are all experts in ensuring locational accuracy in the data the collect. A search was done for my new office building, which was completed in January in a new part of Ponte Vedra, Florida, however it was not located.
Authority/Publisher
This website is produced by MapQuest, Inc. They are a well-recognized company that provides reliable maps and directions over the internet or wireless devices.
Index
Users are able to view articles from all categories under the extensive Help Section. If they can’t find what they are looking for, they can perform a search or advanced search.
Scale
The map can be adjusted to show as far the country or as close as to the street.
Color/Symbols
Color is used to show the difference in main roads and highway from smaller ones, and various geographical locations, such as water, forests. When viewing map, the user can choose to show symbols for hotels and motels, shopping, movie theaters, schools, bars, pharmacy, restaurants, gas stations, parking, post offices, coffee shops, grocery stores.
Format
This is a website, although MapQuest is also available through wireless devices.
Atlas of the Universe | NF
Although this is technically an atlas, it does not follow the typical pattern of maps so the evaluation did not quite fit. Instead I used the encyclopedia format, as it more closely resembles one.
Citation
Moore, P. Firefly atlas of the universe. (2003). New York: Firefly Books.
Purpose
Provides a tour of the universe. Gives stunning photographs that are detailed and certain to hold even the most casual reader spellbound.
Scope
This atlas has hundreds of photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope, the best images from 40 years of robot exploration of the planets in addition to ground-based telescopes. There are star maps and sections on how to watch the heavens.
Format
A single volume, hardcover text of 288 pages.
Arrangement
This reference is broken into seven sections:
1. Exploring the Universe – history of astronomy and space exploration
2. The Solar System – The Earth and all the planets.
3. The Sun – Covers sunspots, eclipses, and the Sun’s polar regions.
4. The Stars – Covers movements, life cycles, supernovas, black holes and more.
5. The Universe – The structure of the universe, our galaxy, quasars, and more.
6. Star Maps – Complete atlas of constellations in 22 maps.
7. The Practical Astronomer – Introduces beginners to star gazing, equipment as well as advanced advice.
Entries
Entries are colorful with many full illustrations and a well written and understandable text.
Special Features
There are charts, color maps, and many beautiful photos of the universe
Uses
This reference is useful for a range of amateur astronomers, from beginners to seasoned veterans. Information is well written and accessible to most readers with a keen interest in astronomy.
Overall Evaluation
This is a visually outstanding book that will appeal to patrons of all ages. Public, school, and academic libraries will find this a useful reference tool for browsing or research purposes.
The National Atlas of the United States of America | NF
Citation
National Atlas of the United States, March 5, 2003, http://nationalatlas.gov
Currency/Accuracy
This site is updated on a daily basis. The most recent update was today, April 17, 2008.
Authority/Publisher
The United States Department of the Interior is the publisher of this website.
Audience/Balanced Coverage
This site provides access to maps of all aspect of America as well as maps that you can make yourself. The audience would be students, teachers, and families that home school. Because these maps are fact based, the coverage is fair and balanced.
Index/Ease of Use
While there is an extensive amount of information on the home page, it has a cluttered look, with small type that is not very appealing. There is an extensive block of type on the body, explaining new features while that space would be better used arranging the links in a user-friendlier format. There are two bars across the top with links to the various pages.
Scale
Most of the data on the maps are collected at a scale of 1:2,000,000 and are intended for use at national or large regional scales. In the Map Maker, a bar scale appears under the map. The scale of each wall map is included on the Wall Maps page. They use a wide variety of scales on National Atlas printable maps
Color & Symbols
There are so many functions on this site that a user could spend hours and not cover each facet of what is offered. Information is colorful and follows conventional standards, i.e. weather pattern maps follow standard colors designating heat, cold, storms, etc. The symbols are clearly spelled out on each page and information is listed on the same page without the need for additional windows.
Legibility
The interface is solid white with numerous links at the top of the page, a Google custom search engine, as well as links to help, FAQs, a sitemap and other general site information. Once you reach the entries, you will find them well laid out. The type is
large and easy to read with sections separated by a consistent blue bar. Each page has a similar layout so once the user is accustomed to the entries, they will have no trouble navigating the site.
Special Features
You can customize your own map, mix and match various layers of information,, print pre-formatted maps, order larger maps for classroom or office use, play educational games with the maps and read articles relating to topics of interest.
Uses: Useful to researchers, students, and anyone interested in the geography of the United States.
Rand McNally Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide | NF
Citation
Rand McNally and Company. (2009). Rand McNally commercial atlas & marketing guide, 2009. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally & Co, 2009.
Currency/Accuracy
This atlas if published yearly so that it has the up-to-date information across all the areas it covers. There is also an online database for up-to-the-minute information.
Authority/Publisher
Rand McNally, one of the most respected publishers of maps and map related reference materials.
Audience/Balanced Coverage
This atlas is for the business professional looking for up-to-date statistics on over 123,000 places in the United States. This is a 2-volume set is a resource for market research with large state maps of towns, cities, counties, metro areas, rivers, lakes, and railroads.
Index/Ease of Use
The 2009 Guide is formatted into two volumes: one book is the guide and the other is the index. The index is thorough and is easy to use, especially with all the cross-referencing.
Scale
There are complete and large scaled maps for all 50 states.
Color & Symbols (not gazetteers)
Like all Rand McNally maps, these are clear, concise with key information accessible with a quick glance.
Legibility
This is written for the professional business person, with a great deal of statistical information, there are state indexes, data on population, income, manufacturing and sales data for counties, and basic trading areas. This is not written for the casual reader or browser.
Special Features
• Census data and population estimates and projections
• Economic data and economic activity projections
• Comprehensive state indexes of more than 120,000 U.S. places
• State tables of principal cities and their populations as well as basic
business data by county.
• Specialized maps including U.S. thematic maps, highways and driving times maps, city and downtown inset maps, and country subdivision map
Rand McNally Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico
Citation
Rand McNally Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1926- . Annual.
Currency/Accuracy
This atlas was published in 2009 and is updated annually. Maps appeared to be accurate when checked with known information
Authority/Publisher
This atlas was published by Rand McNally
Balanced coverage
This atlas has a map for each state, also included with each state map is a chart that states the distance between major cities as well as zoomed in portion of popular citites
Index
The index contained list of a large amount of counties, cities and towns in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Each of these have a letter and a number that correspond to the cities location on the state map.
Color & symbols
There is an index at the beginning of the atlas that contains a legend of at least thirty symbols ranging from borders, highways, roadways, rivers, lakes, unpaved roads etc. All the maps are in color.
Legibility
There are only a few pages of written information about special interest places to visit. All maps are very accurate, but some heavily populated areas are difficult to read, and only certain areas are zoomed in for closer observation.
The Times Atlas of the World
Citation
The Times Atlas of the World. 10th ed. New York: Times Books, 1999.
Currency/Accuracy
The only edition available at Buley was from 1997. The information is 12 years old which makes some information inaccurate.
Authority/Publisher
This atlas was published by Times books and Random House
Balanced coverage
The atlas contained balanced coverage for the information in 1997.
Index
The index was easily to understand and had counties and cities listed in alphabetical order and told the exact page the information was on.
Color & symbols
The maps were colorful and showed elevation and bodies of water as well as borders. The beginning of the atlas contained a legend of all the symbols used.
Legibility
The maps were clear and easy to read, and the index was extremely easy to use and you were able to find any information quickly
The Times Atlas of World History
Citation
The Times Atlas of World History. 4th ed. New York: Times Books, 1993.
Currency/Accuracy
The latest edition available was from 1982, but there is a 4th edition that was published in 1994.
Authority/Publisher
This atlas was published by Times books and Hammond Inc.
Balanced coverage
The atlas contained contains a wealth with over 600 maps as well as text that pertains to major themes in world history. Such as trade routes and industry, settlements, empires and wars.
Index
The atlas contained a glossary of people, places and events to help the reader better understand the information provided as well as an index of historical place names.
Color & symbols
The maps were colorful and also contained pictures throughout the atlas. Empires of the ancient world were shaded to better understand how much the empire spanned throughout the globe. It was easier to understand the vastness of some of the empires by looking at the maps, rather than just reading the text.
Legibility
The maps were clear and easy to read, and also it was easier to understand the vastness of some of the empires by looking at the maps, rather than just reading the text.
The Weather Almanac
Citation
The Weather Almanac. 9th ed. Detroit: Gale, 1999.
Currency/Accuracy
The copy available at Buley is form 1992, but the latest edition available is from 2004
Authority/Publisher
This almanac was published by Gale research in detroit.
Balanced coverage
The almanac contains detailed coverage of selected U.S. cities. It has detailed maps, charts and encyclopedic entries as well
Index
A small six page index of certain weather terms and places is available at the end of the almanac
Color & symbols
There were maps available that showed average rainfall amounts as well as other weather relate information, but everything was in black and white
Legibility
The maps were difficult to understand, they were not very detailed and most of the information used with maps could have been shown using a chart or a graph of some kind. The articles were easy to understand as well as the graphs and charts of information.