S-76 Wilson Library
309 19th Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 624-4549
FAX: (612) 626-9353
e-mail: mapref@umn.edu

Library Information

This Atlas has its antecedents in the Association of Research Libraries GIS Literacy Project. This project, spearheaded by Prue Adler, Assistant Executive Director of ARL, successfully facilitated the introduction of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) services into member libraries.

In the early days of the ARL GIS Literacy Project, many of the participants showed an interest in creating an "Electronic Atlas" which would display comparative maps of the United States' major urban areas. For a variety of reasons, this "Electronic Atlas" did not develop into a viable resource.

It was possible to take this idea and apply it to Minnesota, presenting maps comparing the major cities and towns of the state to each other, to the state in general, and to the United States. Inside this atlas, you will find information on a variety of demographic attributes. While it is possible to create these types of maps given the resources of a research library such as the University of Minnesota's John R. Borchert Map Library, the atlas is intended for those who have access to the Internet, but have limited access to the data and software employed to create the maps. We particularly hope this atlas is of use to elementary and secondary school learners and to public libraries and smaller academic institutions.

Your feedback is welcomed. There are over 800 maps in this atlas. At the present time, the atlas is presented as a work in progress. A few variables remain to be mapped--for these you will encounter dead links. We hope to have the atlas "finished" in the near future.

Many thanks are called for and go out to Prue Adler, Charlie Fitzpatrick, Angie Lee, David Cobb, and Donna Koepp. Special thanks go to Julie Wallace, who prevented this atlas from sitting too long on the back shelf. And of course, a world of gratitude to Bessie.