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Collection Policy Statement Index

Contents

I. Introduction
II. Scope
III. Research strengths
IV. Comparison with other major research centers
V. General Policy
VI. Collecting levels for geographic data and information (Class G)
VII. Implications for non-cartographic acquisitions activities

I. Introduction

The technologies for the collection, storage, analysis, and display of geographic data and information are evolving into a complex system in which cartographic representations are ephemeral in nature. Thus, collections policy must focus on two areas: the collection of basic geographic data and information; and the software by which such data and information can be analyzed and presented in a geographic context.

In this context, the collection of software and the development of facilities for analyzing and displaying geographic data and information is the responsibility of the Geography and Map Division, which traditionally has had the principal curatorial responsibility for cartographic materials.¹ Data sets that can be used by these new technologies, however, may be collected by any curatorial unit of the Library. In evolving information society, cartographic representations of geographic data and information are presented to the Library in various formats. The information can then be used to generate maps, either for on-demand use or formalized distribution, but the retrieval and analysis of geographic data and information is not inherently associated with a particular format.

This collections policy statement deals with digital forms of geographic data and information, which collectively are also known as spatial data or spatially referenced data. Because so much scientific and social data are directly related to specific places on the earth, this statement affects more than one division with custodial responsibilities. The appropriate staff of those divisions are to consult with one another to determine the best procedure for the Library. More than one division is said to be affected when:

1. material from a potential acquisition could be assigned to more than one custodial division;
2. the appropriate recommending officer is not a staff member of the division(s) receiving the material; or
3. computer resources available in another division are required to effectively view or analyze the material being acquired.

II. Scope

This statement refers to all data sets that contain a reference to a specific location on the earth, and to the software by which such data are retrieved, analyzed, and reproduced. It covers a variety of formats and sources, including (but not limited to) CD-ROMs, magnetic tape, and files distributed through electronic communications systems.

Materials that fall under the scope of this statement include:

• vector representations of point, line, and polygon features of the earth;
• raster (matrix) representation layers of the thematic information;
• relational databases that incorporate common geographic features as attributes of the data;
• remotely sensed digital imagery, including forms taken from airplane and satellite-based platforms, that depict the nature or attributes of the earth at a specific time;
• software for the creation, retrieval, analysis, and/or display (on digital monitors or in printed format) of generic forms of spatial data; and
• products that emulate traditional geographic and cartographic publications such as maps, atlases, gazetteers, models, etc.

The materials covered by this statement comprise virtually all classes of the Library of Congress Classification Schedule since any digital form of information which contains a reference to a specific location on the earth or a planetary body can be displayed in a map form through the use of geographic information systems software.

Because digital technology is evolving so rapidly, the policy set forth in the following sections is subject to frequent change and updating, both as to specific geographic and cartographic concerns and policy decisions undertaken by the Library regarding digital information as a whole. Such changes will be incorporated into future revisions of this statement.

III. Research strengths

The creation of geographic data and information throughout the Federal government, which has long been the primary creator of basic geographic information about the United States, is undergoing a transformation under the auspices of the Federal Geographic Data Committee, of which the Library of Congress is a member. Consequently, many forms of geographic data issued by Federal agencies will be compatible with software that permits the analysis and display of geographic data and information.

Because of its long-standing deposit arrangements with Federal producers of maps, the Library will be receiving the voluminous production of digital geographic data files that is certain to be forthcoming. Additionally, standards developed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee are voluntarily being adopted by state and local agencies as well as private firms. Consequently, the Library will be able to accept digital geographic data from sources throughout the United States with the knowledge that it should be usable with standard software. Many commercial map producers are now in the process of converting their basic cartographic databases into digital formats and marketing those materials in new media and software products.

The development of the Library's digital files of geographic data and information will correspond closely in their growth to the Library's existing paramount collection of traditional cartographic products.

IV. Comparison with collections of other major research centers

In the Federal sector, libraries have begun the organized collection of digital forms of geographic data and information. A few agencies have massive files of geographic data for distribution purposes, such as the U.S. Geological Survey's National Mapping Division and its EROS Data Center, which collects satellite imagery. The National Archives does have extensive files for electronic data in general, but that agency is just now beginning to examine the issue of geographic data as a separate category of records that need to be acquired.

V. General policy

The Library of Congress collects digital geographic data and information of the entire world with the objective to achieve comprehensive coverage of all geographic regions by means of acquiring, to the extent practicable, all issuances and their revisions and updates, of digital data which make a significant contribution to knowledge. "Comprehensive" in the context of this statement is interpreted to encompass complete geographic coverage of all parts of the world (terrestrial and celestial), rather than the acquisition of all digital products containing geographic data and information.

The Library collects software and digital forms of data which document the development of the disciplines of cartography and geography. To complement this, it also collects traditional cartographic products (i.e., maps, atlases, and globes) produced with digital technologies which reflect the emergence and development of the disciplines of cartography and geography. See Maps, Atlases, and Remote Sensing Images.

As sources of acquisition, the Library relies foremost on the publications and products of U.S. Federal and State agencies charged with inventorying or monitoring the geography of the nation and the world. It also collects those digital products published in the United States and subject to deposit according to Copyright statutes. Additionally, it collects through purchase, donation, deposit, or exchange, digital forms of spatial data issued by foreign governments and commercial firms, research institutions, academic researchers, and individual scholars.

The following paragraphs deal with policy for specific types of digital forms of geographic data and information:

1. Vector data
   The Library collects data sets which represent the features of the earth as points, lines, or polygons referenced to specific geographic locations by such conventional means as longitude and latitude, and state plane coordinate systems, or x-y coordinates from a specific frame of reference. This includes such products as TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographically Encoded Reference) files which define the geographical entities by which the Bureau of the Census collects data; digital line graph files (DLGs) describing roads, hydrography, or other linear features of the earth; digital elevation models (DEMs); and gazetteers or geographic names files that standardize the spelling and location of cities, towns, and natural features.
2. Raster data
   The Library collects raster data sets that depict information generalized to a portion of the earth or planetary body at a given level or resolution. This includes digital forms of aerial photography, satellite imagery, radar, sonar, and other forms of remotely sensed information.
3. Digital versions of traditional map products

   The Library collects digital representations of paper-based cartographic products, such as digital raster graphics (DRGs) issued by such agencies as the Defense Mapping Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey.

4. Geographically oriented software
   1. The Library collects through Copyright deposit all U.S. produced software products for the creation, retrieval, analysis, and display of geographic data and information. If the Library does not have the computer equipment necessary for the use of this software, its acquisition is to be considered in light of whether the manuals and supporting material document important trends in the development of the automated mapping, geographic information systems, or remote sensing fields.
   2. The Library collects software that is useful for retrieving, analyzing, and displaying geographic information and data in its collections.
5. Ancillary materials
   The Library collects monographs and serials related to geographic data and information. These materials are described in the collections policy statement for Geography.

VI. Collecting levels for geographic data and information (Classes G1000- G1999)

The Library's Class G schedule is organized on a geographic basis. Since the Library's mission is to provide comprehensive coverage (in the sense defined in Section V above) of digital geographic data and information on a worldwide basis, there is little value to ranking collecting intensity levels by geographic area. For all parts of the world the effort is to achieve coverage at the research level (level 4).

VII. Implications for non-cartographic acquisitions activities

The evolution of automated technologies related to geographic data and information implies that material which once would not have been considered geographic in nature can now be analyzed and displayed in map format as long as it has at least one geographic attribute associated with it. Because that attribute can be as simple as a geographic coordinate, a postal code, or the name of a city or county, many forms of data collected within various disciplines can be analyzed from a geographical perspective. Consequently, when specialists, curators, or recommending officers for various classes of the Library's collections review sets of basic data, it is important that they note whether there are geographic components that make the data compatible with software for the analysis and display of geographic data and information. If such data sets do not qualify as legitimate acquisitions within the other classes of the Library's collections on their non-geographic components, they should be referred to the acquisitions officers responsible for cartographic materials for determination of whether such data sets with a geographic component complement or augment the Library's holdings of geographic data and information. Pertinent data sets would include such materials as climatologic data, demographic and social data, trade and commerce statistics, etc.

Notes:

1. For the collections policy on the latter, see Maps, Atlases, and Remote Sensing Images. For the policy on books and other textual materials dealing with the subject of geography, see Geography and Cartography, see also the CPS Electronic Resources.

October, 1995, Revised May, 2000

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