Digitizing Kansas Sanborn Maps

Poster Session

Williams, Sheryl. Curator of Collections, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas;
Garrison, Wade. Assistant Librarian, Center for Digital Scholarship, University of Kansas

Title: Digitizing Kansas Sanborn Maps

Abstract: The Kansas Collection is home to a significant collection of Kansas Sanborn fire insurance maps that provide detailed information about the built environment, especially the business districts, for many Kansas towns (some 220) over a period from roughly the 1880s – 1920s. A recent grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission provided funds for their digitization. The grant project, completed in March 2011, has allowed the Libraries to provide access to these unique sources through LUNA to a much broader audience virtually. Presenters Williams and Garrison (the project Director and Manager) will discuss the maps and project, detailing the history of the maps, their research use that supports the humanities, and specifics of carrying out the project, including selection of vendor for outsourcing the digital work, mounting of records in LUNA, and reaction to the project thus far. The presentation will also provide discussion with attendees of options for additional digital projects, building from the basic data provided up to this point. Presenters will include a Sanborn map in original form, and a demo of the digitized maps as part of the presentation.