New Technology Fact Sheet

The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division
The New York Public Library

The renovation of the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division brings a number of sophisticated electronic databases and state-of-the-art mapping technologies to New York Public Library users. Now users can combine traditional research of sheet maps and atlases with new digital mapping technologies. From property owners and attorneys analyzing building footprints and census tract boundaries, novelists looking for accurate details of historical locations, to architects and developers engaged in civic planning, diverse users will benefit from these enhanced technological capabilities.

New electronic resources
The Map Division now offers six computer terminals equipped with high-speed processors, Internet access, and 20-inch flat-screen monitors for optimal viewing of high-resolution images. Wireless Internet access will also be available to users of the Map Division. In addition to offering access to CATNYP (the catalog of the Library's research centers) the Division's six terminals offer access to a trove of new geospatial information. Four of the public terminals in the Division's Reading Room are loaded with the most up-to-date GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software. A number of GIS datasets enable users to manipulate data and create customized maps to yield geographic, economic, and social information. In addition, patrons may download data from public domain datasets to CD, DVD, or flash drive. In keeping with the Library's mission to make its collections and resources broadly available, a variety of classes on conducting research with electronic mapping resources will be scheduled.

Available GIS datasets include:

ESRI GIS software, focused on U.S. data, includes:

• State, county, urban area, zip code, and census tract boundaries for all 50 states.
• Layers of the National Atlas including Federal and Indian Land Areas, water feature areas, historic earthquake layers, cemeteries, churches, hospitals, schools, and other sites.

Land Info, a public-domain global GIS dataset, includes:

• Digitized version (over 500 maps) of 1:250,000 scale maps of the world.
• High-resolution aerial photographs of the entire world from 1990 and 2000.
• 90-meter resolution digital elevation models.
• World vector (manipulatable) line data at a scale of 1:1,000,000.

Lot Info, a database of the most current digital data from the City of New York, includes:

• Building footprints and curb lines.
• Subway lines with ridership per stop.
• Property valuation, city administrative districts, and United States census tract boundaries.

TopoZonePro, a complete library of maps and aerial photography providing topographic information, featuring:

• 1-meter resolution Digital Ortho Photo Quadrangels.
• 24-bit color infrared (CIR) aerial photography.
• Complete detailed street mapping for the entire United States.
• Downloadable high-resolution Digital Raster Graphic (DRG) files for all 55,000 U.S. topographic sheets.

Tri-State Sanborn Atlases, large-scale plans of cities and towns in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch, listing street blocks and building numbers, including numbers in use at the time the map was made and previous numbers.

OldMaps.com, a subscription-only website offering access to over 20,000 records from nearly 100 publishers of dealer and auction catalogues.

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The New York Public Library gratefully acknowledges Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal for their generous support of the Map Division.

Congressman James T. Walsh, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City Council Speaker A. Gifford Miller, New York City Council Member Christine C. Quinn, and New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane provided critical support for this important renovation.

Contact:   Tim Farrell, Herb Scher      212.704.8600

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