The David Rumsey Map Center opened on April 19th, 2016 in the Bing Wing of Green Library, Stanford University. The Center is a new collections-based resource designed to provide access to cartographic information in all of its forms, from paper to digital. It is a flexible and rich environment for research and teaching with large collection of rare atlases and maps, high-resolution screens equipped with interactive tools for viewing digital images, and knowledgeable staff.
In this collocated environment, scholars can work with original physical items side-by-side with digital surrogates. In digital form, a map can be readily manipulated, enlarged, quantified, aggregated, visualized, and systematically interrogated in a unique way. Working simultaneously with the native format and context (such as a map within an atlas) enriches the information available, giving researchers a chance to embark on discoveries that would otherwise not be possible.
