Island University Maps Showcased at Texas Map Society Meeting

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas Map Society spring meeting showcased the collections of historic maps of the Conrad Blucher Institute and the Mary and Jeff Bell Library and a map digitization project. The meeting, held April 1 and 2, was hosted by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

The first day of the meetings included a visit to the Aransas County History Center in Rockport to hear County Surveyor Jerry Brundrett discuss his collection on display there. The group then had a private tour of the Art Museum of South Texas.

The second day’s events included a visit to the Bell Library’s Special Collection and Archives. Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist Ann Hodges and Dr. Rick Smith, Assistant Professor of the College of Science and Engineering and Director of Spatial {Query} Lab, opened the day with the presentation, “A Surveying Dynasty and its Legacy: The Blucher Collection and its Digitization.”  The project they discussed is a partnership between the Conrad Blucher Institute and the Bell Library and is an ambitious undertaking to scan and catalog the library’s collections of thousands of maps.  It will allow the public to have digital access to the collections.  

The meeting was sponsored by Brister Surveying, Inc., the Conrad Blucher Institute and the Mary and Jeff Bell Library.