National progress report of Catalunya 1986-1988

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Montserrat Galera i Monegal, Cartoteca de Catalunya

1. Opening of the Cartoteca de Catalunya (CTC) as a public service 
   The C TC, created on April 3rd 1985, was opened as a centre for public consultation on March 1st 1987, when the size of the collection catalogued or inventoried in its three main sections (cartography, bibliography and photography) was considered large enough to cover the minimum required for proper public use.

    

    

2. Catalogue programme. MARC format 
   C TC carries on a process of precataloguing which makes it possible to put all material at the disposal of the public in a minimum time. Simultaneously, work goes on for the application of the standardized catalogue programmes (MARC format).
   CTC has tow programmes for administrative matters:
   1. for monographic studies, according to the format adopted by the Institut Catala de Bibliografia (ICB) (Catalan Institute of Bibliography) an adaptation of UK MARK, applied to the cataloguing of books and booklets in CTC's support library, one of the keystones in the working and good use of the centre;
   2. for cartographic material, according to the format adopted by the Instituto Geografico Nacional (Madrid) (National Geographical Institute), which is an adaptation of LC MARC.

   In the years 1986-88 the bibliographic material of CTC has been entered into the programme for monographs with technical support of ICB.

    

   The programme for cartographic material is in a phase of informational implementation, so it is not yet in use. Work goes on in the definition and establishment of criteria for cataloguing to be implemented as required.

   Meanwhile a small programme has been designed containing all basic data on each document, in order to make an inventory of all material coming in and, at the same time, making it easy to retrieve. This programme .has been designed bath for original documents and for facsimiles and photographs. It has five exchangeable points of access: title, author, date, geographical area, and subject. It has been designed by CTC and worked out by the computer department of the Institute Cartografic de Catalunya (ICC) (Cartographical Institute of Catalonia) on an lEX computer.

    

3. CTC's relations with other Catalan institutions with map collections 
   CTC, which considers itself responsible for the knowledge of the cartographic collections in the country, and which is interested in receiving news from the largest number of cartographic centres, has started a policy designed to achieve direct contact with this material.

    

   In order to do so, it has created a data bank which includes material from 12 institutions (9 in Catalonia, 3 in Madrid) with one subject: maps of Catalonia from the 17th and 18th centuries. Up to this moment we have notice of 270 such maps. The fact that all this information is in one archive allows inter-institutional research.

   Technical support has been given to private map collections, particularly of old maps. This has materialized, so far, in the form of exhibitions. CTC has contributed to these by making the selection of pieces, cartographic or historical foot notes, writing the text for booklets and presenting them in public with a lecture on the opening of the exhibition. In 1987 and 1988 5 presentations have been made and we foresee more of these in the near and more distant future.

    

4. Publications
   CTC has co-operated in ICC's publishing policy with the following titles:
   • ISBD(CM): Normalized International Bibliographical Description for Cartographical Documents (Catalan translation of the English original). December 1986
   • Newsletter
   • Booklet published annually giving notice of novelties, acquisitions, extension of services, etc. of CTC during the year
   • CTC Guide
   • several professional articles and reviews of professional meetings published in the Revista Catalana de Geografia (RCG), a publication of ICC, as well as in other local publications
   • preparation of calendars according to subjects, with cartographic material; up to now: 1987, 1988 and 1989.

    

    

5. Relations with the University 
   CTC has reached an agreement with the Department of Geography of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in order to organize a cycle of 5 courses on the history of cartography and maplibrary aspects. These courses, which will be held annually from 1990 to 1994, will be for university students and the public in general. For students they will be part of doctorate courses.
   Subjects and years are the following:
   • January 1990:
     • History of Cartography (general) (4 h.)
     • Map-Library aspects (general) (4 h.)
     • Basic cartographical works of reference (1 h.)
     • Subjects relating to cartography of Catalonia (1 h.)
   • 1st term 1991: Iberian cartography
   • 1st term 1992: cartography of the Netherlands
   • 1st term 1992: cartography of Great Britain

   The hour proportion will be the same. Works of reference will be repeated each year.

    

   The course hopes to have the participation of good specialists in each field. In the first one, in 1990, we will have the participation of Dr. Eila Campbell, Professor Emeritus of History of Cartography at the University of London and of Dr. Monique Pelletier, Conservateur en Chef of the Departement des Cartes et Plans of the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris, dealing with History of Cartography (4 h.) and map-library aspects (4 h.) , respectively, as also Montserrat Galera, Head of CTC, who will lecture on the basic cartographical works of reference (1 h.) and the cartography of Catalonia (1 h.).

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