The National Library of Wales
Ordnance Survey Digital Data System goes Live at The National Library
Wed, 09 Jul 08 10:23:00
The National Library of Wales houses over one million maps, which are of great interest to academics and solicitors as well as local and family historians.
‘The new digital data system is of great benefit to the Library, and we are delighted to welcome this excellent resource to our vast maps collection,’ said Andrew Green, Librarian, of The National Library Wales.
The National Library of Wales already has a comprehensive archive of Ordnance Survey mapping, dating back over two centuries; originally received on paper and then microfilm, but 1998 it has been received in digital form. Until 2005, the Ordnance Survey’s Land-Line® digital map data was made available to the public to view for permitted non-commercial purposes on standalone workstations in each Legal Deposit Library. From 2006, the OS MasterMap® Topography Layer has been received, updated by a new snapshot each year on an ongoing basis. All annual snapshots from 1998 to 2007 can now be explored and compared through a user-friendly Viewer.
Ordnance survey offers improved layers of information, allowing more precise recording of landscape change over time.
Further information on the Viewer can be found at:
Notes for Editors
- There are six Legal Deposit Libraries in the United Kingdom and Ireland: the Bodleian Library, Oxford; the British Library, London; Cambridge University Library; the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh; the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth; and Trinity College Dublin.
- The Legal Deposit Libraries are entitled in terms of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 to request a copy of all printed items published in the United Kingdom, and in the Republic of Ireland by reciprocal legislation. This Act continues the basic provisions for print publications established earlier by the Copyright Act 1911, Section 15. Through this legislation, as well as through acquisition and donation, the Libraries have built up comprehensive collections, including Ordnance Survey mapping.
- The new Ordnance Survey map Viewer, developed by Dotted Eyes allows secure extranet access to a central hub server, with viewing strictly controlled through authentication to Viewers in each Library.
- The A4-sized printouts for private, non-commercial use are permitted by the exceptions noted in the Copyright Act. The Libraries’ viewer is not a substitute for Ordnance Survey’s legitimate commercial partner services, and the Libraries charge a fee to cover costs of these printouts.
Further Information
Siôn Jobbins, Press Office LlGC: 01970 632 902 sion.jobbins@llgc.org.uk
