What is the Washington Map
Society?
The
Washington Map Society, located in Washington, DC, is one of
the premier map societies in the world. It began in 1979 as a small,
informal group interested in cartography, cartographic history, and
collecting maps. Since then it has expanded its interests to include
modern cartographic concerns. Its membership is now approaching 400,
but it has retained the feel of a small informal group.
Who can join the Washington Map
Society?
Membership is open to
anyone interested in maps, and our members come from all walks of
life. Maps have an appeal which extends well beyond those who work
with them, and many members have no professional connection to
cartography. For others, maps have played a central role. Some
are/were academics, archivists, librarians, or cartographers, or
served in a diplomatic, military, or intelligence capacity. Whatever
your background, you'll find a place in the WMS.
What are the benefits of membership in the Washington
Map Society?
You can attend
interesting lectures; learn about and from map collectors, dealers,
and professionals; take behind-the-scene tours of public and private
collections and exhibits; learn about resources at the Library of
Congress and elsewhere; receive our journal and membership directory;
and support worthwhile cartographic projects, such as the Ristow
Prize.
How is the Washington Map Society
run?
The WMS is an all-volunteer society and has
no paid employees. A board of officers and
directors are nominated by a committee composed of non-board
members. WMS members interested in serving on the board
should make this known to the nominations committee. Elections are
held at the annual business meeting each spring. A president,
vice-president, secretary, and treasurer are elected by name. By
custom, the vice-president acts as Program Chairman. The previous
year's president is automatically a board member. Appointed by the
board are the journal editor, membership chair, Ristow Prize chair,
and other portfolios as needed.
What kind of journal does the Society
have?
We are very proud of our journal, The
Portolan. It is published three times a year, and recent
editions have run approximately 80 pages. Each issue features
research articles. It also includes an account of speakers'
presentations, book reviews, and a list of recent cartographic works.
It contains WMS news, a schedule of events, openings of
events and exhibits, useful web sites, etc. The Portolan is
purchased by 30 institutions, including six national libraries,
(e.g., the British Library, the Bibliothèque nationale de
France) and the libraries of Yale, Harvard, Brown, and other fine US
schools.
What is the Ristow Prize?
Since 1994 the
Society has offered the Ristow Prize
to an outstanding academic research paper in the fields of
cartographic history. It honors Walter W. Ristow, one of America's
preeminent cartographic historians, former Chief of the Library of
Congress Geography and Map Division, and the Society's founding
president. The winner, and sometimes other outstanding entries, are
published in The Portolan. We have been delighted with the
quality of entries submitted each year.
When and where does the Society
meet?
The Society has
eight or nine meetings each year between September and May. Most
meetings are held in the Geography
and Map Division of the Library of Congress in the Madison
Building on Capitol Hill. Meetings are scheduled to meet the
speaker's availability. They begin at 7 PM, usually on Thursday.
Members often arrive early to socialize or to look at maps related to
the night's presentation, laid out by the Library staff. The speaker
is the centerpiece of the meeting. There may be some brief
announcements but no business meeting as such. The speaker's portion
usually lasts about an hour, plus questions. We are done by 8:30 or
soon after. Our annual dinner is held in May each year at a
restaurant or club in the DC area. It features a social hour, dinner,
election of next year's officers, and after-dinner address. The
address is usually given by the out-going President.
Who speaks at meetings and what do they talk about?
Our
speakers are drawn from many sources. Some are international figures
in cartography, such as Norman J.W. Thrower, the late David Woodward,
Alice Hudson, Ralph Ehrenberg, and Dennis Reinhartz. Another category
is recently published authors who discuss their work. Other speakers
are drawn from the many academics who come to the Library of Congress
to do research. Another rich source is the Washington Map Society
itself, as many members are respected authorities in their fields.
Indeed, several of the five "international figures" cited
above are Society members.
It's hard to summarize the topics because the variety is so great. Talks on regions and periods are very popular, such as the critical first decades of African cartography, or the early cartography of Canada. Others focus on mapmakers, such as Herman Moll, Civil War battlefield mapmakers, or early women in cartography. Some talks explore specific maps, such as a controversial early map of the Hudson's Bay area. Some discuss types of cartography, e.g., early aviation maps. Commercial topics are addressed, such as changes in the world of commercial cartography, or an insider's look at running a gallery selling antique maps. Still others address technical subjects, such as land use mapping, satellite surveys, etc. These examples hardly cover the diversity of topics but give an idea of their breadth and depth.
Are there other Society
activities?
We usually have one or two field trips per
year. Some feature a conference or exhibit, such as a symposium at
the Library of Virginia on the cartographic history of the state.
Other trips feature more permanent topics, such as old atlases at the
Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, or a trip to visit the collection
of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Members are also invited to occasional events of cartographic interest in the DC area. These have included receptions and/or exhibit openings at the Library of Congress, various national embassies, and George Washington University. We participated in many events for the centennial celebration of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress, including a gala reception, panel discussions, and tour of Washington, DC, from a cartographic perspective.
What is the Society's
relationship to the Library of Congress?
There is no
formal link between the Library of Congress and the Washington
Map Society, but there has always been a close informal
relationship between the Society and the Library's Geography
and Map Division. This is a great benefit because the Division is the
largest and finest map library in the world. Division employees were
instrumental in the formation of our Society. We are fortunate to
meet in their Reading Room at the Madison Building, where staffers
often lay out maps related to the presentation from the Library's
collections.
I don't live in the DC area. Is it still worthwhile to
belong to the Washington Map Society?
We
have a remarkable number of members - nearly half - who live outside
greater Washington area. A few live in distant parts of Maryland or
Virginia, but most are in about 35 other states. Over two dozen are
outside the United States. Thus a substantial portion of our members
find it worthwhile to belong despite their distance from DC. The
quality and scope of The Portolan is undoubtedly
instrumental to this.
There are, however, more intangible but compelling reasons to belong. There is the sense of membership in an extended cartographic family, invaluable for the map aficionado with no local contacts. Another reason is that you may someday visit Washington and the Library of Congress, either for research or as a tourist. If you time your visit to coincide with a meeting, you can attend an event at which you can meet interesting people and make useful contacts. Even if the timing does not work out, if you will let the Membership Chair know in advance, it may be possible to connect you with a local member who shares your interests.
Will I still find the Washington Map
Society useful and interesting if I don't have
an extensive background involving maps or cartography?
Many
of our members start out exactly that way. They join simply because
they have an interest in maps, for whatever reason. It may be through
an interest in history, whether general, local, or family history.
Still other members find old maps to be works of art and beauty. Many
begin as collectors.
Many members who began without formal cartographic backgrounds are now among our most knowledgeable members. A few current examples include physicians, art historians, engineers, physicists, attorneys, military officers, a CEO, and so on. If you have even a mild specific interest, e.g., maps of Iowa, you may already be the person in the Society who knows more about that subject than anyone else. That interest will lead to related areas, e.g., to maps of the Midwest, then to how the US was mapped, then to US cartographic history in general. Each of us in the Society has grown along a different path, and you are certain to find your own.
Are there any other reasons to join?
People
who become part of the map community often remark that their peers in
that community are some of the most interesting people they have ever
met. Whatever it is that has led them to their interest in maps has
often also led them to go places and do things which are very much
out of the ordinary and we feel our members have found this to be
true as well.
How much are the dues and what do they cover?
Annual
dues are currently set at $45 (postage is extra outside the United
States). This covers three issues of The Portolan plus all
regular meetings. There is no charge for guests. The cost of the
annual dinner is extra, as are costs connected with field trips, such
as transportation, admission, etc. The membership
application form also contains a space for voluntary donations.
What are donations used for?
Donations are
important to us for two reasons. The first is to supplement our dues.
The Society strives to keep its dues as low as possible. The
growth of The Portolan and the increase in layout and
printing prices over the past several years have necessitated dues
increases, but we want to insure that Society membership dues stays
within reach of all those who want it. Donations help make that
possible. Second, our non-profit designation from the Internal
Revenue Service requires that we raise a portion of our income from
contributions rather than dues. Even a small donation can be useful
in helping us meet this need.
For more information, visit the Washington Map Society web site at http://www.washmap.org,