The term 'newsletter' has been defined widely here. Some titles are
simultaneously newsletters and journals, for example the IMCoS Map Journal, Mapline and The Portolan (which
therefore appear both here and on the Journals page). All the titles listed here
combine local/society news with at least some elements of wider interest.
This page has the following main purposes:-
to make people aware of these newsletters, many of which are little
known
to highlight the broader value of some of their content
to identify those which are freely available (gratifyingly, a number
- indicated with (*) in the Contents -
are already freely available online and it is hoped that others will
follow in future)
to urge research and university libraries to consider acquiring these
titles, where that is possible and, where it is not, to become members
(thus providing access to these newsletters for researchers)
For several societies and organisations, its newsletter/journal provides
the main benefit of membership. They are understandably reluctant to
give this away free. However, they might want to consider mounting on
the web a sample issue, or sample elements (as is done by the Road Map Collectors Association).
Alternatively, might there be some way that the general elements in these
newsletters (rather than the local and specific ones), which collectively
make a valuable contribution to map collecting or to the history of
cartography, could be shared? If any of the articles were mounted on the
web [and hence included
in the Web Articles pages] this would
provide excellent publicity for the society concerned.
Another possibility would be for somebody to compile and maintain an
index to newsletter articles (so that users know what to seek in a research
library). A further thought would be to seek some form of syndication
among the newsletter/journals of material that has general interest. Their
current readership presumably has little overlap, since most people
belong to just one society. Certainly, the present
arrangements mean that much valuable material misses a large part of its
potential audience.
Some of the newsletter-type information can also be found via titles
listed on the Journals page:
Map Forum, Caert-Thresoor
(Dutch) and Cartographica Helvetica (German-language). For
other sources, see the News page.
In the entries that follow, links are made to the listing of 'Map Societies around
the World', maintained by James Speed Hensinger.
ANTIQUE MAP
SOCIETY OF JAPAN (Nihon Kotizu Gakkai)
[NB. The society dissolved in May 2007. It is hoped that it can be relaunched]
Newsletter/Journal Title: [Journal]: 'Antique Map' (Kochizu
Kenkyu); [Newsletter]: 'Newsletter on Old Map Research' - both in
Japanese
Frequency: [Journal]: annual; [Newsletter]: six a year
Format/Pages: [Journal]: A4, 36-48 pp.; [Newsletter]: A4, 4-12 pp.
Content (features of wider interest): [Journal]: articles, short
notes, reviews; [Newsletter]: short notes on, and reproductions of, old
Japanese maps, exhibition, reviews
Accessible to non-members?: It appears that the Journal can be
bought separately
Start date:
[Journal]: 1970; [Newsletter]: 1995
Contents list/Index:
ISSN:
'Map Societies Around the World': click here for the
relevant page
Comment: The Society is "successor to Nippon Chizu Shiruo Kyokai (The Japan Map
Material
Association) which was in existence for a quarter of a century and
published 300 issues of the periodical Study of Antique Maps (in
Japanese)"
Newsletter/Journal
Title: Maps in History
(in English) [the title 'Maps in History' was added to the original title 'BIMCC Newsletter' for No.42 (January 2012)]
Frequency: Three times a year
Format/Pages: A4; 44 pp.
Content (features of
wider interest): short articles on history of cartography subjects, reports on BIMCC meetings and those held elsewhere,
exhibitions, book reviews, calendar of exhibitions and events, auction results
Accessible to non-members?: see
Maps in History for a pdf version of the issue
published over 12 months previously. Members also receive a monthly email notice, 'WhatsMap', with hyperlinks to the website.
Start date: 1998 (as the Brussels International Map Collectors'
Circle - name changed in May 2012)
Contents list/Index: The 'Special Issue' (April 2008, pp.9-16) includes a series of indexes to the first
30 issues (1998-2008), arranged by themes and area. See also the online listing of Titles of articles (arranged by broad themes)
ISSN: 1379-3306
'Map Societies Around the World': click here
for the relevant page
Content (features of wider interest): includes occasional articles
(in English and French) contributed by the History of Cartography,
Special Interest Group
Accessible to non-members?:
Start date: newsletter (1975- ), renamed 'Cartouche' in 1990
Newsletter/Journal Title: Geostorie, Bollettino e notiziario del
Centro Italiano...
Frequency: quarterly
Format/Pages: 24 cm (height); c. 40 pp.
Content (features of wider interest): articles on the histories of
cartography, geography and exploration; bibliography, news about
exhibitions and meetings
Accessible to non-members?:
Start date: 1992
Contents list/Index:
ISSN:
Contact details: Prof. Carla Masetti, Centro Italiano per gli
Studi Storico-Geografici, Piazza della Repubblica, 10, I-00185 Roma,
Italy. Phone: 06-545771; Fax: 06-5457490
Content (features of wider interest): articles, bibliography
Accessible to non-members?: single issues can be purchased
separately, contact the Secretary - email: lecfc@multimania.com
Start date: 1958
Contents list/Index:
ISSN: 0755-7647 [for the earlier Bulletin du CFC]; a new ISSN
will be issued for Le Monde des Cartes
Comment: one issue a year includes the proceedings of the 'journée
d'études', organised each year by the CFC's Commisssion "Histoire";
the present title replaced the earlier Bulletin du CFC in March
2002
Frequency: continuously updated and archived annually - edited by Dr.
Zsolt Török
Format/Pages: webpages
Content (features of wider interest): articles and news on Hungarian
map history in Hungarian and English, and international news (e.g. notes
on exhibitions and publications) in Hungarian
Accessible to non-members?: online
Start date: 2000
Contents list/Index:
ISSN:
Comment: mounted on the web with the agreement of the Hungarian
Society for Geodesy, Cartography and Remote Sensing: Historical
Commission
Newsletter/Journal Title: [NB. As of March 2008, the Newsletter seems to
be in abeyance. It is apparently not possible to retrieve previous issues.]
Frequency: intermittent
Format/Pages: variable
Content (features of wider interest): progress towards the creation
of 'scholars' guide to the major references on the history of National
Mapping Agencies'
< http://archive.ifla.org/VII/s6/index.htm > INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION
OF LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS (IFLA), SECTION OF GEOGRAPHY AND
MAP LIBRARIES
Content (features of wider interest): feature articles, reports on
meetings, reviews, letters, news and notes, and occasional 'Bulletins',
offering "practical aids to the collector"
Accessible to non-members?:
Start date: 1980
Contents list/Index: Index 1980-94 (sold separately)
ISSN:
'Map Societies Around the World': click here for the
relevant page
Newsletter/Journal Title: Malta Map Society Journal (first issued in November 2015, replacing the 'Newsletter' that
started in 2010)
Frequency:
Format/Pages:
Content (features of wider interest): articles on the history of Maltese cartography, reports on
MMS meetings and those held elsewhere, exhibitions, book reviews, etc.
Accessible to non-members?:
Start date: November 2015
Contents list/Index:
ISSN: 2412 1622
'Map Societies Around the World': click here for the
relevant page
Frequency: currently 3 issues annually, then bi-annual
Format/Pages: A4; 12-20 pp.
Content (features of wider interest): feature articles, reports,
meeting and conference notices, book reviews
Accessible to non-members?: Anyone can subscribe. NB. Starting with issue 127 (Fall 2017) the
newsletter is being distributed electronically to those on a mailing list
Start date: 1976
Contents list/Index: Contents
list (1976- , including a few online elements from 2001)
Newsletter/Journal Title: Datum [also the New Zealand Map Society Journal]. Note that in
March 2009 the Australian Map Circle and the New Zealand Map Society merged to become the Australian and New
Zealand Map Society Inc. (ANZMapS). Datum has presumably been absorbed into the ANZMapS Newsletter.
Frequency: twice-yearly
Format/Pages: A5; varies
Content (features of wider interest):
Accessible to non-members?: online [starting with No.23, November 2005, or just the latest issue?]
Frequency: Intermittent (but normally three times a year)
Format/Pages: A4; approx. 8 pp.
Content (features of wider interest): general North American and
Library of Congress news; LC 'selected acquisitions'; also publishes
'Occasional Papers'
(1998 onwards)
Accessible to non-members?: online since 2012 (vol.10, no.1), otherwise upon request from libraries and other
societies
Start date: 1996
Contents list/Index:
ISSN:
'Map Societies Around the World': click here for the
relevant page
Content (features of wider interest): the final issue included a
further 4-page 'Summary Report 1996-2001' detailing the contents of the 5
seminars and 10 newsletters
Accessible to non-members?: on application to the National
Library of
Scotland Map
Library
Content (features of wider interest): aimed at curators of image
collections in The Netherlands: notes on institutions, exhibitions and
brief book reviews - some of which relate to maps
Accessible to non-members?: online between November 2000 and November 2002
Content (features of wider interest): feature articles, reports on
meetings (including those elsewhere), calendar of exhibitions and meetings, list of websites, 'cartographic notes'
and 'Recent Publications'
Accessible to non-members?: Single copies or sets of past issues can be purchased from the Editor <
PortolanEditor(at)wmsdc.org > [NB. You need to replace (at) with the @ symbol].
Start date: 1984
Contents list/Index: 'Cumulative Index of Contents' and 'Chronological Table of Contents' -
both online
Members have
access to meeting videos online, as well as online access to all past and current issues of The Portolan
Annual Student Writing Award – The Ristow Prize – offers US $1,000 to winner
ISSN: 1096-1925
'Map Societies Around the World': click here for the relevant page
