You Are Here: Using Google Maps To Bring Out Your Library's Local Collections

摘要

Librarians use online mapping services such asrnGoogle Maps, MapQuest, Yahoo Maps, and others to check traffic conditions, find local businesses, and provide directions. However, few libraries are using one of Google Maps most outstanding applications, My Maps, for the creation of enhanced and interactive multimedia maps.rnMy Maps is a simple and free means of adding valuable content to any library web site. It lets you construct maps with added text, images, and short movies and then embed those maps just about anywhere. It used to be necessary to know the basics of HTML, JavaScript, XML, and/or PHP to create an interactive Google Map, but My Maps makes it nearly as easy as using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. My Maps was developed by Google to be "so easy even a caveman could do it," according to the Official Google Blog. Adding a marker to a map is an intuitive process of dragging and dropping. Simply click on one of the three types of markers (icon, line, or shape), and click again to drop the marker on a desired location. Three menu options to insert descriptions then become available once a marker is positioned: Plain text (like Notepad), Rich text (a simple editor that allows different types of alignment, text decoration, color, etc.), and Edit HTML (the most powerful editor, wonderful if you know the basics of HTML).