As contributors to the Montana Memory Project website hosted by the Montana State Library, the archivist and archives technicians have begun publishing the Yellowstone maps, plans, and drawings online. The goal was to bring the maps to the public for those who are interested in research while highlighting the creativity and uniqueness of the collection. On the Montana Memory Project website, materials from the Heritage and Research Center archives come alive.
Getting the maps onto the internet requires considerations for preservation, conservation, and digitization. A common storage technique for users of maps is to roll them tightly and secure them with a rubber band (much like how you took home your first concert poster).
NPS photo, Kimberlee Roberts photographer
However convenient, in an archive maps are stored in flat files to preserve the integrity of the paper fibers in addition to the information. An easy remedy to flatten rolled maps is to mechanically flatten the fibers of the paper by placing cloth weights filled with lead along the outside of the map (seen in the middle of the above photograph). Yet, some maps that are brought to the Heritage and Research Center have spent many years rolled and stored in countless facilities across the Park and need more help relaxing. This is where the humidification chamber (read: map spa) comes in handy.
NPS photo, Kimberlee Roberts photographer
Built by a conservator for the purpose of re-humidifying large format rolled maps, the humidification chamber works by enclosing a map of cellulose content over and suspended from a hot, damp cloth placed at the bottom. Over time, the heat and condensation from the cloth will fill the chamber and slowly be absorbed into the cellulose of the paper relaxing the fibers and releasing the map. After several hours in the chamber maps are then removed and mechanically flattened and air dried.
Understandably, maps of varying conditions make their way to the Heritage and Research Center after decades of field and office use. Prior to digitizing damaged maps, some conservation techniques for mending and cleaning paper are used to stabilize the structure of the map. Often, for preservation, delicate or heavily used maps are placed into mylar sleeves (an archival plastic material) for digitization and long-term storage.
NPS photo, Kimberlee Roberts photographer
The Yellowstone maps, plans, and drawings collection is available online through the Montana Memory Project (mtmemory.org). To view materials in person, please check our webpage for hours and alerts or email us at e-mail us. Further information about the archives and what we have in our collection can be found on the archives webpage.
Quick Facts:
- The Yellowstone Maps and Drawings collection includes unique and rare maps, plans and drawings of roads, trails, and structures from Yellowstone, the world's first National Park and a world heritage site
- Dates for the collection range from 1883-2010
- There are 8,000 maps and counting in this collection
- The majority of the collection is related to the design, construction, and management of the park’s infrastructure since 1916