By Merrill Stein

Image courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanborn_maps

Sanborn Digital Maps, 1867-1970 (ProQuest), provide access to more than 660,000 Sanborn maps, produced over a century, charting the growth, layout and development of more than 12,000 American towns and cities. Originally produced in color, these black and white Sanborn maps are large-scale plans of a city or town, drawn at a scale of fifty feet to an inch. They were created to assist fire insurance companies as they assessed the risk associated with insuring a particular property. The maps list street blocks and building numbers including numbers in use at the time the map was made and previous numbers. A legend has also been added to assist with interpretation of the black and white maps.

Although Sanborn maps today have minimal interest for the fire insurance industry, municipal governments are Sanborn’s best customers today. Engineering and architectural concerns are also significant purchasers of corrected Sanborn maps. The maps can be useful for geography and urban planning, ancestry, history and policy studies.

For additional information and history about Sanborn maps, visit the ProQuest guide and the Library of Congress Introduction to the Sanborn Map Collection. Access the Sanborn Digital Maps, 1867-1970 (ProQuest) trial under Falvey Library’s Databases A to Z. Access the Sanborn Digital Maps, 1867-1970 (ProQuest) trial under Falvey Library’s Databases A to Z, until Nov. 4.

Merrill Stein is Political Science Librarian at Falvey Memorial Library.

Laurie Ortiz Rivera, Social Science Librarian.

“Librarians want to help students, professors, and researchers. Our profession is service oriented. All questions are necessary, not asking or talking about your questions is the obstacle to resolve.”

Laurie Ortiz Rivera recently joined Research Services and Scholarly Engagement (RSSE) as the Social Science Librarian. RSSE works to “support research, teaching, and learning at Villanova University; enabling the discovery of, access to, and stewardship of a vast array of scholarly resources.” Ortiz Rivera’s first day as Social Sciences Librarian was Monday, July 25. She is the Social Science Liaison Librarian for History, Art History, Education, and Counseling. “My academic background and academic librarian experience provide me with the competencies to work with different disciplines in social sciences and humanities,” says Ortiz Rivera.

Ortiz Rivera was born in Puerto Rico and worked in special and academic libraries in areas such as architecture and education at the University of Puerto Rico until 2022. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Anthropology from the University of Puerto Rico, a master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Puerto Rico, a master’s degree in Management with Specialization in Management of Business (Nonprofit & Public Management) from Cambridge College, and a PhD in Documentation from Carlos III University of Madrid.

The opportunity to develop the information and research skills of academic students led Ortiz Rivera to Falvey Memorial Library. “I knew about Villanova University’s educational offerings and prestigious background, so I searched for job opportunities. Later, I received a notification from one of my job lists, and I discovered the Social Sciences Liaison Librarian position at Falvey Memorial Library. The opportunity fits with my background and my interests.”

She feels her academic librarian experience will help inform her new role. “As a member of the Library’s social sciences team, I participate in a collaborative model of general research support. Among others, I create instructional materials to secure information access for in-person and distance learners in my areas of specialization. I work with a fantastic library team in reference services. We work together to have an interface with stakeholders inside and outside the library to build essential relationships and establish a foundation for successful research support, collection development, and information literacy instruction.”

Ortiz Rivera is looking forward to collaborating with the Villanova University community. “The Social Sciences Liaison Librarian contributes to the development and delivery of strategic, high-quality, virtual and in-person services to advance teaching, learning, research, and scholarship. My work is outreach, information literacy instruction, research support, and collection development in history, art history, education, and counseling. As a subject specialist, I meet with students and faculty to assist them with: Research consultations, information literacy instructions, instructional resources, collection development, library databases, search queries or keyword selection, finding cited sources, citing sources following Chicago style and APA style, literature reviews, locating primary sources, locating secondary sources, and interlibrary loans.”

In her free time, Ortiz Rivera enjoys learning about different cultures. “I like watching international movies based on historical events and documentaries, especially Latin America and the Caribbean. I love to travel and make friends.” She recommends Research within the Disciplines: Foundations for Reference and Library Instruction by Peggy Keeran and others for graduate students looking to add another book to their summer reading list.

Be sure to stop by the Library and say hello! Ortiz Rivera is also meeting students on Zoom. Her office is located in the Learning Commons on the second floor of Falvey Memorial Library in room 229. Telephone: 610-519-3907. Email: laurie.ortizrivera@villanova.edu. To schedule an appointment with Ortiz Rivera, visit her webpage.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.