Librarians Receive Grant to Explore Geography Education

Emma Slayton and Jessica Benner, GIS Specialists at the University Libraries at Carnegie Mellon University, recently received a grant to explore the role of libraries in geography and GIS education from the National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE). A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage and present all types of geographical data. It can be used to create maps that display information to researchers and the public in an engaging way. GIS is an essential part of introducing individuals to concepts such as where things are, how places connect with each other physically and how people can interact with spaces. Librarians can help researchers and students expand their knowledge of how geography plays into their research, as well as their everyday lives. "When students are given the opportunity to map their experiences, they better understand their world and their place in it," said Benner. The NCRGE grant will allow Slayton and Benner to convene a research group, comprising a network of libraries, data centers and educators to develop a research agenda that focuses on assessing how the nontraditional teaching activities that occur in libraries can feed into and support existing methods of teaching about GIS and geography.