Welcome Volunteers (and those thinking about it)!
Summarized below is a list of the expectations of our State Coordinators. If you are thinking about picthing in and helping with the project, please be sure the read these so you can make an informed decision. We truly look forward to you joining the team! If you are interested in joining, please drop an email to Rebecca Maloney with your contact information and which state(s) you'd like to pick up!
Overview of Coordinator Duties Our basic goal is to get maps online that are useful to genealogists, so being SMC (State Map Coordinator) would involve pretty much that. We are currently in the process of getting up at least a few maps for each state, and creating indexes for them.
Keep your site backed-up, and try to keep the map sizes small enough to fit on a floppy disk. Make sure they are non-copyrighted, or get written permission. There are “nuances” to getting the right compression on a jpg, and don’t hesitate to ask for help in that arena. It is very easy to ruin a perfect map by using the wrong techniques for saving it.
Try not to overwrite any of the files in the main directory, but if you do, contact Rebecca Maloney immediately. There is a copy in the “zzbackup” directory if you can handle the replacement yourself.
Look for maps that fit your state’s needs. Encourage contributions. Ask questions. Give answers. Make suggestions. Do good work. Have fun.
E-Mail List
Page DesignAll state pages are being established having a similar appearance. This is intended to keep us user friendly. Please don’t use frames. Plan pages for the handicapped and older browsers. Here are some links to pages with information that will guide you on good design.
Viewable With Any Browser Campaign - http://www.anybrowser.org/campaign/abdesign.shtml
Resources on Accessible Web Design - http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/web-design.html
Courtesy LinksEach state map page should link back to the main US Digital Maps Library page, the Archives page for that state, the main state USGenWeb® Project page, and to RootsWeb. If a public domain map is obtained from a site such as the Library of Congress, a courtesy link should be placed with the map link.
Linking to Outside Map FilesSince our basic goal is to Archive maps, it defeats our purpose to link to maps all over the Internet. Try to obtain permission to upload them to our Archives. Links to maps within the Archives system is okay... i.e., anything within the ~USGenWeb®/ directory.
GraphicsSmall graphics are okay, but don’t use a lot of useless graphics such as decorations, or “awards”. The maps are size-intensive enough. No user wants to wait for 5 minutes for an index to download. There will be a special page made for the entire project, if we get any prestigious awards.
CopyrightsWe strictly follow the U. S. Copyright laws. Be sure to review the inforomation regarding copyrights on the Submissions page.
Modern Made MapsModern made maps (such as migration patterns, etc.) that are based on good solid research are highly welcome. As a matter of fact, we could use a coordinator just for this specific project. Don’t forget to get any permissions and/or courtesy links needed.
Multi State MapsSome maps display more than one state. KY and TN is a common combination. These maps can be placed in the /usa/usmaps/ directory for all relevant states to use, or you can put them in your own directory. (and everyone can use them from there.)
Out TeamThis project is for team players only. We are all here to work towards a common good and common goal. Please keep the spirit of giving and patience when interacting with each other and with the national coordinator.
State Coordinators
Current VolunteersHere is the list of our current volunteers and the states they support:
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State/Project Map Coordinator Indian Cessions Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Dick Sevier Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Dick Sevier Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada Joy Fisher New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Joy Fisher Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
