GODORT Connection, Vol. 4, Issue 2

Alabama Library Association Government Documents Round Table September 2021 Volume 4, Issue 2

GODORT Connection Moderator’s Corner

For more information about ALLA’s GODORT, visit : https:// www.allanet.org/government-documents-godort-

As we embark on the 2021-2022 membership year, let me start by saying I am honored to serve as Moderator again with Rickey Best serving as Secretary-Treasurer again. GODORT is a small round table but thanks to the participation and efforts of “the faithful few” we continue to remain active and visible in the greater Alabama Library Association through projects such as the publication of this online newsletter, the hosting of one or two webinars a year, the successful hosting of an annual convention program, and other initiatives.

I am especially pleased to note that both Liza Weisbrod (Auburn University) and Debbie Walker (Gadsden Public Library) are contributing articles to this issue of the GODORT Connection. While I am always happy to write up an article or two, it is nice to be able to step back this time and give others a chance to let their voices be heard. Nota bene: to those reading these words, please consider submitting your own articles relating to government documents when the call goes out for article ideas. You DO NOT have to be working as a Government Documents Librarian to submit ideas and/or articles. Same thing goes for joining GODORT as a member: you DO NOT have to be employed in the Government Documents field. Simply being interested (and paying the small $3 fee listed on the ALLA membership form: visit https://www.allanet.org/ and click on “Membership” and then “Online Membership Form”)) gets you membership in GODORT. I am pleased to note that our membership numbers are up but let’s keep the momentum going!

For now, anyway, the pandemic seems to be somewhat in retreat and things are becoming a bit more normal as more options become available to those who are vaccinated. I look forward to more in-person events – perhaps still wearing a mask – such as Executive Council meetings and the 2022 annual convention. Some things such as round table membership meetings and webinars may well continue via Zoom due to factors such as convenience and limited or non-existent travel budgets. Of course, COVID-19 has not been defeated and both the appearance of yet another dangerous variant (Delta) of the virus and the fact that so many of our fellow Alabamians remain unvaccinated means that it’s too early to break out the champagne. Still, there is more hope now than there was this time last year that we will be able to put the pandemic behind us.

Psychologically, that makes a real difference.

Tim Dodge ALLA Moderator

Inside this issue ALLA GODORT Steering Committee…..…….2 U.S. Census Bureau……………....……......…3 Fire Insurance Maps…..………………….....4-5 Historical Events So Far This Year……....…..6

Officers

Tim Dodge, GODORT Moderator 2020 - 2021 He has been employed at Auburn University Libraries since 1992, starting out as a government documents reference librarian. Since 2000, he has been serving as History and since 2008 as Political Science Subject Specialist in the Reference Department at Auburn.

Tim held previous positions as a special collections librarian and archivist, serials librarian, and reference librarian at the University of New Hampshire (twice) and at Barry University (Miami, Fla.). Tim has held numerous offices in the Alabama Library Association including President (2004-2005) and Moderator-Elect and Moderator of

GODORT in 1994-1996. He has also held numerous offices in the Alabama Association of College and Research Libraries including President (2000—2001 and 2008— 2009), and is currently President of the Southeastern Library Association. Under the name Dr. Hepcat, Tim Dodge has hosted the Golden Oldies radio show on WEGL – Auburn FM 91.1 since May 1998.

His radio career extends back to 1975, and Tim is the author of The School of Arizona Dranes: Gospel Music Pioneer (Lexington Books, 2013). He is also the author of Rhythm and Blues Goes Calypso (Lexington Books, 2019).

OPEN POSITION: GODORT Moderator-Elect, 20192020 We are currently looking for someone to volunteer for the Alabama Library Association’s GODORT Moderator-Elect (ME) position.

According to the GODORT Bylaws, the official role of the Moderator-Elect is as follows: “The Moderator-elect shall perform the duties of the Moderator in the absence of the Moderator; shall be a member of the Steering Committee;

shall be responsible for the program at the annual meeting; shall serve as Membership Chairperson; and shall serve as an aide to the Moderator.”

Furthermore, the ME takes part in the Steering Committee which provides leadership for the round table, which includes meeting regularly.

For more information, contact Tim Dodge at dodgeti@auburn.edu.

Rickey Best, GODORT Secretary 2020 - 2021 Rickey Best has been employed at Auburn University, Montgomery since 1986. He is also the contact for one of the two FDLP Alabama Regional depository libraries—AUM. He received his MLIS from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986. He also has a Masters of Arts degree in Historic Resources Management—Archives from the University of California, Riverside.

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The United States Census Bureau By: Liza Weisbrod, Auburn University

The Census Bureau is the federal government’s largest statistical agency. While the decennial census may be the best-known product of the Census Bureau, the Bureau also collects data on population, housing, businesses, income, poverty, and many other topics on an ongoing basis. The many censuses and surveys that the Census Bureau conducts provide a wealth of information about how the U.S. population lives and works.

With the vast amounts of information available from the Census Bureau, finding and using Census data can be overwhelming.

To help users access this data, the Census Bureau has created data.census.gov, a new platform designed to make census data available from one central place. It replaces American Fact Finder, which was retired in 2020 after almost 20 years. Data.census.gov was designed to simplify how users get data. Instead of disseminating data through multiple websites, the Census Bureau now makes data available from one centralized place so that data users spend less time searching for data content and more time using it.

Data.census.gov allows users to access many different census products from the same interface. The results of the decennial census, a population and housing count conducted every ten years, is available through data.census.gov. The census is required by the Constitution1 and the results are used to determine the number of seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives, draw congressional and state legislative districts, and distribute billions in federal funds. This site also includes the American Community Survey (ACS), an ongoing survey that provides information about housing, demographics, income, and employment along with many other topics on a yearly basis,2 and helps local officials, community leaders, and businesses understand the changes taking place in their communities.

Other instruments such as the Economic Census and the Annual Survey of Manufacturers collect data about businesses and the economy and those results are also included in data.census.gov.3 The Census Bureau has created a number of resources to help users learn to use data.census.gov. The Census Academy provides videos, webinars, and courses. My favorite resources are Data Gems, which are short, focused videos designed for all users.

They cover many different topics and are a great way to get started using data.census.gov. Use these videos to learn to make tables and maps, download data for towns, counties, states, and regions, and learn tips and tricks for using data.census.gov. More detailed training is available through weekly webinars and the Census Bureau will even provide individualized training for groups. Use these tools to take advantage of the wealth of information available from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Image from https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ United_States_Census_Bureau

References 1.U.S. Const., art. I, § 2, cl.

3.

2.For a more complete list see: US Census Bureau, “Subjects Included in the Survey,” The United States Census Bureau, accessed June 11, 2021, https://www.census.gov/ programs-surveys/acs/ guidance/subjects.html 3.For a complete list of datasets available through data.census.gov, see https://ask.census.gov/ prweb/ PRServletCustom? pyActivity=pyMobileSnapStart&A rticleID=KCP-5489 .

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Taking a Second Look at Fire Insurance Maps

By Debbie Walker, Gadsden Public Library Gadsden Public Library recently acquired a new database, called Historical Information Gatherers, that streamlines searches through old fire insurance maps (published by The Sanborn Company and others).

This database allows you to enter a specific street address and then marks that location with a red pushpin which simplifies the comparison of locations for different map periods.

Sanborn Fire Insurance maps (“Sanborn Map”) have been used through the years for their value in detailed building design and placement within a city. However, there is quite a lot of information to be found in the notes included in these maps in addition to the map value.

Historians find the transition of property lines and placement of buildings, environmental researchers can locate potential hazards such as underground gasoline tanks and track the erosion of coastlines from hurricanes and natural weather patterns. The first page of any Sanborn Map set includes population information, prevailing winds, available water sources, firefighters and firefighting equipment.

The particular use of a building was often noted for potential hazards such as stables containing hay and straw which would probably burn more quickly than a similarly-constructed building. Stables were marked with a large “X” drawn across it. The form of occupancy also could be helpful for example; churches were generally vacant through the week, while buildings marked “F.B.” (female boarding) indicated a red-light district and generally there would always be someone available to signal for help.

For example, 400 Broad Street was the site of the original Etowah County Courthouse in Gadsden. Although there are a few artists’ renderings of the first courthouse built in 1871, an actual photograph has not been located. This courthouse was torn down in 1890 when the second courthouse was built. Without photographic evidence, it has been subject to debate about the exact location of the first and second courthouses on the 300 block of Broad Street between 4 th Street and Lawyer’s Alley (now known as Court Street).

First Etowah County Courthouse in Gadsden, AL. Image retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/ photos/ boston_public_library/7372463038

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The Sanborn Map for Gadsden, Alabama, from June 1888, shows a square brick building with a cupola in the center, “windows all around” and positioned about halfway between Broad Street and Locust Street.

There is a well on the Lawyer’s Alley side for comparison. Looking to the 1899 Sanborn Map for Gadsden, the courthouse is located nearer to Broad Street and the well is no longer on the side of the building, but is now seen in a vacant space to the rear of the building. The footprint of the building also is different from the 1888 Courthouse which shows inset windows on either side, a brick portico at the Broad Street side and the clock tower on the corner of Broad and 4 th Streets.

Another interesting observation made in downtown Gadsden is on the corner of 7th and Broad Streets. In 1915, First Baptist Church is shown on the northeast corner and the Carnegie Public Library across 7th Street on the northwest corner. Looking forward to the Sanborn Map from 1943, both First Baptist Church and the Public Library have been torn down and a filling station with three gasoline tanks are shown on the northeast corner of Broad and 7 th Streets. Even more interesting is that today, that corner is a vacant lot with no obvious evidence of the possible gasoline tanks still remaining underground.

A closer review of the notes included in the Sanborn Maps reveals a wealth of information.

On the first page of the 1910 Sanborn Map, details about the fire department even contain the condition of fire hoses: “3000 ft 2½” cotton jacket hose in good condition, 2000 ft 2½” cotton jacket hose in fair condition.”

For More Information:  

  

FIMo Brochure.

Website for Historical Information Gatherers.

FIMo Website.

Resources & Articles.

Sanborn Fire Maps from the Library of Congress.

On the sheet showing Dwight Cotton Mill, Lake Ivan Abdul is shown with a capacity of 7,500,000 gallons and is “fed by never failing mountain streams.” Looking at this area today, there is no indication of a lake of any size (other than a street named “Lakefront Street”).

Gadsden Car Works, a railroad car manufacturing plant was located on North 12th Street at the foot of Lookout Mountain. The 1915 Sanborn Map contains an additional note about the security of this facility which advises that there is a night watchman who made “half-hourly rounds” and also a night and Sunday engineer. Fire prevention information outlines there is an “organized fire department among employees. 5 companies of 6 men each” and they perform weekly drills. The private fire alarm system has 15 stations which consist of “electric push buttons in break-glass boxes.” When the alarm is sounded, the number of the station is announced in the Engine room and a whistle calls the men. Very detailed information about 23 “standard double fire hydrants,” water barrels and iron fire pails.

Considering the value of added information discovered in Sanborn Maps for the Gadsden area, it might be worthwhile to take a closer look at maps from other locations throughout Alabama. Some information is truly hidden in plain sight.

For More Information: https://fims.historicalinfo.com/FIMSSearchMap.aspx

Image 1 of Sanborn Fire Maps, Library of Congress. Retrieved from http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/ g3974am.g3974am_g000021926

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Historical Anniversaries: Sept—Dec 2021 Alabama Library Association GODORT Provides a forum for librarians working with government documents. Objectives also include the promotion of availability, use and

bibliographic control of documents; and the promotion of communication between documents librarians and other librarians.

GODORT is an affiliate of the American Library Association.

Membership is open to any member of the Association who subscribes to the objectives of the roundtable.

Submit Your Work

September  20th Anniversary of the September 11th Attacks — September 11, 2001  175th Anniversary of the discovery of Neptune — September 23, 1846

October  130th Anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty — October 28, 1886 November  100th Anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — November 11, 1921.  80th Anniversary of the modern Thanksgiving — November 26, 1941 December  80th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor — December 7, 1941  75th Anniversary of founding of UNICEF — December 11, 1946  170th Anniversary of the Library of Congress Fire — December 24, 1851  55th Anniversary of the first celebration of Kwanzaa — December 26, 1966.

Do you have an interesting experience with local, state or federal government information? Write up an article and share it with us!

Do you have an idea for an article, but don’t have time to write one?

You can send it to:

Image from https:// www.flickr.com/photos/ soulofchristmascom/342794044

Tim Dodge: dodgeti@auburn.edu Kelly Wilson: kelly.m.wilson2011@gmail. com

Image from https:// www.flickr.com/photos/ pingnews/272548043

Image from https:// www.army.mil/article/210343/ tomb_of_the_unknown_soldier_h ad_its_origins_in_world_war_i

Image from https:// upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/commons/b/b2/ Statue_of_Liberty__4621961395.jpg