Success stories: user spotlights
County Clerk’s Office, Chautauqua County, New York

OCLC Preservation Service Centers preserved a collection of historic 19th and 20th century maps on preservation microfilm for the County of Chautauqua’s Office of the County Clerk. The maps, held by the County and the Chautauqua County Historical Society, depict infrastructure, land development, topography, census data and other information that offers a rich portrait of certain moments in time in Chautauqua County.

The collection includes maps of varying condition on paper, linen, paper on linen, and blueprints, as well as several bound atlases. Some maps are black and white while others are in full color; the map sizes vary as well, with flat maps ranging from 9 x 13 inches ( 22.86 x 33.02 cm) to 42 x 58 inches (106.68 x 147.32 cm) and rolled maps as wide as 37 inches (93.98 cm) and as long as 46 feet (14.0208 meters).

To meet the challenge of dealing with such a wide variety of formats, sizes, and conditions, Preservation Service Centers used several preservation microfilming methods. When the maps were initially received, we evaluated each map to determine the best possible filming method.

Chautauqua County has limited facilities to view some of the larger maps in their original formats, so the microfilm surrogates simplify viewing and storage as well as provide long-term preservation.