GIS Day at Seattle Public Library

[Joan Johnson]

For Immediate Publication
October 25, 1999

Contact Information
Joan Johnson, GIS Librarian
Seattle Public Library
(206)386-4177
joan.johnson at spl.org

REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY
Seattle Public Library Sponsors Geography Awareness Week & GIS Day
celebrations.

The Magazines, Newspapers & Government Publications department announces
its GIS Open House, November 19, 1999.  GIS Day is November 19, the last
day of Geography Awareness Week (November 15-19), and sponsored by the
National Geographic Society and the American Association of Geographers.

A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for mapping
and analyzing objects and events.  It combines the power of a database
with the visualization capabilities offered by maps.  Businesses, schools,
governments, and organizations use GIS for a wide variety of applications.
There are currently about half a million GIS users in the world, but most
of the public is unaware of this growing technology.

Join us for demonstrations of ArcView GIS software throughout the day.
Learn how this powerful tool can be used in planning for your organization
and to solve everyday problems.

Events at the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library will be as follows:

9:30 a.m.	ArcView demonstration and geo-coding exercise for
		Washington Middle School students
10:30 a.m.	Instructor-led mapping exercise for Washington Middle
		School students
12:30 p.m.	Tour of Central Library Map Collection for Washington
		Middle School students
12:30 p.m.	ArcView demonstration for the general public
Open Hours	Explore the GIS public-access workstation to view City of
		Seattle data and maps located on the 2nd floor in the
		Magazines, Newspapers and Government Publications department

All demonstrations will be approximately 45 minutes long and will take
place in the Community Learning Lab on the 3rd Floor at Central Library.
The Library is located at 1000 4th Avenue between Spring and Madison
streets.

There will also be a map exhibit throughout the Library and tours of the
Map Collection throughout the week.  Please watch for flyers containing more
details or call the Magazines, Newspapers and Government Publications
Department at (206) 386-4686.

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