1)
Personal Data:
Christopher J.J. Thiry
1911 Sage Drive
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 273-3697
cjjt98@yahoo.com
2)
Education:
Masters of Information and Library Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI,
May 1992.
Bachelor of Arts, history concentration, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, May
1989.
Exchange Student, American Field Service (AFS) International/Intercultural
Exchange, Unna, Germany, August 1984-July 1985.
3)
Employment History:
Map Librarian, Associate Librarian, Colorado School of Mines, July 1995 to present.
Promoted to Associate Librarian, April 2000.
Manages the day-to-day operations of the Map Room.
Formulates strategies and goals to better operate the Map Room.
Provides reference services in person, via telephone, and email.
Instructs the public in the use of computer catalogs.
Teaches patrons how to effectively use databases and reference materials for
academic needs and lifelong learning.
Prepares reference aids, bibliographies, and research handouts for bibliographic
instruction.
Catalogs new maps to international standards.
Performs maintenance of the Map Room’s records in the Library’s electronic
catalog.
Responsible for the hiring, training, supervision, and evaluation of the Map
Room’s Library Technician.
Responsible for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within the Library,
including selection and public training.
Responsible for the Library’s aerial photograph collection.
Writes and updates the Collection Development Policy for the Map Room.
Makes collection decisions for the Map Room including the evaluation of gifts.
Establishes exchange agreements with regional map libraries.
Makes collection development decisions regarding the Geophysics, and
Petroleum Engineering Departments at CSM.
Keeps informed as to the applicable regulations, current laws, and changes vis-àvis maps to ensure all materials received on deposit from the Federal
Government are maintained in accordance with the “Federal Depository
Library Manual.” .
Recommends equipment and personnel needs for the Map Room. Responsible for
hiring, training, supervising and evaluating page/student workers. Assembles
statistics for the Map Room.
Establishes and maintains contacts with local map collections, mapping/geospatial
agencies, and map/geospatial companies.
Provides part-time reference services for the Reference, and Government
Publications sections.
Works closely with the Serials and Cataloging Librarians to ensure proper
cataloging standards are met, and the library’s catalog remains accurate and
up to date.
Manages the Government Publications Section during the Government
Publications Librarian’s absence.
Teaches fellow librarians and staff members about the Map Room’s collections
and operations. Gives tours of Map Room and Library to various groups.
Performs outreach to local institutions.
Co-ordinates with Circulation Department regarding the circulation of maps.
Plans the configuration of the Map Room’s collections including the movement of
map and book cases.
In charge of designing a disaster plan for the Map Room’s collections.
Maintains inventory of “master” set of US Geological Survey topographic maps
of Colorado.
Map Librarian, Librarian II, New York Public Library Map Division, New York,
NY, April 1993-June 1995.
Provided reference services in person, via telephone, and mail.
Instructed the public in the use of book and computer catalogs.
Cataloged new maps to international standards.
Developed a computer mapping workstation, including selecting and installation
of programs, promotion, public instruction, and hardware maintenance.
Responsible for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within the Division,
including selection and public training.
Responsible for hiring, training, supervising and evaluating page/student workers.
Made collection decisions for the Division regarding Russian and German
language materials.
Responsible for the organization and retrieval of the 30,000 Map Division items
in remote storage.
Responsible for physical organization of materials within the Division.
Assembled statistics for the Division.
Student Assistant, Map Room, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, May 1991May 1992.
Provided reference services in person and via telephone.
Instructed patrons in the use of the computerized catalog.
Cataloged new materials using local and international standards.
Refiled maps.
Intern, Maps and Newspapers Collection, William L. Clements Library, University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, January 1992-May 1992.
Classified and created an index for a collection of slides of maps.
4)
Membership in Professional Societies:
Cartographic Users Advisory Council (CUAC), July 1998 to June 2004.
Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML), July 1995 to present.
Rocky Mountain Map Society, August 1995 to present.
North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS), August 1993 to present.
Colorado GIS, February 2007 to present.
Member of the Government Publications Interest Group (GoPIG) of Colorado.
International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection (IFCPP), 1999 to 2000.
Geophysical Information Society (GIS), September 1997-January 1998.
American Library Association (ALA) Map and Geography Round Table (MaGeRT),
May 1991-June 1996, 2001-2003.
New York Personal Computes Users’ Group—Map and Statistic Section, December
1993-June 1995.
Geographic Information Systems and Mapping Operations Users’ Group, December
1993-June 1995.
Special Library Association (SLA) Map Division, May 1991-June 1993.
5)
Professional Activities and Service (Professional Committees/Offices Held,
Government Committees, Advisory Committees):
Host, Rocky Mountain Map Society meeting, June 2008.
Host, Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML) Fall 2007 Conference, Denver,
Colorado. Responsible for planning all aspects of the meeting including finding
speakers, meeting rooms, computer equipment, hotel accommodations, and
arranging the field trip, and banquet.
Chair, Cartographic User’s Advisory Council (CUAC), July 1999 to June 2000.
Responsible for planning all aspects of meeting (Silver Springs, Maryland) and
assembling the notes for publication.
Vice President, President, and Past President, Western Association of Map Libraries
(WAML), July 2000 to June 2003.
Host, Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML) Fall 1999 Conference, Golden,
Colorado. Responsible for planning all aspects of the meeting including finding
speakers, meeting rooms, computer equipment, hotel accommodations, and
arranging the field trip, and banquet.
Local Accommodations Chair, Cartographic User’s Advisory Council (CUAC) 1999
Meeting in Lakewood, Colorado.
Head, Scholarship Committee, WAML, 2008 to present.
Member, Nominating Committee, WAML, 2009 to present.
Head, Nominating Committee, WAML, 2003-2004.
Membership Manager, WAML, July 2005 to June 2009.
External reviewer, two candidates for librarian promotion—one at the University of
Alaska, Fairbanks, and one at the University of Akron.
Consultant, State of Colorado Geographic Cutter’s for the Library of Congress’
Program, September 1998 to present.
Editor of Links to Lakes: The Newsletter of the Arthur Lakes Library, January 1998 to
2002.
Subscription Manager, Baseline: a Newsletter of the Map and Geography Round
Table, July 1995 to 2000.
Colorado editor, Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML) Information
Bulletin, September 1998 to present.
Liaison, Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML) and American Library
Association (ALA) Map and Geography Round Table (MaGeRT), 1996-1998.
Consultant to the Library at Montana Tech, Butte, Montana, in respect to maps,
August 1999.
Consultant to the Yellowstone Museum, Yellowstone National Park in respect to
maps, August 1999.
Consultant to the American Alpine Club/Colorado Mountain Club Library in respect
to maps 1998.
Host, Rocky Mountain Map Society meeting 1996.
Liaison and mentor to Moe Taylor, Map Librarian at the University of Colorado,
Boulder.
Volunteer, Golden Public Library during their move.
6)
7)
Teaching.
CSM 101 (College Success class), Fall 1997, Fall 2005, Fall 2007, Fall 2008.
Counseled students from CSM classes regarding college life, and class selection.
Taught several sections of EPICs regarding Library skills and resources, 1995 to
present.
Taught classes of Petroleum Engineering regarding Library resources, including
developing worksheets, 2006 to present.
Made presentations regarding maps to SYGN 101 (Earth systems) classes, 2006 to
present.
Contacted and interacted with officials from the Jefferson County Public School
District regarding teaching students about maps.
Made presentation to two ROTC classes regarding using maps, 2006.
Made presentation to local 4th grade classes regarding maps, 2005 to present.
Developed map exercise for Nature and Human Values class, 2002-2004.
Made presentation regarding maps to home-schooled children, 2004 to present.
Made presentation to EPICs classes, Library section—twice a year since 1995.
Made presentation to Nature and Human Values classes, Library section—yearly
since 1995.
Made presentation to Petroleum Engineering 681, Library introduction, 1997.
“Libraries as a Source of GIS Information,” for Introduction to Geographic
Information Systems for Urban Planning and Strategic Decision Making, Zvia
Segal Naphtali, instructor, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service,
New York University, May 1995.
“Maps in Libraries,” for “Social Science Reference” class at St. John’s University
Library School, New York, NY, February 1995.
7)
Research.
Researched history of mining in Colorado.
Examined extensively the map collections at the Denver Public Library, Colorado
Historical Society, Gilpin County Historical Society, and Gilpin County
government offices in order to better familiarize myself with their resources so as
to assist my patrons.
Researched the life and work of Edwin Seeben, mineral engineer for purposes of
writing academic paper.
Established standardized cataloging records for US Geological Survey 1:24,000,
1:62,500 and 1:125,000 topographic maps of Colorado.
Established standardized cataloging records for US Geological Survey Folios.
Established standardized cataloging records for US Geological Survey topographic
state map sets.
Performed research regarding the cataloging of geologic sections.
Explored ways to use Microsoft Access to manipulate the database of topographic
maps from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Reviewed the history of the Library at the Colorado School of Mines.
Interpreted rules and previous works in order to create base records for USGS
topographic maps sets.
Examined a wide variety of atlases in order to make comparisons for reviews.
8)
Publications:
Treasure Maps: The History of Colorado’ Gold and Silver Rushes as Told Through
Maps. Book has been submitted to publisher (Western Reflections). Planned
publication in 2010.
Wrote 7 training units regarding maps for “Government Information for the 21st
Century” website—Flood maps, GNIS, National Park Service, National Geologic
Mapping Database, Soil maps, USGS Publications Warehouse, and University of
Texas at Austin map collection.
Editor, Guide to U.S. Map Resources, December 2005, by Scarecrow Press (ISBN
0810852683). Designed and developed survey. Found local editors. Received
data directly from participants. Edited, massaged and analyzed data. Compiled
information into book. Designed books layout, and style.
“President’s Message,” Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML) Information
Bulletin (IB), Vol. 33, nos. 1-3, 2001-2002.
List of USGS Geologic Folio cataloging records—in various publications, 2001.
List of USGS topographic state sets cataloging records—in various publications,
2002.
“Cataloging Geologic Sections,” Cataloging and Classifying Quarterly, Vol.27,
Numbers 1-2, 1999, pg. 113-145.
“USSR 1:200,000 Index,” American Library Association (ALA) Map and Geography
Round Table (MaGeRT), Open-file Report 94-1, 1994.
“Index and Inventory of USGS Maps Using Microsoft Access, Version 2.1,” April
1998.
“Index and Inventory of USGS Maps Using Microsoft Access, Version 2.0,” March
1998.
“Index and Inventory of USGS Maps Using Microsoft Access, Version 1.0,” with
Cathy Van Tassel, June 1997.
Thirteen Atlas reviews for Encyclopedias, Atlases, and Dictionaries for the 1990’s
edited by Marion Sader and Amy Lewis, 1995.
“Map Collection of the Colorado School of Mines: Its Past, Present, and Future,”
Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML) Information Bulletin (IB), Vol.
30, Number 1, November 1998, pg. 35-39.
“Cataloging News: OCLC Record Numbers of the USGS Topographic Maps
Cataloged by State and Scale Compiled and Most of the Recent Cataloging Done
by Christopher J.J. Thiry,” Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML)
Information Bulletin (IB), Vol. 30, Number 1, November 1998, pg. 57-58.
“Map Room, Colorado School of Mines,” Cartographic Perspectives, Journal of the
North American Cartographic Information Society, Number 26, Winter 1997, pg.
49-51.
“GIS Technology and the Library,” Links to Lakes: The Newsletter of the Arthur
Lakes Library, Spring 1997.
Book review for Links to Lakes: The Newsletter of the Arthur Lakes Library, Fall
1995.
Internal Publications:
Article on Map Room web help pages to Library’s Newsletter, 2007.
Hundreds of pages for the Map Room Home Page, 1996 to present.
Assist writing Library Academic Plan.
“Collection Development for the Map Room,” 1995 to present.
Map Room Cataloging Manual, 1995 to present.
Created displays on Hurricane Katrina, the Southeast Asian Tsunami, the Haymen
Fire, and Mount Saint Helens, 2002-2005.
Inventory of USGS Thematic Maps, 1995 to present.
Contributed to the “Visiting Committee Background Information,” 1995 to present.
“Computer Mapping Workstation Handbook, The New York Public Library, Map
Division,” author and editor, 1994-1996.
Index to Coast and Geodetic Survey/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration nautical charts of the New York City for the NYPL Map Division,
1993-1995.
Index to New York Public Library’s Map Division’s material at the NYPL Annex,
1993-1995.
9)
Professional Presentations:
“Treasures of the Arthur Lakes Library’s Map Room,” American Library Association
(ALA) Mid-winter, Map and Geography Round Table (MaGeRT) Meeting,
January 2009.
“They Never Covered This in Library School: Maps and Atlases,” Art Libraries
Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) 2008 annual meeting, Denver, Colorado.
“What to do with your maps if your kids don’t want them,” Rocky Mountain Map
Society, December 2008.
“Map Resources Produced by the Federal Government,” Nevada Library
Association, 2007 annual meeting, Carson City, Nevada.
“The Importance of Historic Mine Maps,” Mining History Association, 2007 annual
meeting, Leadville, Colorado.
“Building a Map Collection,” Accidental Map Librarian Workshop, Gunnison,
Colorado, 2007.
“The Importance of Historic Mine Maps,” National Council on Public History, 2007
annual meeting, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“Building a Map Collection,” Accidental Map Librarian Workshop, Boulder,
Colorado, 2007.
“Map Resources Produced by the Federal Government,” 5 State Depository
Conference, Boulder, Colorado, 2006.
“Maps in Libraries—The Directions you can Take,” Colorado Library Association
(CLA), Government Documents Round Table 1998 Annual Meeting, Colorado
Springs, Colorado.
“Map Collection of the Colorado School of Mines: Its Past, Present, and Future,”
Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML), 1998 Spring Meeting, Stanford
California, California.
“Geologic Map Collection of the Colorado School of Mines: Its Past, Present, and
Future,” Geological Society of America, 1997 Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City,
Utah.
“Map Room Update,” for Arthur Lakes Library’s Visiting Committee, April 1997.
“Colorado School of Mines Map Room History and Tour,” for the Rocky Mountain
Map Society, March 1996.
“Mapping Software Demonstration” for the National Information Infrastructure (NII)
Advisory Council, and Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown, September 1994,
New York, NY.
10)
Honors and Awards:
Special Award from Map and Geography Round Table (MAGeRT) of the American
Library Association (ALA). The award “Recognizes outstanding achievement
and major contributions to map librarianship and the Round Table,” January
2009.
Promoted to Associate Librarian, April 2000.
Received an “Enhancement Status” for Map Formatted Records from the Online
Computer Library Center (OCLC) (an international bibliographic utility), thus
becoming the third person in the world to receive this recognition. This status
allows for the upgrade of all Map Formatted Records in the OCLC database.
Quoted in Facts in a Flash: A Research Guide for Writers, from Cruising the Stacks to
Surfing the Net, by Ellen Metter, p.274.
Review of the Colorado School of Mines Map Room web page in Mercator’s World:
“a great example of an on-line academic map library.”
Received “Links2Go Key Resource Award in the Map Collections Topic” by
Links2Go.
11)
12)
Committee Service:
Departmental:
Member of several Reference Librarian Search Committees, 1997-2006.
Member of the Cataloging Librarian Search Committee, 2001.
Member of the Web Page Committee, 1996 to present.
Co-author of the Library’s Academic Plan, 1997-2000.
Member of Library Promotion Committee, 2000 to present.
Met with of Library’s Visiting Committee, 1996-2009.
Participated in and contributed to the Library’s U.S. Government Printing
Office’s Inspection of the Government Publications collection, 1995-1999.
Member of the Promotion Criteria Committee, 1997 to present.
Member of the Statistics Committee, 1995 to present.
Served as Vice President of the Library Staff Association, 1995-1998.
Organized several staff Holiday Parties.
Organization-wide:
Member of Readmissions Committee, 2002 to present.
Member of Library Advisory Council, 2003 to present.
Elected member of the Faculty Senate, 2002-2005.
Member of Geomines Committee (meets regarding GIS on campus), 2006 to
present.
Attendee of Senate meeting with candidates for the Vice President of Research,
2005.
Attendee of Senate meeting with candidates for the head of CSM’s Alumni
Association, 2004.
Attendee of Senate meeting with CSM’s Accreditation Board, 2003.
Chair of the Committee on Committee, 2002-2005.
Member of Planning Committee for the “Campus Campaign for Positive
Change.”
Participant of the “Campus Campaign for Positive Change.”
Member of CSM Safety Committee.
Member of the Research Council, 1996-2001.
Member of the Board of Student Publications, 1996-1997.
Member of the Curriculum Reform Committee, 1997-1999.
Participant in the “Redesigning the Curriculum” meeting, 1995.
Library Liaison to the Engineering, Geophysics, and Petroleum Engineering
departments, 1995 to present.
Member of the New York Public Library Research Libraries Council Electronic
Resources Task Force, July 1993-June 1995.
Member of the New York Public Library Research Libraries Committee on
Training and Staff Development, December 1993-June 1995.
12)
Continuing Education and Professional Conferences Attended:
Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML), 2008 Fall, 2007 Fall Conference,
2007 Spring Conference, 2006 Spring Conference, 2005 Spring Conference, 2004
Fall Conference, 2003 Fall Conference, 2002 Fall Conference, 2002 Spring
Conference, 2001 Fall Conference, 2001 Spring Conference, 2000 Fall
Conference, 2000 Spring Conference, 1999 Fall Conference, 1999 Spring
Conference, 1998 Fall Conference, 1998 Spring Conference, 1997 Fall
Conference, 1996 Fall Conference.
Rocky Mountain Map Society meetings, August 1995 to present.
OCLC Enhancers Meeting, January 2009.
National Council on Public History annual meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2007.
Mining History Association annual meeting in Leadville, Colorado, 2007.
Web of Science training session, 2006.
Bureau of Land Management training session regarding their mine map database,
2006.
USA PATRIOT act training session, 2006.
“Map and Geographic Information Collections in Transition” conference at the
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., May 2005.
GITA luncheon regarding Geo-Spatial One Stop, 2005.
Communications workshop at the Mountain States Employers Council, 2005.
Sexual Harassment Prevention class, 2005, 2002, 1999.
North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS), 2005, 1994 and 1993
Annual Conferences.
ESRI Open House and demonstrations of GIS products, Westminster, Colorado,
2003.
Alliance (consortium of Colorado academic libraries) meeting regarding collection
development, 2003.
Catalyst (the Library’s ILS) reports training session, 2002.
CatMe (OCLC cataloging system) training session, 2002.
Society of the History of Discovery, 2001 conference.
1st Annual Conference of the International Foundation for Cultural Property
Protection (IFCPP), November 1999.
“Peter Lowe’s 1999 Success,” Denver, CO.
Cartographic Users Advisory Council (CUAC), 1999-2005 Annual Meetings.
“Colorado Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project: Forum on Land, Aggregate,
Water, and Energy Resources,” hosted by the US Geological Survey, November
1998.
Library security and safety forum, presented by the Special Library Association
(SLA) Continuing Education, November 1997.
Geological Society of America (GSA), 1997 Annual Meeting.
Geophysical Information Society (GIS), 1997 Annual Meeting.
Topographic Map Users Workshop by the US Geological Service, September 1997.
American Library Association (ALA), 1997, 1996, 1992, and 1991 Annual
Conferences.
American Library Association (ALA), 1995 and 1993 Mid-Winter Conferences.
International Map Trade Association (IMTA), 2001 and 1996 Annual Conferences.
Education forum on copyright forum, presented by the Special Library Association
(SLA), November 1995.
“Redesigning Services at the New York Public Library Research Libraries,” May
1995.
GIS and Libraries: Patrons, Maps and Special Information, University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, April 1995.
Canadian Cartographic Association (CCA), 1994 Annual Conference.
“The Map Library in Transition,” September 1994.
Special Library Association (SLA), 1992 Annual Conference.
13)
Computer skills:
Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Access, Excel, Pagemaker, CMS web page
creator, Macro Express, Endeavor’s/Ex Libris Voyager cataloging module,
various OPACS, internet search engines, various database searching programs,
ArcView.
Working knowledge of OCLC’s cataloging system.
Working knowledge of Blackwell’s “Collection Manager” system.
Involved with various aspects of a migration of one integrated library system to
another (CARL to Endeavor).
Acted as tester for several modules of the library’s integrated library system.