User:Carlyannbagley/sandbox17

Project Leader
Carly Bagley

Purpose
To update/standardize the maps pages for each country. You will use a lot of your best judgement to make these pages better. Some of these pages won't have much information. And some may have an incredible amount of information. And so we may have to modify the template in the future. Please reach out anytime you have questions or have difficulties knowing where to place information.

Task List
Task List

Using the Google spreadsheet
1. Go to the Task List above and open the Google Spreadsheet. Select a tab for a geographic area.

2. You'll notice that each sheet has columns for Name, Country, and Maps. Here's a key for what everything means on this spreadsheet:
 * Purple Name column: List your name next to a country you are working on so you can organize who will work on which countries.
 * Blue Country column: This column lists the pages that you will update. You won't edit this column but you can click on each of the countries and it will take you to its FamilySearch Wiki home page.
 * Yellow and Orange Maps column: This column is where you will fill cells with green when you complete them. (You can also leave comments or notes in these cells if you need to organize yourself.)
 * Green Gazetteer Notes columns: These columns are where you will put any information that more appropriately belongs on the country's gazetteer page. (If you have questions on this section, please message Carly :) )
 * Yellow cells represent countries with map pages that already have a page created with information on them.
 * Orange cells represent countries that don't have map pages. (If you look at the sidebar of these country pages, you'll see that Maps is a red link. These are the countries that have orange cells.)

3. Type your name in the purple Name column next to the country you would like to work on.

Filling out a country page
1. Create a sandbox page so you can copy a template and fill it out with information. If you need help with how to create a sandbox, go to this page. 2. Copy following below and paste it in your sandbox. This will be the template you will be filling out.




 * == Online Maps ==
 * *[URL Google Maps]
 * *[URL David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection]
 * *[URL Old Maps Online Collection]
 * *[URL Library of Congress Maps Collection]


 * == Why Use Maps ==


 * Maps are an important source to locate the places where your ancestors lived. They help you see the neighboring towns and geographic features of the area from which your ancestor came.


 * Maps are also helpful in locating places, parishes, geographical features, transportation routes, and proximity to other towns. Historical maps are especially useful for understanding boundary changes.


 * Maps are published either individually or as an atlas. An atlas is a bound collection of maps. Maps may also be included in gazetteers, guidebooks, local histories, historical geographies, encyclopedias, and history texts.


 * == Using Maps ==


 * Maps must be used carefully for several reasons:


 * *There are often several places with the same name. You may want to use a  Gazetteer to help you.
 * *The spelling and even names of some towns may have changed since your ancestor lived there.
 * *Place-names are often misspelled in English sources. Difficult names may have been shortened and important diacritic marks omitted.
 * *Political boundaries are not clearly indicated on all maps.


 * === Finding the Specific Town on the Map ===


 * To successfully research maps from COUNTRY, you must identify the town where your ancestor lived. Because there are several towns that have the same name, you may need some additional information before you can locate the correct town on a map. You will be more successful in identifying the town on a map if you have some information about the town. Using gazetteers and other such sources to identify the jurisdiction your ancestor’s town was in will distinguish it from other towns of the same name and help you locate it on a map. See the COUNTRY Gazetteers article for more information.


 * == Types of Maps ==


 * Different types of maps help you in different ways, for example:


 * *Historical atlases describe the growth and development of countries, showing boundaries, migration routes, settlement patterns, military campaigns, and other historical information.
 * *Road atlases are useful because of the detail they provide.
 * *Other types of maps include: parish maps, state maps, tourist maps, topographical maps, and air navigation maps. City maps are extremely helpful when researching in large cities.


 * === Historical Maps Collections ===
 * Historical map collections are helpful because they can show you the geography of your ancestor's residence at or around the time they lived there. The following collection is helpful:
 * [URL COLLECTION NAME] - DESCRIPTION.

3. The template is broken up into sections. See below and work on each section at a time.

Breadcrumb
1. Go to the breadcrumb section. It should look like this:



2. Where there is COUNTRY, put in the name of your country. 3. Select Save page. 4. Check your breadcrumbs links. They should direct you to the original maps pages for your country. (Occasionally, it'll link to a page that has yet to be created. That's fine, just be sure to double-check!) 5. If all is well, move onto the next section!

Online Records
1. Go to the Online Records section. It should look like this:
 * == Online Maps ==
 * *[URL Google Maps]
 * *[URL David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection]
 * *[URL Old Maps Online Collection]
 * *[URL Library of Congress Maps Collection]