Geography has never been an interest of mine. This is unfortunate because I know that there are much to learn just from simply looking and reading maps, for instance. This is perhaps that case why I have inadvertedly ignored the atlas/map section of our library. Although I am fully aware where they are situated in the library, I am not certain of their circulation status and whether or not they need updating. If it wasn't for Riedling's evaluation criteria, I wouldn't know what to do with them otherwise.
I did, however, make an honest effort in evaluating a geographical source from the links that were provided to us. Much as a I have never been a fun of maps, I find myself using Mapquest (and the portable travel map) quite a bit when figuring out how to get to a certain place. There are so many things I find useful about the Mapquest site. You can ...
1. Search for both Canadian and US locations
2. Search for both driving and walking options
3. Add a stop to your originally searched route or reverse your search (from the destination and back)
4. Alter the unit of measure (i.e., miles to km and vice versa)
5. Search for commonly used ammenities and places of interest (i.e., schools, hospitals, gas stations, restaurants) by a touch of a button (e.g., icons are available), within your driving/walking route
6. Print (to bring with you as you drive), save (for later use) and send (if your travelling as a group, for instance) your search results
7. Change your originally searched route to a shorter one
8. View the map in various ways (i.e., satellite, 360 view, normal map view)
and the best one of all ...
9. Change the site to Mapquest Atlas, which is just an engaging and interactive.
Mapquest is such a useful site for even the least computer savy user. It's very user-friendly and not overwhelming at all.
And how do you feel about owning a GPS?
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