Fire insurance maps were originally created by companies needing a better way to determine risk from fire and therefore value of insurance offerings. Highly detailed maps each include symbols, labels, and colors which describe all bits of information related to fire risk about a structure and its neighbors. Today these maps are used by scholars and researchers in such fields as history, genealogy, urban geography, architectural history and preservation, ethnic studies, and urban archaeology. Learn more about using Sanborn Fire Insurance in your own genealogical research. Highlighted will be the digital Indianapolis Sanborn maps and Baist real estate atlases freely accessible via IUPUI University Library.
Our featured speaker:
Kristi L. Palmer is the Director of the IUPUI University Library Center for Digital Scholarship. She earned a B.A. in History from Ball State University in 1999 and a Master in Library Science from Indiana University in 2001. She has worked professionally in the arena of digital collection organization and metadata creation for 13 years supporting the creation of faculty, student, and community-driven digital scholarship and cultural heritage collections. Palmer’s research interests include open access, scholarly communication, and Indianapolis history, with her publications and presentations on the topics earning her recognition as one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers in 2009. In addition to leading IUPUI University Library Digital Scholarship Team, Palmer also provides collection development and research instruction for the Department of History, and Programs of Women’s Studies and American Studies.