The Scout Report -- Volume 26, Number 44

French Renaissance Paleography invites readers to immerse themselves in the world of French calligraphy through a catalog of more than 100 French manuscripts (from the years 1300 through 1700). The Home page offers multiple ways to view these manuscripts. Users can browse by topic (for example, "art and culture" or "notable people"), time period (sorted in 50 year increments), region (using the interactive map), and reading difficulty (introductory, intermediate, or advanced), or visitors may use the search bar in the top right corner. The project also provides several "self-help" tools to contextualize the work. Many of these tools were designed with a specific audience in mind; for example, educators will want to check out the Teaching page and archivists may wish to explore the Manuscript Preservation page (both found under the Resources tab). The Reference tab houses many useful aids, including a Glossary and a list of French Abbreviations. Perhaps this resource reminds readers of the Italian Paleography collection featured in the 06-05-2020 Scout Report (and linked on the Home page of the French Renaissance Paleography site). Both projects were created through partnerships with The Newberry, University of Toronto Libraries, and St. Louis University, with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This French Renaissance collection also received support from ITER ("a not-for-profit partnership dedicated to the advancement of learning in the study and teaching of the Middle Ages and Renaissance,"). [EMB]

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November 18 is LGBTQ+ STEM Day, a date picked to honor "the 60th anniversary of American Astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny's US Supreme Court fight against workplace discrimination." Pride in STEM, a group of "LGBT+ scientists and engineers from around the world," who "aim to showcase and support all LGBT+ people in STEM fields," is one of many groups promoting this event. Under the group's LGBTQ+ STEM Day tab, readers will find a map pinpointing celebratory events worldwide. The rest of the site has resources to uplift LGBTQ+ scientists every day of the year. For example, the Resources page includes relevant educational resources, new articles, and reports, and the Events page tracks programs of interest. On the Out Thinkers page, readers will find a virtual STEM showcase sharing "research and experiences as LGBT+ individuals in academia and industry." For additional resources, readers may want to explore the Other Organisations page (which links to groups with aligned missions). [EMB]

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The Suffrage Postcard Project (SPP) is a digital humanities initiative conducted collaboratively by a group of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students from the University of South Florida, among other institutions. SPP is pursuing three broad goals: feminist data visualization, feminist digital archiving, and feminist digital pedagogy. On the Browse Collection tab, readers will find approximately 100 browseable collections of postcards. Each record contains information such as the creator, a brief description, and related tags, as well as an image of the postcard itself. An example of a fully fleshed out entry is a William Henry Ellam postcard, Votes For Women, which provides an image, a description of the image, transcription of the message on the back, links to the sources of the postcard, and geolocation for the German publisher of the card. Readers can also search across all collections by keyword using the right-hand query bar or browse by location on the Map page. The archive is a work-in-progress, and more information on its history and future is available on the site's Methodology and Blog pages. [DS]

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Bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders (including "states and tribes, federal agencies, nonprofit partners, wetland professionals, educators, wetland enthusiasts and many others,"), the Association of State Wetland Managers exists to study and sustain wetlands. The site has a variety of materials, from Publications such as the Wetland News Digest (a monthly compilation of wetland stories, policy updates, and relevant resources) to Law & Policy briefs explaining key regulations such as the Clean Water Act. Readers new to wetland conservation and management will want to explore the various sections of the Science tab, which provide primers on topics such as hydrology, invasive species, and watersheds. The Wetland Programs tab is dedicated to various aspects of the EPA's Core Elements Framework ("a menu of activities that states and tribes can draw from to design their own roadmap towards a more comprehensive wetland program,"). Users should note that most materials on the site are open-access, but a few are limited to members (and require a log-in). [EMB]

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Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns was an 18th-century man, but his work is being reimagined for the modern day in Editing Robert Burns for the 21st Century. A collaboration between the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the British Academy, and the University of Glasgow, this project has several elements: a blog, copies of prose, digital resources (for example, videos and interactive maps), and covers of his songs (performed by "well-known and up-and-coming traditional Scottish artists,"). Readers can also enjoy a Burns Quote of the Day, found at the bottom of the Home page. These resources promote the new Oxford University Press editions of Burns' work. These volumes pair together his writing with "an introductory essay, headnote, and full annotations." The first three volumes have been released and several more volumes are on deck, with upcoming release dates in 2020 and beyond. Recordings of select prose from each edition and songs curated to accompany these writings are available under The Edition tab. To stay up-to-date with the latest from the project, readers may want to follow its Twitter account, @GlasgowBurns. [EMB]

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Searching for social studies content to greet students with on Geography Awareness Week (celebrated November 15-21)? The Michigan Geographic Alliance, housed within Central Michigan University's Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, has plenty of options. At the link above, readers will find 11 world geography lesson plans to supplement middle and high school curriculums. These various subjects take students on a global exploration through Haiti, Egypt, China, and the Caribbean, among other stops. Each topic includes a PDF lesson plan with activities and a downloadable PowerPoint. Additionally, these lessons incorporate both Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations and National Geography Standards. Looking for more great educational content? The Lesson Plans by Curriculum box links to similar hubs for "World Geography History Lesson Plans" and "U.S. Geography History Lesson Plans." The Michigan Geographic Alliance is co-coordinated by Dr. Michael Libbee and Dr. Joseph Stoltman, and these lesson plans were created in conjunction with staff and educator consultants. [EMB]

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Since 2008, the Journal of Environmental Geography has published scholarship at the intersection of geography and environmental studies. The journal serves as a valuable resource that "advance[s] understanding of human-environmental interactions," and covers a broad range of research areas. For example, articles in the April 2020 issue cover climate events, changing land use patterns, and compost treatments, among other topics. Archived versions of all 13 volumes are also available for users to browse and download. Readers should note that Volumes 1-5 are housed at the link above, while Volumes 6-13 (covering 2013 to present) are accessible through an external platform embedded on the site. Both browsing platforms have a search function that allows users to scan for keywords across issues. The Journal of Environmental Geography is led by an editorial team from the University of Szeged (Hungary), with support from an editorial board across Europe and the United States. It is published by Sciendo, a publication powerhouse with more than 600 journals. [EMB]

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Ideal for social studies classrooms or educational screen time at home, World Geography Games challenges visitors to test their knowledge on a variety of place-based topics, from locating countries on a map to matching countries with their flag. The site also has several topography games, quizzing users on mountain ranges, rivers, and volcanoes, among other features. Games are organized by geographic region, and collectively the site includes information about "all 193 member states of the United Nations and the two non-member permanent observer states of the UN," as well as many non-sovereign territories. This gives readers an opportunity to refresh or gain knowledge on all of the continents, as well as the "layers of the earth and atmosphere." The site is managed by EastDock Media, based in the Netherlands. The information used to create these games was primarily derived from Wikipedia and the CIA World Factbook, with some additional data from the Smithsonian Institute's Global Volcanism Program. [EMB]

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The words "geography" and "map" are commonly associated, largely because "map visualization is used to analyze and display the geographically related data and present it in the form of different map types." Readers interested in dabbling in data visualization and map making will enjoy this article, "10 Map Types in Visualization: Make Your Data Eye-catching," which covers some basic principles for creating data displays. As the title suggests, 10 different map types are covered, with a description, visualization, and suggested use for each. For example, point maps may be used for "accident tracking," while line maps are great for showing transportation routes. There is also the three-dimensional rectangular map, branded the "upgraded version of the point map." The conclusion of the piece adds remarks on the best platforms and technologies to create these maps. Readers may recognize one of these suggested apps, Tableau Public, from the 11-17-2017 Scout Report. The other suggested software, FineReport, is freely available to download for personal use, and users will find a link to download it at the top of the article. Readers should note that this article was published in FineReport's blog as an example of how their platform can be used. [EMB]

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The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), commonly referred to as "RGSIBG," brings together geography enthusiasts and supports geography professionals. Their YouTube channel is a great resource to learn more about geography "research, education, expeditions and fieldwork," and whether viewers are seasoned or novice geographers, RGSIBG is here to engage and inform on the wonderful world of geography. The channel has multiple types of videos, from short clips summarizing new research to career insights for students and young professionals. The channel also produces video series, including "Migrants on the Margins," a project covering "the vulnerability and opportunities of migrants in some of the world's most pressured cities, including Colombo (Sri Lanka), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Hargeisa (Somaliland)." This series also hopes to stir self-reflection, reminding viewers, "we all have a migration story of some sort to tell." While the RGSIBG videos cover an assortment of topics, a commonality is their brevity, as most videos are under five minutes long. [EMB]

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Since its feature in the 03-02-2018 Scout Report, The History of Cartography has added an open-access version of Volume 6 (Cartography in the Twentieth Century) for readers to enjoy.

Housed within the University of Wisconsin's Department of Geography, The History of Cartography Project highlights the history of "maps and mapping." The Project's biggest undertaking is its series of publications, by the same name, which bridge interdisciplinary scholarship to create guides on "assess[ing], appreciat[ing], and analyz[ing] maps from all periods and cultures." The publications aim to reach diverse audiences, from art historians to librarians to lay readers. And, consisting of text, illustrations, appendixes, and reference maps, they are also designed to appeal to various learning styles.The multi-volume series is published by the University of Chicago Press, and readers can access Volumes, 1, 2, 3 and 6 free of charge in PDF format at the link above. These volumes include analysis of diverse locations and time periods, including Medieval Europe, Traditional East and Southeast Asian Societies, and Traditional African, American, Arctic, Australian, and Pacific Societies. Additionally, visitors can download PDFs by chapter, allowing readers to explore specific topics of interest with ease. [MMB] [EMB]

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