On an almost disturbingly hot sunny day in mid-September I navigated through Washington, D.C., using what I hoped would prove to be a trusty map. The PocketGuide to Washington, D.C., vol. 23 no. 3 told me I had a short walk—less than two miles—from my hotel to the Library of Congress. I followed the course—east, south, east, south, east. “This is why I’m here,” I thought to myself.

Indeed, the purpose of my visit was to witness an exhibit illustrating the impact of, as its name aptly describes, “Maps in Our Lives.” The unveiling of the long-awaited map exhibit coordinated through the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) in the foyer of the Geography and Map Division was attended by dedicated individuals to the profession and museum staff, and later visited by the public.