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Why Historic Sites Should Keep Their 'Old Maps': Lessons from Game Map Updates

UUnknown

2026-02-17

9 min read

Using Arc Raiders' map debate as a springboard, this guide argues that historic paper maps are essential for interpretation, resilience and visitor experience.

Keep the old maps: why heritage sites should preserve paper guides in a digital age

Hook: If you've ever stood on a trailhead with a dead phone and no signal, or watched visitors miss a ruined terrace because the latest app omits it, you know the frustration: practical wayfinding and authentic interpretation are fragile when we throw out the old for the new. The 2026 debate over Arc Raiders' new maps — and the passionate community plea to preserve the originals — offers a timely lesson for museums, parks, and historic sites: old maps are not obsolete; they're irreplaceable tools for interpretation, resilience, and visitor experience.

The Arc Raiders moment and why games matter to heritage thinking

In early 2026 Embark Studios confirmed that Arc Raiders will receive multiple new maps across a spectrum of sizes. Fans reacted not only with excitement about new battlegrounds, but with concern: don't lose the old maps that players know intimately. That debate matters beyond gaming. It surfaces three universal truths for anyone who manages place-based experiences:

People form deep cognitive and emotional attachments to maps.
Maps are governing artifacts — they shape behavior, routes, and memory.
Replacing a map is not merely a technical update; it can erase history.

“Long-time players treat existing maps like a second home.” — paraphrasing community sentiment around Arc Raiders' 2026 map announcements

Why old maps matter at heritage sites: five concrete reasons

Heritage sites often face pressure to modernize wayfinding with apps, dynamic signage, and GPS-driven routing. But removing old maps — the paper guides, trail schematics, and hand-drawn site plans — sacrifices value. Here’s why preservation matters in practice.

Interpretation and storytelling: Historic maps show how past generations saw a place. They reveal lost paths, vanished structures, and historical land use — material evidence that enriches guided tours and interpretive panels.
Authenticity and visitor experience: Tactile interaction with a paper map fosters curiosity and serendipitous discovery. Visitors remember unfolding a map more than toggling a screen. That authenticity supports slow travel and meaningful engagement — key 2026 visitor trends.
Wayfinding resilience: Paper maps remain reliable when connectivity, battery life, or device compatibility fail on-site. They are low-tech contingency tools for safety and orientation.
Conservation and research: Old maps are primary sources documenting landscape change, hydrology shifts, and historic restorations. They support conservation decisions and long-term monitoring.
Community identity and access: Historic guides can reflect local vernacular names, Indigenous routes, and neighborhood memory often omitted from modern digital layers — preserving intangible heritage.

2026 trends that increase the urgency to save old maps

Several developments through late 2025 and into 2026 make map preservation both timely and strategic:

Hybrid interpretation is mainstream: Museums and parks now pair AR overlays with physical artifacts. Audiences expect layered experiences that include both digital augmentation and real-world objects.
Analog resurgence: After years of digital fatigue, travelers seek hands-on, slow experiences. Paper maps and printed guides are earning renewed attention in post‑2024 market research.
Climate and infrastructure risks: Extreme weather events are disrupting connectivity in parks more frequently. Redundant paper resources enhance safety and continuity.
Funding for digitization: Public and private grants in 2025–2026 increasingly prioritize digital archives — a chance to digitize and preserve paper maps before further deterioration.

Case examples that show the payoff

Look to institutions that already treat maps as heritage assets. The London Transport Museum curates historic Tube maps as cultural objects, using them in exhibits and educational programming. National and regional mapping agencies (older Ordnance Survey releases, for example) serve as vital archives for planners and historians. These organizations demonstrate two practices that heritage sites can emulate: active display and rigorous archiving.

Practical, actionable plan: How to keep and use old maps (step‑by‑step)

Below is a prioritized, practical checklist for site managers, conservators, and volunteer stewards who want to preserve old maps and integrate them into visitor experience programs.

Audit and catalog:
- Inventory all paper guides, trail maps, and plan drawings. Record source, date, scale, creator, condition, and any annotations.
- Assign priority levels for preservation: high (original hand-drawn plans, rare prints), medium (earlier mass-produced guides), low (recent disposable materials).
Digitize with standards:
- Scan at archival quality (600 dpi for large-format maps; use lossless formats like TIFF for masters and WebP/PDF for distribution). See field storage options and scanning workflows in the Cloud NAS field review.
- Capture color profiles and soft-proof for accurate reproduction. Store master files in secure, redundant storage (on-site + cloud) — object storage recommendations can help: top object storage providers.
- Apply basic metadata (title, creator, date, georeference if possible). Use simple standards like Dublin Core for interoperability.
Conserve the originals:
- Consult a paper conservator for items in fragile condition. Implement basic measures: acid-free sleeves, flat storage, controlled humidity (~45% RH) and temperature (around 18–20°C), UV-filtered cases for display.
- Rotate items on display to limit light exposure; use facsimiles for long-term exhibits if originals are fragile.
Interpret and integrate:
- Develop interpretive panels or short audio narrations that compare old maps to current conditions. Let visitors see what changed — lost terraces, rerouted trails, reclaimed wetlands. Practical distribution and audio strategies are covered in docu-distribution playbooks.
- Install a “then and now” map table in the visitor center. Provide magnifiers, reproduction maps for handling, and a QR code to access high-resolution digital maps.
Use maps in wayfinding design — not as a replacement:
- Keep paper maps at trailheads and rest areas as redundancy for apps. Design paper maps that intentionally highlight safety-critical information: elevation profiles, emergency points, and alternate routes.
- Train staff and volunteers to use old maps in orientation briefings; they often reveal less-traveled but stable routes that apps overlook.
Create engagement programs:
- Offer map-themed tours, “map detectives” family trails, or workshops where visitors make or annotate maps — connecting tactile learning with site interpretation. Event and pop-up programming tips can be found in the weekend microcations & pop-ups playbook.
- Develop limited-edition reproductions for sale — a revenue stream that funds conservation. Guidance on sustainable souvenir bundles is available at sustainable souvenir bundle.
Archive and share responsibly:
- Deposit digital masters in a trusted repository (local university, regional archive, or a national library partnership). For libraries and indie publishers, AI-powered discovery and metadata best-practices are discussed at AI-powered discovery for libraries.
- Engage the community: crowdsourced transcription of annotations can reveal oral histories and local knowledge tied to the maps. Community storytelling and neighborhood anchor examples are explored in turning sentences into neighborhood anchors.

Technical checklist for digitization and conservation (quick reference)

Scan masters at 600 dpi (or native print resolution); save masters as uncompressed TIFF.
Capture a color chart and include it in each scan for calibration. For lighting and color reproduction in displays, consider exhibit lighting best practices such as smart lamp color schemes.
Export accessible PDFs and web-optimized images (WebP/JPEG 2000) for visitor access.
Store masters in at least two geographically separated locations; include cloud and on-prem backups. See cloud NAS reviews for creative studios: Cloud NAS field review.
Use acid-free folders, flat storage, and low-light display cases; rotate exhibits every 3–6 months depending on light exposure.
Budget for a conservator consultation before any handling of brittle or adhesive-laden maps.

Digital vs paper: a pragmatic hybrid strategy

The knee-jerk reaction in many organizations is to declare “digital wins” and remove paper. The wiser course — and the one backed by 2026 visitor behavior — is hybrid. Digital tools provide personalization, live updates, and data collection; paper provides authenticity, resilience, and memory-making. Use both for complementary strengths:

Paper for permanence and experience: keep originals, make high-quality reproductions for sale, and issue trailhead maps for redundancy.
Digital for dynamic functions: use apps for incident alerts, live closures, and augmented reality that overlays historical maps on the modern landscape. App templates and kiosk integration tips can be found in the CES companion apps guide.
Synchronize content: ensure that new digital wayfinding layers are checked against preserved maps to avoid erasing historical routes or to uncover lost features worth re-opening.

Overcoming common objections

Managers often raise three objections: cost, storage, and relevance. Practical counters below can help you make the case.

Cost: Digitization grants and community fundraising can offset initial expenses. Reproductions sold in gift shops generate ongoing revenue.
Storage: Partner with local archives or universities for low-cost, controlled storage. Use digital surrogates to reduce handling of originals.
Relevance: Use interpretation programs and social-media storytelling to surface why old maps matter — show visitors the discoveries they enable.

Visitor experience ideas that make old maps shine

Engagement is the currency of heritage. Below are low-cost program ideas that use old maps to boost visitation, interpretation, and revenue.

Map swap days: Invite locals to bring old park guides or personal trail maps to share stories and donate copies to your archive.
Family map hunts: Design a scavenger trail where clues are hidden in reproduced historic maps.
Guided “map compare” walks: Lead short tours using an old map in hand and GPS off, then follow the modern route to talk about landscape change.
AR overlays: Layer georeferenced historic maps over the current landscape on a kiosk, letting visitors slide between eras. For app and kiosk templates see CES companion apps.

Measuring impact: KPIs for old-map programs

To justify investment, track a few simple metrics:

Number of historical maps digitized and conserved.
Visitor engagement: attendance at map-themed programs, dwell time at map displays, and replication in social media posts.
Revenue from reproduction map sales and related merchandise.
Operational resilience: incidents where paper maps provided critical wayfinding during outages.

Final takeaways: a checklist to act now

Use this quick checklist to begin preserving old maps at your site today.

Conduct a rapid inventory within 30 days.
Digitize high-priority items this year; set a 12-month timeline for scanning the collection.
Display reproductions, keep originals safely stored, and rotate artifacts.
Develop one interpretive program that uses old maps in the next season.
Apply for at least one digitization or heritage grant in the next funding cycle (2026 applications are open now in many regions).

Why the debate over Arc Raiders' maps matters to real-world heritage

The game-community conversation around Arc Raiders is more than fan nostalgia. It highlights a universal truth: maps matter. Whether virtual or paper, maps anchor memory, behavior, and identity. Heritage managers who keep and care for old maps are not resisting progress; they are preserving the raw material of interpretation and visitor experience. They are, in effect, guarding the narratives that make a place meaningful.

Call to action: If you manage a heritage site or park, start a map audit this month. Share a priority list with your staff and apply for a digitization grant before the next visitor season. If you're a traveler, seek out historic map displays on your next visit and ask staff about the site's map archive — those conversations shape conservation decisions. For more practical templates, a downloadable audit checklist, and case-study toolkits inspired by 2026 trends, subscribe to our newsletter at landmarks.pro or contact our conservation team to consult on a preservation plan tailored to your site.

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Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.