Documentation
Documentation
Public documentation for using the Research Library, Watchlist Blog, maps, Sanborn Maps, recent signals, workspace records, AI tools, and account access across Urban Lithograph.
Documentation Summary
Start with the main paths through the system.
Updated
March 23, 2026
Public layer
Browse the Research Library, Watchlist Blog, taxonomy pages, article maps, and related reading without signing in.
Workspace layer
Members can create workspace location records, save conversations, open Sanborn Maps, use extended Signals, and build working copies from public research articles.
Field support
Use the Field Network when a place needs local follow-up, submitted material, or case-study help through the same system.
Best first step
Start with Getting Started if you are new, or jump straight to Working Copies if you want to keep working from an article.
Audience
Researchers, historians, preservation groups, journalists, photographers, and institutions using place-based records over time.
Guides
Browse the documentation set
Start here
Getting Started
How the library, account access, and first working records fit together.
Public layer
Research Library
How to browse the archive, taxonomy pages, article cards, hero maps, recent coverage, and related reading trails.
Public layer
Watchlist Blog
How to use ongoing reporting and newer follow-up around places already tracked in the library.
Working Records
Working Copies
How article-linked locations move into your own workspace so the work can keep going.
Field Support
Field Network
How place requests, field material, contributor follow-up, and workspace records stay connected.
Maps
Maps And Locations
How public map context, Sanborn Maps, Signals, private map tools, and place records stay tied to the same locations.
Workspace Tool
Incentives
How the location workspace screens state and federal preservation incentives alongside live grant results.
Current Awareness
Signals
How public research pages and extended workspace Signals keep newer coverage, public attention, and network activity tied to the same place.
AI
AI And Chat
How personal API chat works inside location records, and what still needs verification.
Accounts
Account And Access
How access requests, approval, profile settings, password reset, and membership assignment work.
How the system is organized
Urban Lithograph has a public research layer and a workspace layer. The public side includes the Research Library, Watchlist Blog, and browse paths through regions, themes, types, and statuses. The workspace side is built for continuity, so the work around a place can keep moving after the first article or search result.
These guides explain how article pages, watchlist updates, map surfaces, Sanborn Maps, recent signals, working records, AI tools, and account access fit together.
Common paths through the system
- Browse the Research Library and follow a place through regions, themes, types, and statuses.
- Use the Watchlist Blog when you want newer reporting and ongoing follow-up around places already in the library.
- Open a single article and use its map, recent coverage, related reading, and source trail to understand the place more fully.
- Request access if you want workspace tools or deeper continuity around the places you are tracking.
- Create a working copy from a public article when you want your own workspace location record or linked set.
- Use the Field Network when a place needs local follow-up, submitted material, or stronger case-study support.
- Use location maps, Sanborn Maps, Signals, and chat tools once access is enabled.