Collections Overview
The Map Library houses a collection of general and thematic maps and atlases for every area of the world. The collection consists of approximately 212,000 sheet maps, 14,000 folded geologic maps, and 4,000 atlases, gazetteers and other reference aids including wall maps, globes, CDs and Internet-accessible resources. The collection is especially strong in Michigan, United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, though all areas are collected at some level.
Specialized collections include 19th-21st century Michigan county atlases and plat books; a small Braille map and atlas collection of U.S. states and continents; and Michigan Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
The sheet map collection includes maps from the 17th to 21st centuries. A major portion of the sheet map collection consists of United States Geological Survey and U.S. Department of Defense products received through government depository programs. Many foreign topographic maps series are also collected, acquired by purchase and through Library of Congress map exchange programs. Other maps include foreign and domestic city and road maps, and maps from magazine subscriptions such as Petroleum Economist and National Geographic. Most supplementary maps from books in the Main Library are also housed in the Map Library.
All books in the Map Library are fully cataloged and can be located through the Libraries' Online Catalog.
Sheet maps are arranged by geographic area and subject. Since 1994 about 10% of the sheet map collection has been cataloged in the online catalog. Catalog searches may be limited to just the Map Library Collection.
USGS topographic maps of the 7.5' (1:24,000), 15' (1:62,500), and 30' x 60' (1:100,000) are arranged alphabetically by state and then by sheet name. The 1 x 2 (1:250,000) series is filed alphabetically across the United States.
Generally, all other maps and map series are arranged by geographic area, using the AGS (American Geographical Society) classification system. The sheet maps are grouped by regions of the world and further divided by subject so each country has its own classification number. Please ask for assistance when visiting the Map Library.