Maps - Print & Digital  Tags: maps geography government  

Frequently Requested Depository Maps

The United States Government through its Depository Libraries Program has placed these maps on deposit at the Library. These maps make up the majority of the maps we own, and include maps produced by the following agencies:

• US Geological Survey
  Including topographic maps, geological maps, and other thematic maps
• Central Intelligence Agency
  Including large and small format political maps of foreign countries
• US Department of Agriculture
  Including maps of USDA land holdings, such as National Forests
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  Including waterway navigation charts, commercial aviation routes
• National Intelligence and Mapping Agency (formerly the Defense Mapping Agency)
  Including some US based maps, but also detailed small scale physical maps of the entire world

Other agencies within the Department of Commerce (Census) and Department of Interior (National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management), also produce maps.

Maps in Depository collection are shelved according to the "SuDocs" call numbering scheme developed by the Superintendent of Documents of the US Government Printing Office. Thus all maps from a particular agency are filed together, regardless of geographic area of coverage.

Topographic Maps (US Geological Survey)

This is the national base map series. Topographic Maps are shelved first by scale/series, and are updated irregularly, as needed. Most of the maps in this collection postdate 1960. The Map Room keeps only the most up to date copies of these maps, except for Virginia.

Topographic Map Databases:

The following will help you identify the maps that suit your needs, but are NOT listings of the Library's holdings:

• The USGS Map Lists will allow you to browse the maps currently available by state or by map series.
• The Geographic Names Information System will allow you to search for a geographic feature (over 65 types, ranging from "airport" to "levee" to "woods") and reports back the location and 7.5-minute topographic map on which it can be found.

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Geological and Miscellaneous Investigations (US Geological Survey)

These maps are published irregularly, and coverage of the US is less complete than for the topographic series. We have far fewer of these types of maps, and they are published in different ways, thus shelved in different places. In many cases they are referenced to the same quadrangles used for the topographic maps. But this is not always the case.

How to locate:
Although one can try searching VIRGO, it may be easier to consult the following index:
Laurie Andriot, Guide to USGS Publications. 6026 .G3 G84 (Map Room Reference)

The AREA INDEX is of most use here. It may help to first identify your study area on a USGS topographic map, so that you have some possible alternate area names to use. Items related to the area will be listed with a series letter and item number, which correspond to call numbers as follows:

Geological Publications Guide:

The National Geologic Map Database indexes the geological publications of the US Geological Survey as well as state geological surveys. This is guide to existing publication that may be held at other libraries, not a guide to the holdings of the University of Virginia Library.

Other US Geological Survey Maps

The USGS and the Department of the Interior have published a large number of miscellaneous thematic and physical maps of various types at all scales and coverage areas. These may include special series, maps taken from The National Atlas of the United States and National Park Service Maps. Most of our collection of these maps are shelved in Map Room under the call numbers beginning with I. You may find a useful or interesting map by browsing the trays.

Land Use Planimetric Maps (Bureau of Land Management)

These primarily cover the western United States where the Bureau of Land Management maintains federal land. These maps are usually drawn to the standard 30x60 minute quadrangles favored by the USGS.

How to locate:
Shelved under call number I 53. in the Map Room. The areas covered match the area covered by USGS topographic maps at corresponding scale (1:100K)

Forest service maps of National Forests (US Dept. of Agriculture)

These maps are based upon the 7.5-minute topographic map series (see above), and are essentially topographic maps with added detail regarding the national forest areas surveyed. These maps have now been discontinued as a standalone series are being replaced by topographic maps that combine the details of both series.
These are all in Ivy Stacks and can be paged via VIRGO.

Nautical Charts (NOAA/Defense Mapping Agency)

These are detailed charts of coastal areas of the world and inland waterways of the United States.

How to locate:
Shelved in order of map sheet number along the east wall of the Map Room lab. Indexes to the series are located on top of those maps cases containing these sheets.

National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA / DMA / AMS)

Formerly the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) and the Army Map Service (AMS). NIMA publishes maps of many countries in various scales. Strategic areas during World War II are covered, as is much of the British Commonwealth. The United States and Latin America are not thoroughly covered. Generally each NIMA/DMA map shows only a section of a country, and includes a great deal of surface detail.

How to locate:
NIMA/DMA maps are assigned a call number of D 5.355:. They are located in the cabinets along the south wall of the Map Room Center. The large series of NIMA/DMA maps are in VIRGO. Individual sheets can be identified by using the NIMA/DMA map catalog on the bookshelves near the NIMA/DMA map cases. This file is by country and refers to the series and map numbers for any particular country.

For NIMA/DMA maps, the sheet numbers are grid numbers. Within the 1301 series the first letter (N or S) indicates whether the area is north or south of the equator, and the next letter (A-Z) indicates how far. Numbers are assigned in sequence moving eastward from the International Date Line. A typical NIMA/DMA map number would be 1301 NQ32.