Locating Maps in UO Libraries

Topographic maps depict detailed ground relief (landforms and terrain), drainage (lakes and rivers), forest cover, administrative areas, populated areas, transportation routes and facilities (including roads and railways), and other man-made features. Topographic maps may be produced by private, commercial, and government entities for multiple reasons.

Many countries have produced extensive National Survey topographic map series depicting significant areas of their lands.  These series are generally very large sets and may come in different scales/levels of detail. For the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey maintains the National Map (now digital, with print on demand) of which the print 1: 24,000-scale 7.5-minute quadrangle map series is probably best known.  This series, beloved of outdoor enthusiasts, is still heavily used today.  Great Britain’s National Mapping Service is known as the Ordnance Survey. France’s is the Institut National de l’Information Géographique et Forestière (IGN).

Our most recent non-US topographic map series are in the map cases under the "Intl. Topo Maps" sign, first floor of Knight Library in the back.  These sets are not in the online catalog. Maps are organized by Library of Congress Call Number Classification for Maps which organizes them by country and scale (listed on the outside of the map drawers). There is also a key map taped to the map cases which allows you to identify the call number for a specific country.  This collection covers much of Canada and western Europe, although we do have maps of other countries.

Many of these print international topographic maps series were acquired during the 1980s so country names reflect 1980s geography. (For example use Yugoslavia, East Germany, West Germany, etc.).  Keep this in mind when browsing the drawers.

The first drawer of a country or the first map of a specific scale should be the index map. Sometimes the index map is in a pocket on the top of that map set's folder. Individual sheets are filed alpha-numerically within the proper country/scale folder by the sheet number shown on the index map. The index map should indicate if we have a sheet by red underlining. If you cannot find a map (or index), check the General Map Cases. If you have questions about the collection or would like help locating maps, please contact the map librarian.

Older National Survey maps are kept in storage, and are designated by a (Hist Series) in the call number. Please email map@uoregon.edu for access to these maps.

Some countries make some or all of their National Survey map data available online. To find our what's available you can visit the country's national mapping agency's online presence.

In today's rapidly changing world, print maps may be outdated as soon as they are published.However, old topographic maps may still be useful if you are looking at historic conditions, if an area hasn't changed much, or sometimes they are the best information available.