IU Collections
A selection of our maps have been scanned and made available online.
- Indiana Historic MapsIndiana Historic Maps provides images of a small portion of maps that focus on Indiana. The majority of this collection focuses on maps produced prior to 1923 unless known to be in the public domain as state or federal documents. In addition, Indiana University Bloomington holds an outstanding collection of print maps by and about geographic areas covering the state of Indiana.
- Russian Military Topographic MapsThe IU collection of these (mostly) former Soviet Red Army topographic maps came to us from the duplicate map room of the Library of Congress Map Collection. These captured maps have a great story to tell, that can be traced by the many library stamps they bear. The collection ranges from around 1880-1945 and ranges from Scandinavia to Iran, with most holdings in Eastern Europe and Western Russia.
- Indiana Sanborn MapsSanborn Fire Insurance Maps were made for the interests of fire insurance companies, but because they are detailed, building-by-building depictions of most urban areas, they are useful for many kinds of research. These large-scale maps were updated regularly, making them a valuable resource for studying change over time in towns and cities across the United States. We hold a near-complete collection of Sanborn maps for the state of Indiana, and those in the public domain have been digitized.
- Alfred Kinsey Gall Wasp mapsThis collection is comprised of 20 maps produced as part of Alfred C. Kinsey’s gall wasp research, which culminated in the volume entitled The gall wasp genus Cynips: a study in the origin of species. Kinsey’s gall wasp research predates the work on human sexuality for which he is more widely known. The maps were created during a span of twenty years, between approximately 1917 and 1937.
Subscription Databases
- Zambia Maps
IUB Libraries map collection includes several sheets of topographic maps for Zambia as well as these digitized sheets.
- Wiley Digital Archives
Provides access to historical primary sources, digitized from leading societies, libraries, and archives around the world. Includes access to the archives of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI), the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), Royal Geographical Society, 1478-1953 (RGS) ; The Royal College of Physicians (RCP).
Several Adam Matthew databases include maps, particularly related to area studies. View the Adam Matthew guide for a full list of these collections that include Foreign Office Files, primary source documents, and more. A small list of general resources follows.
- Age of Exploration
Primary source documents covering five centuries of exploration and colonization. Subjects include: journeys, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, conflict over territories and trade routes, and decades-long search and rescue attempts.
- Empire Online
Contains over 70,000 images of original manuscripts (including biographies and chronologies) and printed materials covering Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Oceana, and South Asia.
- American West
Collection of primary sources such original manuscripts, maps, ephemeral material and rare printed sources, that cover social, political, and economic aspects of the American West.
- Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America
Covers interactions between American Indians and Europeans from their earliest contact, continuing through the turbulence of the American Civil War, the on-going repercussions of government legislation, to the civil rights movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century. This resource contains material from the Newberry Library’s Edward E. Ayer Collection.
- Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan, 1834-1922: From Silk Road to Soviet Rule
Collection of Foreign Office files, including correspondence, intelligence reports, agents’ diaries, minutes, maps, newspaper excerpts and other materials. Covers the history of Persia (Iran), Central Asia and Afghanistan from the decline of the Silk Road in the first half of the nineteenth century to the establishment of Soviet rule over parts of the region in the early 1920s.
- Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice
Designed as a portal for slavery and abolition studies, this resource provides access to documents and collections covering 1490-2007, from libraries and archives across the Atlantic world. Close attention is given to the varieties of slavery, the legacy of slavery, the social-justice perspective and the continued existence of slavery today.
Other Collections
- BTAA GeoportalSearch across BTAA institutions for maps and spatial data
- David Rumsey CollectionThis is a great place to start! "The David Rumsey Map Collection was started over 35 years ago and contains more than 200,000 maps. The collection focuses on rare 16th through 21st century maps of North and South America, as well as maps of the World, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, globes, wall maps, school geographies, pocket maps, books of exploration, maritime charts, and a variety of cartographic materials including pocket, wall, children's, and manuscript maps. Items range in date from around 1550 to the present."
- Library of Congress MapsAbout 50,000 maps from the Library of Congress' collection are available online. These include Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, maps of early America, OSS maps, and others.
- Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) Map CollectionThe map library at the University of Texas at Austin has made many of their maps available online, including many CIA maps
- Persuasive MapsThe PJ Mode Collection at Cornell University include persuasive maps, propaganda maps, and other oddities.
- WWII NewsmapsUniversity of North Texas has digitized their collection of WWII Newsmaps. IU Libraries holds the physical copies. Search IUCAT to locate these or email libmaps@iu.edu