Maps and Atlases

Using Indexes and Databases

There are many aids for finding maps. The resources listed below can be used as indexes to identify maps. When you use general map indexes, you will also need to check the library's online catalog or consult with a reference librarian to determine if the NCSU Libraries owns the map.

Online resources:

NCSU Library Online Catalog - This is the first place to look. Try a keyword search for the geographic name or area and limit your search to Format: - Maps. You can also look for maps in atlases by using "atlases" as a keyword.

National Geologic Map Database - Maps and related data about geology, hazards, earth resources, geophysics, geochemistry, geochronology, paleontology, and marine geology.

Topographic Map Indexes - USGS topographic indexes of the United States in the following scales: 1:24,000, 1:100,00, and 1:250,000.

Print indexes:

North Carolina:

Index to Maps of North Carolina in Books and Periodicals Illustrating the History of the State from the Voyage of Verrazzano in 1524 to 1975 / by David Sanders Clark.
D. H. Hill Library - Reference
Z6028 .C58 1976

United States:

Descriptive Catalog of Maps Published by Congress, 1817-1843, compiled by Martin P. Claussen and Herman R. Friis. Washington, D.C., 1941.
D H Hill Library Reference
Z6027 .U5 C6

CIS US Serial Set Index: Index and Carto-Bibliography of Maps, 1789–1969. Indexes many early maps published by the federal government on topics including exploration west of the Mississippi River, the growth of American railroads, the Civil War, and more.
Reference U.S. Depository Collection, D H Hill.
J74 .C65 1975

Maps Contained in the Publications of the American Bibliography, 1639-1819 : an index and checklist by Jim Walsh.
D H Hill Library Reference.
Z6027 .U5 W35 1988

Index to Maps of the American Revolution in Books and Periodicals: illustrating the Revolutionary War and other events of the period 1763-1789. By David Sanders Clark.
D H Hill Library Reference.
Z6027 .U5 C57 1974

Thematic:

Index to Plant Distribution Maps in North American Periodicals through 1972. Compiled by W. Louis Phillips and Ronald L. Stuckey. 1976.
D H Hill Library Folio.
Z6026 .B6 P45

Index to Maps in Earth Science Publications, 1963-1983. Compiled by John Van Balen.
D H Hill Library Reference.
QE36 .V36 1985

Contact

For more information, use Ask Us or contact:

Jeff Essic

Data Services Librarian

(919) 515-5698

jeff_essic@ncsu.edu