Topographic maps show the physical geography of an area, often including elevation of the terrain and depth of water. These maps can also include elements of the built environment. They are often published as map sets or series consisting of many individual sheets.
The USGS produces topographic maps of the United States at a variety of scales, from the 7.5 minute quadrangles (1:24,000) to 1:250,000. We shelve the physical maps in our library under the call number G3700 svar .U6 [state] [quad name]. Use a paper or digital index to identify the quad for your location of interest. The next generation of topo quads (US Topo), for 2009 and later editions, are only available online.
Topographic map sets can be particularly helpful when you cannot find an individual sheet map for a city or area of interest at the desired scale.
Geologic maps show the distribution of Earth's materials at the planet's surface. The Earth Sciences & Map Library has a large collection of geologic maps covering various parts of the world. Geologic maps have been acquired from the U.S. Geological Survey, various state geological surveys, and foreign agencies.
In the catalog: start with a general keyword search using the terms geology [place name] maps. For further refinement use the Advanced Keyword Search to search for the subject keywords [geology place name maps] (e.g., geology tokyo japan maps). You can find other geological keywords in the list of common subject keywords for maps.
National Geologic Map Database - Discover and access geologic maps, stratigraphy, and GIS data for the United States.
Historical maps can be excellent sources for both information about how the world looked in the past and how people in the past viewed their world. The Earth Sciences & Map Library has reproductions, photocopies, and facsimiles for a number of historical maps in addition to cartobibliographies, atlases, and books about historical maps. The Bancroft Library holds the largest collection of historical and manuscript maps on campus.
In the catalog: use the Advanced Keyword Search to search for keywords [place name maps] (e.g., france maps), then use the Year of Publication option to limit by date (e.g., After 1839 and Before 1891 for 1840-1890).
You might also try these subject keyword searches:
Search UC Library Search for maps held at other libraries within UC, the Stanford University Libraries, and other libraries worldwide. Please contact the librarian for a consultation if you need maps from another UC/Stanford map library.
There are many online repositories for historical maps. Some great starting points include the following:
Scanned maps from the UC Berkeley collections:
Additional sources for scanned historic maps:
Fire insurance maps are detailed city plans, usually at scales of 50 or 100 feet to an inch. They show individual building footprints, complete with construction details such as building material, number of stories, building use, and more. The maps were originally produced for insurance underwriters, but today are used by researchers in history, urban geography, architectural history, and other fields. They are commonly referred to as Sanborn maps because the Sanborn company was the largest national producer, covering the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Nautical charts contain information on water depths, navigational aids, shipping channels, and restricted areas. They may also show details of coastal settlements, shorelines, reefs, and other physical features. These charts are collected for research purposes and are not intended to be used for navigation. Most charts in the Earth Sciences & Map Library are produced by the National Ocean Service (NOS), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and their predecessors.
Keyword searching is the simplest way to start searching for maps in the Library catalog, UC Library Search. Some helpful hints and tips:
Subject searches are the most direct method for retrieving maps and atlases from the Library's online catalog. In Advanced Keyword Search, search by Subject and limit the search by Material Type "printed maps." (The order of the subject keywords is not important).
Note the call number and location to locate the map in our collection.
When viewing the UC Library Search record for a map set:
Note the call number and location to locate the map in our collection.