The University of Toledo

Finding Maps

The Library has maps and geographic information in many formats:  single maps (sheet maps), and atlases, for example.  In addition to the Map Collection, maps may also be found in the Reference, Government Documents, the General Collection, and online.

Finding Maps in the UT Library Catalog

Maps can most effectively be found in the UT Library Catalog by conducting a keyword search with the phrase 's:maps' in the search.  This will find materials where the subject heading contains the word maps.  Use the Location information to determine which collection the map, atlas, or book is in. 

Or, topograhic maps of Ohio and other Great Lakes states can be found with a

• Keyword search for Ohio quadrangle, Indiana quadrangle, etc.
• or Title search for: Toledo quadrangle Ohio, Gary quadrangle Indiana, etc. if you know the name of the quadrangle.

The libraries have access to several databases that provide specialized geographic information from OhioLINK.

• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Large-scale street plans of Ohio communities, produced by the Sanborn Fire Insurance company from 1867-1970.
• LANDSAT Satellite Image Maps - Digital images of Ohio from space available for download or web viewing. Several views are provided, including infrared and true color composite, updated every 16 days.
• AP Images - By searching for a geographic term and choosing Graphics PDF archive on the right, you can find news graphics which often contain maps.

Finding Maps on the Internet

• General Map Sites - The Perry-Castenada Library keeps a very detailed page of maps, including maps for sites of current news interest and outline maps.  The National Geographic Society is another good general map page.
• Road & Street Maps - There are several websites that can generate a map (and often driving directions) for a given address.  Some popular ones include: Google Maps, MapQuest, and Yahoo! Maps.
• Political Maps - maps showing political boundaries are available from the United States Central Intelligence Agency and from the United Nations websites.
• Topographic Maps - United States Geological Survey topographic maps showing the contours of the land are available at the USGS Store.
• Historical Maps - many images of historical maps are available at the David Rumsey Collection website.