Collection Guidelines: Cartographic Resources: Subject Info

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These are the guidelines by which materials are purchased for the cartographic collections of the UW Libraries (Seattle Campus).  For questions or more information, please contact the Maps Librarian

The UW Libraries is committed to providing convenient and timely access to collections and information resources that are outstanding with respect to their quality, depth, diversity, format and currency to support the research and teaching missions of the University of Washington.

Cartographic materials provide a geographic image of the environment, usually prepared at a specific scale or resolution. Cartographic materials include maps, geospatial data, charts, globes, aerial photography and remote sensing images (i.e. satellite imagery). Cartographic materials may be in print (i.e. paper maps) or digital (i.e. CD-ROM, microfilm, online databases) formats. Cartographic materials may be physically in the Map Collection or accessed through the internet or Interlibrary Borrowing.

The collection supports a multitude of UW departments and programs.

The Maps and Cartographic collection is interdisciplinary and wide ranging. The following classifications can be used to find materials in the collection:

• Library of Congress Classification (LC)

  • Cartographic materials generally classed in G. and maps are classed from G3190 – G9980.

• Various classifications

  • Some locally created call numbers have been used for aerial photography and U.S. depository maps sets such as U.S. Geological Survey topographic map sets and nautical and aeronautical charts.

Note: Atlases are no longer part of the cartographic collection and are instead part of the general collection.