Map Collections

A collection of maps, atlases, and other cartographic materials are available on the first floor of the library and in the basement in Special Collections.

Reference staff and Special Collections staff are available to assist patrons with questions relating to maps.

Features of the Collections

Over 15,000 sheet maps and aerial photographs are housed in the library’s contemporary map collection. This collection includes sheet maps published since 1950 and aerial photographs produced since 1940.

These cartographic materials are supplemented by a collection of over 500 atlases and a contemporary geographic file that contains small-scale country, state, and city maps.

Additional maps are selected as appropriate for the academic needs of the university (e.g., aerial photographs of the panhandle area and photographs of flight lines over local coastal areas). Other aerial photographs provide coverage of an entire county (or significant portions) over various time frames.

Historic maps of Florida and the west Florida region are also available at the UWF library in the Special Collections Department.

Location

The contemporary collection of cartographic materials is located on the first floor of the library and in the map room in the basement. Pre-1950 maps are available in the Special Collections Department.

Identifying Maps in the Collection

Although some maps are cataloged and may be identified in the UWF Library Catalog, access to the collection is provided through a printed index which identifies the appropriate drawer to locate a particular map or photograph. This index is available at the Reference Desk, and at the map cases.

A shelflist, browsing file, or inventory list are used by the staff in Special Collections to locate maps in their collection.

Government-Produced Maps

A significant portion of the contemporary map collection is composed of U.S. government depository maps which are received on a regular basis. These depository maps include the following:

Highly detailed (1:24,000") topographic maps of Alabama, Florida and Georgia
Detailed (1:50,000", 1:100,000", and 1:250,000") topographic maps of the United States
Nautical charts of the U.S. gulf and east coast
CIA sheet maps of the countries of the world

Maps in Special Collections

There are three distinct collections of maps housed in the basement:

Original manuscript or printed maps of the Florida and West Florida region (arranged chronologically). Special Collections has a shelf list for each map, in chronological order and a general subject index to these (Location: Special Collections Card Catalog).
Photocopy maps acquired from archives and libraries in America, Mexico, Canada, England, France, and Spain (Located in the Special Collections Reading Room). There is a browsing file in the Special Collections Reading Room for these maps.
Marion Viccars Collection. Maps of individual states of the U.S. and countries of the world, 1700 to 1900, arranged by state, continent, and country. There is an inventory for these maps in Special Collections.

There are also maps within manuscript collections (e.g., land records, lumber company and railroad company records).

Maps of West Florida

Maps of the West Florida region include manuscript maps, surveyor drawings, printed maps from gazetteers, street maps, land/lumber/timber survey maps, railroad maps, highway maps, land use and environmental studies, battle drawings, aerial photographs and similar geographical studies.

Maps of West Florida, regardless of date, are located in the basement in Special Collections.

Contacting Us

Contact the Reference staff by phone at (850-474-2424) or send an email to Melissa Gonzalez (mgonzalez@uwf.edu).

Date Last Updated: Sept. 2006

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