Gov/Docs Maps Collection

Last update: May 28, 2008

The Evergreen State College Maps Collection is a varied one that helps Evergreen Faculty/Staff and Students in their research needs and studies.

The collection not only includes maps published by Federal agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of the Interior (DOI), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) but also wall maps and products from commercial vendors such as Denoyer-Geppert, Rand McNally, and Klett-Perthes.

The collection includes topographic maps from Washington State, Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon; nautical charts covering the Pacific Northwest area; U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Bureau of Mines maps. From Canada, we have British Columbia topographic maps of areas bordering with Washington State and nautical charts surrounding the Vancouver Island region. You will also find National Geographic colored maps that come with some issues of the magazine and road maps from Washington State and around the country.

The paper and cd-rom titles are available for you to check out. You can also find maps on microfiche and via the Internet.

Most of the maps in the Maps Collection are on the online catalog except for the topographic maps. We have completed placing the Washington State and Oregon topographic maps on the online catalog. Right now we have done only a third of the Idaho topographic maps. More titles are added each day, so check back frequently. If you still cannot find it, send an email to Carlos A. Diaz, Head of Government Documents/Maps or stop by the Government Documents/Maps Office at L-3321.

You can also find maps online at the following sources:

Searching for Maps: There are a couple of ways to search for maps using our online catalog.

Keyword Searching

Paper Maps:

Click on the link for the online catalog above.
Then, click on the KEYWORDS link to do a keyword search.
Once you are on the KEYWORDS search page, type in the name of the country or topic you are looking for in a map. For example, if you are looking for a map of Canada, type the word CANADA on the search engine. You will get 3,086 entries. Then, click on the LIMIT THIS SEARCH button where you will see different ways to limit your search. Click on the down arrow for MATERIAL TYPE. A pull-down menu will appear giving you several choices. Click on the one that says PRINT MAP. Then, click on the long button that says LIMIT/SORT ITEMS RETRIEVED USING ABOVE DATA. Wait for the results. You will notice that you have managed to reduce the entries from 3,086 to 195 which is a more manageable amount to work with.
Then click on the titles that are of interest to you. Most of them will have the location TESC Maps and a call no. Be sure to write down the call no. because that is what you will need in order to retrieve it. If you have difficulty finding the map, be sure to stop by the GovDocs/Maps Office in L-3321 for assistance.

CD-ROM Maps:
To search for maps available on CD-ROM, return to LIMIT THIS SEARCH. Under MATERIAL TYPE, choose COMPUTER FILE. When using the Canada example, you will find four entries for digital maps of Canada. Most of the maps on CD-ROM will have as its location TESC Gov Docs CD-ROMs. Again, be sure to write down the call no. and location of the title so you can retrieve it.
You can also do keyword searching using the name of the publishers. This works especially well for the wall maps produced by the commercial vendors. The publishers include:
1. Denoyer-Geppert
2. Albert Bushnell Hart
3. Samuel Harding
4. James Breasted
5. Herbert Eugene Bolton
6. Hermann Haack
7. Rand McNally
8. Geo-Institut
Government Documents Call Number Searching
Click on the list of call nos. available in our collection
The following Federal agencies produce a vast number of maps in paper, cd-rom, and via the Internet.
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
  Take a look at the list of call nos. for each of these agencies before beginning your search on the online catalog.

Then, click on the GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT NUMBER link to do a Government Documents Call Number search. Once you are on the GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT NUMBER search page, type in the call no. you are looking for.