Find Maps & GIS
The Map Library collection consists of an estimated 200,000 maps, over 3,000 atlases and geographic reference books and over 25,000 Colorado historical aerial photographs. The Map Library is a full Federal Depository Library. Photo by Lena Bell CC 0 |
Start with specific geographic keywords and move to more general ones, as needed. For example, start with "Boulder" then move to "Boulder County", "Front Range", "Colorado" if the previous term doesn't return enough results.
Add the words "map" or "atlas" to your search.
Consider using a gazetteer to determine if a place you are searching for on a map has historically had a different name.
Use an asterisk(*)to match zero or more characters within a word or at the end of a word. For example, searching for "environment" will return results with the words "environment","environments","environmental", etc.
Our Map Collection consists of an estimated 200,000 maps, over 3,000 atlases and geographic reference books, and more than 25,000 Colorado historical aerial photographs covering a broad range of subject areas. For assistance accessing these collections or to view these maps in print at the Earth Sciences & Map Library, please email rad@colorado.edu or call 303-492-7578 to schedule an appointment.
These are websites with excellent historical map coverage recommended by the map librarians at CU Boulder. If you are interested in viewing historical maps in our print collections, please email rad@colorado.edu. You can also view and download historical maps of Colorado from our four digital map collections.
Consider using a gazetteer
A gazetteer is a place name dictionary or index used to search the history of a place. This is particularly helpful for learning about places whose names or boundaries have changed over time or for names with variant spellings. If a place name has changed over time, you can incorporate its other names in your search. You can search OneSearch with the name of the country or region you are interested in and the word "gazetteer" or "place names."
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