Aerial Photography
The collection includes modern and historical aerial photographs and satellite imagery of the Brazos County area. The 1940's Aerials of Brazos County can be viewed online. Aerial photography of Austin, Dallas, Houston, and the U.S./Mexico border are also held in the collection.
Base/Outline Maps
We hold the Facts on File’s Historical Maps on File and Geography on File, both of which are freely available to photocopy. Outline maps of the world and US can be found at About.com.
Flood Insurance Rate Maps from FEMA
These include Texas communities that are in the Flood Insurance Program. Flood insurance maps are available in physical and scanned copies as well as GIS files. Some are available online through the FEMA Flood Map Service Portal.
Geological Maps
The collection contains geologic maps on every state, and most countries, with extensive coverage of Texas. The library contains the complete set of the Geologic Atlas of Texas in paper. We also hold maps from many state geologic surveys.
The library holds the complete run of the Geologic Atlas of the United States, created by the USGS during the late 19th and middle 20th centuries. This set consists of 227 folio volumes, each including topographic and geologic maps and sections of selected geographic areas in the United States, together with a descriptive text, charts and photographs. Digitized copies are available in the library's repository.
Historical Maps
We have both originals and reproductions of historic maps representing Texas, the United States and the world. Among our reprint collections are maps from the Historic Urban Plans collection. To find these maps in the catalog, search Historic Urban Plans (Firm). You may also view historic maps online at the Library of Congress’ Collections with Maps and at the David Rumsey Collection.
Imaginary Places Collection
The collection includes maps of imaginary places and ideas, including Middle Earth, Narnia, and Westeros. These maps can be found by searching the catalog with the keyword "Maps of Imaginary Places Collection."
Nautical/Celestial Charts
We have a number of world nautical charts and celestial charts. Digital version of NOAA's Nautical charts can be found on their On-Line Chart Viewer.
Soil Surveys
We hold copies of the county soil surveys published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Thematic Maps
Among the many topics in our collection are social or demographic maps, as well as the topics of ecology, land use, climate data, and economic data.
Topographic maps
The Map Collection has an extensive collection of United States Geological Survey 7.5 Minute Topographic Series (1:24,000 scale). We also have topographic maps at 1:50,000, 1:100,000, and 1:250,000 scale for many parts of the United States. Our topographic maps cover various years, some going back to the 19th century. The 7.5-minute map series was officially completed in 1992, and the program has recently been replaced by The National Map.
The collection also includes topographic maps from numerous countries and regions around the world.
Travel Maps, City Maps
We have street maps for cites and regions, locally and around the world. We also have maps and guides of the US National Parks. The travel guide books, including those from Lonely Planet, Fodor's and other publishers, are found in the general collections and can be searched in the Libraries' Catalog with the place of interest and keyword "description and travel guidebooks."
Atlases
We have a substantial collection of national atlases from all over the world.
We have both originals and reproductions of historic atlases representing Texas, the United States and the world. Among our reprint collections are atlases reproduced by the British Museum, the United States Government, and the Biblioteca Nacional de Hungría.
The collection includes atlases of imaginary places and ideas, including Dragonlance, Middle Earth, and Pern. These atlases can be found by searching the Libraries' Catalog with the keyword "Maps of Imaginary Places Collection."
Among the many topics in our collection are social or demographic atlases, as well as the topics of ecology, land use, climate data, economic data, and military and warfare.
General Reference Resources
We maintain a significant reference collection containing items such as, The New Handbook of Texas, Texas Almanac, Texas Gazetteer, National Gazetteer of the United States, Omni Gazetteer, Guide to USGS Publications, the World Almanac, and the Statistical Abstract of the U.S. We also have many GIS manuals and books from ESRI.
Place Names & Gazetteers
We hold gazetteers of place names approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Also, see the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) on the web for place names within the US and its territories.
