Research Guides: Government Documents: Maps, Posters, and Images

Maps and Geographical Resources

Kenyon receives topographic maps from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). There is an assortment of maps of the United States, with special emphasis on the Midwestern states, as well as a collection of general and world maps. Maps are housed in the Library Storage Facility and can be requested back to Chalmers Library through CONSORT. You may also browse the collection of atlases near the Reference Desk or in KEN Main and KEN oversize. Links to electronic resources with maps are below.

Note: Many federal departments and agencies produce their own maps. For maps on a particular topic (for example, population maps from the Census Bureau, environmental and climate maps from the EPA, etc.), try using the department/agency's website.

CIA World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency)
Includes reference maps as well as individual country maps.
Country Fact Sheets (U.S. Department of State)
To view maps, go to a country page and click on the link to the country's official name.
Map Collections from the American Memory Project (Library of Congress)
Search the "Americana and Cartographic Treasures" of the Library of Congress. Includes such subject areas as Conservation and Environment, Discovery and Exploration, Military Battles and Campaigns, and Cultural Landscapes.
Perry-Casteñeda Library Map Collection (University of Texas at Austin)
Links to online maps of current and general interest; historical maps; continent, country, state, and city maps; cartographic reference resources; a bibliography of other geography-related sites; and much more.
topoView (USGS maps, 1880 - )
Current and historical topographic maps for the USGS

Posters, Photographs, and Images

Kenyon also has a collection of posters from various federal departments and agencies, including posters issued by the War Department. Some of the posters are cataloged and can be searched in CONSORT; all are housed with the map collection in the Library Storage Facility.

Selected online collections:

By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943 (Library of Congress)
Library of Congress (American Memory Project)
A rich digital repository of "written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience."
National Archives Online Exhibits
Digitized images of documents from the National Archives, from the voting record of the Constitutional Convention through items of folk art sent as gifts to President Clinton.
Navy Recruiting Posters (Naval Historical Center)
Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II (National Archives)
Visual Culture and Public Health Posters (National Library of Medicine)