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Map FAQ's
| Where are the maps, atlases and other geographic reference sources located? |
Most of the university's maps are located on the 4th floor of the Zumberge (Allendale) library. Superceded topographic maps of Michigan and other historic or rare maps are located in Seidman House. Atlases can be found in almost all of the university's libraries, but the vast majority of atlases are located in the southwest corner of the 4th floor of the Zumberge. Standard world atlases are located in the Reference section on the 1st floor of Zumberge library. Almost all gazetteers and place name books are also located in the Reference section.
| How do I find out if GVSU owns the map or atlas I need? |
While it is a good idea to start any search for maps with the library catalog, most individual map sheets cannot be found there. A particular map series may be listed in the catalog, but to determine whether the library owns the actual map sheet you need, you will often need to check on of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) state indexes on the east wall of the 2nd floor or the first drawer of that state or series.
For non-USGS maps, you will either need to check the drawer that series is located in to determine if GVSU owns the map you need, or you can check the Types of Maps @ GVSU page to find a listing of the individual Michigan County Road Maps, National Geographic Maps, and AAA Maps that we own. For those individual maps that are in the online catalog, the map's record will tell you what drawer it is located in.
You can determine if GVSU owns an atlas by using the library catalog. If you know the title of the atlas you need, do a keyword search for the book's title. If you are looking for an atlas on a particular topic you may want to do a Advanced Keyword search and use the term 'atlas' on one line and whatever topic you are interested in ('United States,' 'environment,' 'Rome,' etc.) on the remaining lines.
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What kind of classification system does the map and atlas collection use?
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You will find maps, atlases and gazetteers classified using both the Library of Congress (LC) classification system and the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification system. Generally, if a map or an atlas was acquired through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) it will have a SuDoc number, while items purchased by the library will have an LC call number. Click here for a brief overview of how government documents are classified using the SuDoc system.
| What kind of copying and printing capabilities does the library have? |
Copying at the library costs 10 cents a page, while printing is free. The library currently does not have a color printer or a copier capable of doing full-scale reproductions of large maps.
| Can I check out maps and atlases? |
The majority of the items in this collection do not circulate, so that all patrons have the opportunity to access these materials. In special instances, though, certain materials can be checked out for a brief period of time with the permission of a librarian. Some items that do circulate include atlases found in the main stacks of Zumberge library.
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