Collections
The University of Tennessee Map Services Department is a recipient of U.S. Census Bureau maps and materials. They maintain a collection of all U.S. Tiger File CD-ROMs, as well as printed Census tract maps for Tennessee. Map Services also receives other cartographic materials on CD-ROM, and printed sheet-maps.
The UTK Map Services's collections are versatile and fulfill many purposes, including research, instruction and every-day use. A growing collection of books, atlases, globes, digital products, and microforms complement a collection of over 300,000 sheet maps. Strong in the earth sciences, the collections of Map Services are always growing and evolving to meet the needs of the patrons we serve.
The collections are cataloged and arranged according to the Library of Congress Classification system. A rough guide to LC classification for maps can be a help in navigating the collections. While much of Map Services's holdings are searchable through UTK's Public Access Catalog, the bulk of the collections are not fully cataloged, and therefore searchable only on-site. To get a better idea of the scope of the Map Services's collections, select an element from the list above, or scroll through the remainder of this page.
Atlases
The Atlas Collection of Map Services contains many atlases produced by countries in their native languages, as well as thematic atlases, world atlases, and national atlases. All atlases in the collection are cataloged in the Public Access Catalog.
Books
The growing book collection of Map Services includes many volumes of useful cartographic information such as GIS guides, conference proceedings, cartographic history, and general geographic texts. All books in the collection are cataloged in the Public Access Catalog.
Supplementing these titles is a large collection of newsletters and other periodical items that Map Services receive through various association memberships and through correspondence with publishing companies and agencies. Map Services Staff renew requests to remain on mailing lists for these materials on a yearly basis in an effort to provide the most current possible professional information, despite a low periodicals budget.
Imagery
Map Services does not maintain or pursue a large collection of aerial photography or satellite, radar, and other remotely-sensed imagery. However, Map Services does maintain indexes and samples for many of these materials. Please consult Map Services Staff for access to indexes and selected samples of these materials. Online imagery resources include our Atlases and Imagery Collections links for satellite imagery and the USGS EarthExplorer for aerial photography.
Reference Collection
The Reference Collection of Map Services contains books, atlases, indexes, and other tools to assist in map use and interpretation. These materials are intended to assist patrons in identifying needed materials and accessing the collection. Included in the Reference Section of Map Services are materials for use in place name location, listings of other map resources throughout the world, cartobibliographies, a collection of current topographic maps for Tennessee and the surrounding counties, as well as more detailed topographic maps of the city of Knoxville. These reference materials are all publicly accessible, but may not be checked out of the library.
Reference Collection books and atlases are fully cataloged in the Public Access Catalog (PAC). Reference materials that appear in the catalog will display a location code of MAPref.
Sheet Maps
The Sheet-Map Collection of Map Services is physically arranged into three main divisions: monographs, U.S. sets and series, and non-U.S./global sets and series.
Monographs are single items that may contain one or several sheets, but they are usually published one time and are a unique item. They are filed by the Library of Congress G-Schedule Classification according to subject and geographic coverage and many are cataloged in the PAC.
Sets and series are maps issued in multiple sheets, usually at a set scale and size, and of a certain subject. They are often updated or superceded by later editions of individual sheets. Sets and series most often receive a call number for the collective series which can be individualized by adding the series number or sheet title to the end of the call number.
Although the vast majority of these sets and series are not cataloged, an online index and many holdings lists are available online.
Other UTK Map Resources
Although Map Services is the primary source for maps and cartographic information on UT’s campus, there are other on-campus sources for maps and cartographic information:
Agricultural and Veterinary Medicine Library
The University Libraries Agricultural and Veterinary Medicine Library has
a selection of maps and atlases as produced by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. The USDA also produces a very useful series of soil surveys
for counties of the United States. The
Ag/Vet-Med Library has these surveys for a substantial number of U.S. Counties.
Hodges Library, Research Services Department
The Research Services Department in Hodges Library has a collection of several
national and thematic atlases.
Hodges Library, Documents and Microforms Department
The Documents and Microforms Department is a recipient of U.S. Census
Bureau maps and materials. They maintain a collection of all U.S. Tiger
File CD-ROMs, as well as printed Census tract maps for
Tennessee. The Documents and Microforms Department also receives other
cartographic materials on CD-ROM, microforms, and printed sheet-maps.
Special Collections, Hodges Library Special Collections, located on the first floor of Hodges Library, houses selected maps for preservation purposes, including Sanborn fire insurance maps for Tennessee c.1884-1922. They are not available for check-out.
Online holdings:
UTK Cartographic Services Lab
The University of Tennessee Cartographic Services Laboratory (UTCSL) is a full-service cartographic production and
research lab located in Room 413 of the Science and Engineering Research Facility. The laboratory serves the cartographic needs of
faculty, staff, students and all other offices within the University as well as others with map needs, such as federal, state and local
government agencies.
-UTK GIS labs
The Department of Geography provides a full service GIS Lab in Room 206 of the
Burchfiel Geography Building.
UTK also currently has at least four other locations where students, staff and faculty can access the GIS software package
ArcGIS: Hodges Library Commons, Humanities CAS Lab, Perkins Hall CAS Lab, and Pendergrass Library. Please see GIS@UT Labs/Facilities for more information.