The Map Collection
Noble Science and Engineering Library
Arizona State University Libraries
Phone: (480) 965-3582
E-mail: Map E-reference
Location and Hours
The Map Collection is located on the 3rd floor of the Noble Science and Engineering Library on Tyler Mall on the ASU Main Campus. Check the campus map for library locations and visitor parking.
Regular hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
Hours may vary during holidays and intersessions. Call (480) 965-3582 for more information, or check the on-line schedule.
The Collection
The ASU Libraries' Map Collection contains more than 200,000 maps, 20,000 aerial photographs, 2,800 atlases and reference materials related to maps and cartography, and 500 CD-ROMs. The Map Collection includes cartographic materials on a wide range of geographic areas and subjects. The Collection's emphasis is on contemporary and historical maps related to the Phoenix Metro Area, Arizona, the Southwest and Mexico. The Collection's aerial photography includes current and historical aerial photography primarily of Maricopa County and other Arizona regions.
The Map Collection is a part of the ASU Libraries' Government Documents/Maps Department and receives a large portion of its maps through the U.S. Federal Depository Library Program. Examples of cartographic materials received through the depository program include U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps and geologic maps, U.S. Forest Service maps, nautical and aeronautical charts, Central Intelligence Agency maps, and federal spatial datasets.
The Map Collection recently added approximately 3,000 primarily historical maps of Arizona and the Southwest in a gift of maps and cartographic materials from the Arizona Historical Foundation; the ASU Libraries' Department of Archives and Manuscripts also transferred its map holdings to the Map Collection.
Collection Access
As part of the U.S. Federal Depository Library Program, the ASU Map Collection is open to the ASU community as well as the general public.
Maps in the Collection can be searched using the Map Index, one of the ASU Libraries' specialized databases. The Index contains records on more than 95% of the maps available in the Collection. Each record in the Map Index includes information on the title, author, date, scale, subject and the geographic area covered by each map or map set. Holdings for map sets and series in the Map Collection are available on paper indexes in the Collection. Historical maps, formerly held in the Department of Archives and Manuscripts and the Arizona Historical Foundation, now available in the Map Collection can be searched in the Map Index.
Reference books and atlases can be searched using the Online Catalog.
Circulation and Reproduction
Most maps in the collection circulate for standard loan periods. See the ASU Libraries Loan Policy for more information.
Maps should be checked out at the Circulation Desk, Noble Library. Some of the CD-ROM databases also circulate. Aerial photographs, atlases and other non-circulating materials must be used in the Map Collection.
A 11"x17" scanner is available for use in the Map Collection to scan non-copyrighted materials. Zip disks or CDs are recommended for storage. Collection staff will provide general scanning instruction, but will not scan materials for users.
Copy machines, including an oversized machine capable of copying items 36" wide, are available in the Noble Library Copy Center.
