1 - Organisations, Websites and Collections
Organisations related to maps and map collections in the UK, Europe and the World
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Map Curators' Group (MCG ; UK): Publishes 'Cartographiti', the newsletter for UK map curators, librarians and archivists, and organises the annual Map Curators' Workshop
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BRICMICS: The British and Irish Committee on Map Information and Cataloguing Systems
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Archives and Records Association (ARA ; UK): Came into existence on 1 June 2010 as the result of a merger of the National Council on Archives and the Association of Chief Archivists in Local Government with the Society of Archivists
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The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP ; UK): The UK’s library and information association
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Map & Geoinformation Curators Group (MAGIC): is a non for profit union of individuals dealing with Map Librarianship, Map Curatorship, and Map Archiving, representing Map Libraries, Map Archives, Map Collections and relevant entities dealing with cartographic material of analogue and digital type. MAGIC is associated with the ICA Commission on Cartographic Heritage into the Digital. Many of the members of MAGIC previously belonged to LIBER GdC (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche Groupe des Cartothécaires) which disbanded in 2013
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Western Association of Map Librarians (WAML ; US): This includes the Map Librarians' Toolbox which was the inspiration for this site
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Australian and New Zealand Map Society Incorporated (ANZMapS)
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IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) Geography and Map Libraries Section discontinued July 2010 but there was talk in June 2016 of resurrecting it
Email discussion groups
Hosted in the UK by the Map Curators' Group.
An international discussion forum for Librarians dealing with cartographic information, cartographers, remote sensors, geographers, and cartomaniacs of all types. Publicly accessible Maps-L Archive.
Hosted by the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives (ACMLA) for anyone interested in Canadian cartography, geospatial data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) issues as they pertain to libraries and archives.
Started late 2019. "An international digital forum in the historical study of the making, circulation, use and preservation of maps from the ancient to the contemporary period". "Collaboration between the International Society for the History of the Map (ISHMap, Twitter @ishmap1) and H-Net to further substantive inquiry among a growing number of global scholars with an interest in the history of maps and mapping".
Free and open, but moderated, listserv to promote discussion about any topic in the field of map history. Launched in January 2014 by the International Society for the History of the Map (ISHM). See also these web pages. It is the continuation of the MapHist listserv (1994-2012) and the short-lived MapHist Forum.
Australian and New Zealand Map Society email-list.
For anyone with an interest in Ordnance Survey Maps to ask questions, assist in research, and pass on information on any aspect of Ordnance Survey maps. This group was started by members of "The Charles Close Society for the Study of Ordnance Survey Maps" but is not a part of that organisation.
An email list for discussion of issues relating to geographic information systems and libraries.
Websites
Maintained by Tony Campbell
The 'Big 10' UK map collections
The National Libraries:
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The British Library Map Library - Lots of useful images at their Online Gallery pages
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The National Library of Scotland - Very useful image collection including large scale Ordnance Survey maps of Great Britain, and much more
The Legal Deposit Libraries:
These libraries receive one copy each of all British publications by law. They include the National Libraries, above, plus:
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The Bodleian Library, Oxford
Also home to Selden Map of China (Bodleian Library, MS.Selden supra 105) and the Gough Map of Great Britain -
Cambridge University Library - See their Information Sheets and extensive links pages
Other important map collections:
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The National Archives (formed from the merger of the Public Record Office and the Historical Manuscripts Commission)
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National Maritime Museum. Strong on charts, maritime atlases and globes. Their Online Collections include images of charts and maps and globes
See also:
For map collections worldwide see:
World Directory of Map Collections, 4th edition, edited by Olivier Loiseaux and Section of Geography and Map Libraries. IFLA Publications, 92/93. De Gruyter Saur 2000
For collections in USA see:
Guide to U.S. Map Resources, 3rd edition of the American Library Association, Map And Geography Round Table (Magert). Edited by Christopher J.J. Thiry. 2005
These pages were compiled by: April Carlucci (British Library Map Library); Tinho da Cruz (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool); Anne Taylor (Cambridge University Library). They are maintained by the Map Curators' Group of the BCS. Colleagues are requested to help keep this information current by e-mailing suggestions for inclusion, and details of links that don't work.