How do we find our way through the world, geographically speaking? Do we all carry around a type of "mental map" in our head, formed through experience and repetition? Some would say yes, some would beg to differ. Maps remain a powerful way to represent the world in all its spatial glory, and this online exhibit from The Field Museum explores the history of maps and their history over the...

Michigan State University has a well-known geography department, and an equally fine map library. On the map library's website, visitors will find a very nice selection of digital exhibits and maps. The site includes a section of scanned maps that includes historic maps of Michigan and a variety of 19th and early 20th century maps of Africa.

The Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) was established in 1872 as part of the University of Minnesota. The function of the MGS is to serve "the people of Minnesota by providing systematic geoscience information to support stewardship of water, land, and mineral resources." This website from the Digital Conservancy at the University of Minnesota provides access to all of items published by the MGS....

A team of talented librarians at the Oklahoma State University Library have created this collection of 3,600 maps, a true find for those with an interest in Sooner history, geography, culture, and more. The cartographic resources are divided into four collections, including the WPA Collection and the USGS Collection. This first collection consists of almost 2,400 detailed county maps produced in...

The Oxford African American Studies Center has created this website to house its comprehensive collection of scholarship documenting the many and varied experiences that make up African and African American history and culture. Along with over 10,000 articles, 2,500 images, and 200 maps, the site features an excellent "Focus On" series each month, in which the editors compile various short...

The Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin has had an impressive online presence for many years. Geographers, historians, and others who enjoy and use maps will find much to admire and enjoy on this site. Perhaps one of the best features here is the "Online Maps of Current Interest". It's located front and center on the site's homepage, and it brings together...

As one of the oldest learned societies in North America, the American Philosophical Society (APS) is distinguished by its fine holdings, and as users will find out at this site, also by their fine collection of antiquarian and tremendously valuable maps. On this site, visitors will find the digital version of the APS's map holdings, originally created by Murphy D. Smith in 1991. Cartographers,...

The University of Idaho's Map Room has taken digital mashups to an entirely new level with this ambitious project. Their staff members utilized a Google Fusion Table to allow patrons to browse, via location, over 8,000 historical photographs from the University of Idaho Library's digital collections. So far, they have included football programs from their sports collection, the Dworshak Dam...

Designed for those who have a need for maps from the United States Geological Survey, this helpful application will be of general interest to numerous other parties as well. With this program, visitors can download aerial photographs and topographic maps from Microsoft's Terraserver website. After completing this step, visitors can scroll through the maps, mark waypoints, and center the map on any...

Traveling from the world of New Haven in 1886 to early cartographic interpretations of the coast of West Africa has never been easier with this lovely site created by the Yale University Map Library. Like many large universities, Yale has a wide-ranging map collection that spans centuries and continents. First-time visitors to the site can browse through sections that include "Maps of the World",...