Welcome to the Olin Map Collection!

Located on the lower level of Olin Library, the Cornell University Library Map Collection houses a geographically comprehensive collection of over 200,000 paper maps, 1,000 books and atlases, and many other related research materials.

The Map Collection is extensive and covers all parts of the world, although the quality of coverage varies. Here are some areas where the collections are particularly robust:

  • United States, including USGS topographic and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps
  • Cornell University, Ithaca, New York City, and New York State.
  • Major European cities
  • Asian countries; supplementary to the Kroch Library Asia Collections

Map Staff are available to answer your questions, help you identify pertinent materials, and assist you in accessing the physical collections. Staff can help you to locate maps for your research or for classroom presentations. E-mail reference service is provided to the Cornell community as well as non-Cornell patrons. Access to the Map Collection is currently open by appointment only. Please email us at olinmaps@cornell.edu to set up an appointment or for any other map-related questions. 

A note about our collections

The majority of the maps and atlases in our collections are historical and as such may reflect ideas and biases that we do not hold today. There may be elements of colonialism, imperialism, and racism that appear within our collections and it is important to regard these materials critically and consider the context in which they were originally created.
 
Maps are not neutral resources; they were created by people for a specific purpose and during a fixed point in history. Just as maps often take a holistic view, so should any researcher or visitor who engages with these collections.