Maps in the School of Geography’s extensive collection are now searchable via the University’s library discovery tool, NUsearch.

The School of Geography map collection is the main cartographic holding within the University and one of the largest in the East Midlands, comprising over 85,000 paper maps housed in 550 drawers.

Available to access via appointment to University staff, students and the public, the collection features noteworthy maps covering a wide range of locations and cartographic styles.

The collection includes 40,000 UK Ordnance Survey maps providing extensive coverage of Nottingham and the East Midlands, illustrating how the geography of the city, the region, and the University has changed over time.

Other maps in the collection include the UK in various historical series, geological maps, thematic maps and holdings covering Europe with notable coverage of the mid-twentieth century and the rest of the world. Highlights include WWI trench maps, various German WWI and WWII, other military maps and a Napoleonic map of central Europe.

Searching and accessing the collection

Thanks to work undertaken by colleagues in the School of Geography and University of Nottingham Libraries, it is now easier than ever to search the collection and request an appointment.

To find a map from the collection, search for a place name or location on NUsearch and filter the search to ‘School of Geography maps’. Visit the Libraries website for full instructions.

Alternatively, you can browse all items in the collection.

From NUsearch, users can see key details of each map including the year of creation and access a full map collection inventory.

Catalogued information for the map collection is in text format only and does not include any images of the maps.

Map of University Park from 1967

Access to the collection is via appointment only and users can follow a link from the NUsearch record to request an appointment.

Elaine Watts, curator of the collection and manager of the School of Geography’s Cartographic Unit said “We are thrilled to have been able to work with colleagues in Libraries to make our collection available for discovery via NUsearch. We encourage all map users from within the University and beyond to use this unique and valuable resource.”

To find out more, or to access the collection, email elaine.watts@nottingham.ac.uk