Miller Jaquet, Junior Fellow in the Geography and Map Division, explores the cartography of West Africa and what maps reveal about power, politics, and how we got HERE ..read more

Are you a map aficionado interested in geosciences, cartographic history, or digital humanities looking for an opportunity to explore the vast cartographic collections of the Geography and Map Division for a rewarding research experience? If so, we are pleased to announce that we are again accepting applications for the Philip Lee Phillips Society Fellowship at the Library of Congress! Map of Spring Valley Ohio from: Riddell, Levi, Riddell’s atlas of Greene County, Ohio, 1896, Geography and Map Division. Two fellowships are available to qualified scholars, funded by the donors of the Phil ..read more

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched the Federal Writers’ Project in July 1935 as part of the New Deal. The goal was to provide jobs for unemployed writers, historians, and editors during the Great Depression. Thousands of people found employment through the project. The personal life histories of Americans, guidebooks to the states, folklore, local histories, and natural history books were published until the program ended. This post highlights various maps held in the Library of Congress that were produced under the auspices of the Federal Writers’ Project, beginning with a hand draw ..read more

In this week’s blog post, I will spotlight a new Geography & Map Division digital acquisition, which is now available online — The MapServer Ethiopia: Thematic and Geographic Overview, Field and Base Map Series. This set of born-digital map series visualizes Ethiopia at five different scales, and each scale-based set contains maps with multiple geographic themes. The maps were first published in 2018 as part of the MapServer Ethiopia project. According to project information provided on the map collars, the project aims to disseminate maps and geospatial data to “improve mapping and spatia ..read more

If you haven’t already heard, the new Library of Congress exhibition “Collecting Memories,” which is part of the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery, is open to the public. Over 100 objects in many formats (including maps!) from divisions all over the Library of Congress are integrated and featured in this experiential exhibition. As soon as you enter through the large doors on the second-floor mezzanine of the Thomas Jefferson Building you are immersed in a powerful full sensory experience. Hear voice recordings and music. See and read moving images, diaries, manuscripts, photographs, art ..read more

This is a guest post by Lena Denis, reference librarian in the Geography and Map Division. Some readers of my last post, “In Cod We Trust,” kindly noted another cod-related map that I present to you now: This map of North America, according to ye newest and most exact observations is most humbly dedicated by your Lordship’s most humble servant Herman Moll, geographer. Perhaps unsurprisingly considering its lengthy title, as well as its imagery, this map of North America is more frequently referred to as “the Codfish Map.” It’s one of a number of maps published in Moll’s very popular 1720 atlas ..read more

Curious about our collections? Please join Geography and Map Division staff next Tuesday for a virtual orientation to our collections and resources! Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2023 Time: 3:00-4:00 pm (Eastern) Location: Zoom Register for this session here! Reference librarians Amelia Raines and Lena Denis will present an introduction to the Geography and Map collections at the Library of Congress. This orientation session, aimed at the general public, will highlight a wide range of cartographic formats and subject matter. The focus of the session will be on maps and online resource ..read more

This is a guest post by Seanna Tsung, senior cataloging specialist in the Geography and Map Division. In my 25 plus years as a cataloger in the Geography & Map Division, I’ve described some of our rare, unusual and valuable objects, the ones that excite and inspire anyone with an interest in history, cartography or art. However, I’m also intrigued by the many photocopies we have, especially in our title collection, which are the single maps received by G&M before 1970. Although at first glance, photocopies are not the most visually appealing of our maps, they provide fascinating clues ..read more

This is a post by Jamie Mears, a senior innovation specialist for the Library of Congress Labs. In honor of Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month, Library of Congress 2023-2024 Innovator in Residence Jeffrey Yoo Warren invites the public to experience hidden portals to five historic Asian American communities created with Library of Congress collections for the month of May. Portals are accessible by mobile device at original sites around the country and on the Library of Congress campus in Washington, DC. A portal at the NW terrace of the James Madison building in Washington, DC. Illustrati ..read more

  Driven by more direct access to the lucrative Eastern spice trade, Europeans sought to circumvent its flow through the Middle East via a direct maritime route to Asia starting with the Portuguese Vasco da Gama who developed a direct sea route to India around the southern tip of Africa at the end of the 15th century.  The Portuguese continued to dominate the Eastern spice trade via this maritime route though the 16th century until the English (1600) and Dutch (1602) started making headway into the trade with the formation of private East India companies at the start of the 17th cent ..read more