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Georeferencing Historical Maps

Searching for Maps on the UBC Library Search

If you are looking for a physical or digital map of an area, you can search for these materials under the General search tab on the UBC Library website.

Some searching tips:

  • Use the search string {maps AND place name}. For example you could search maps AND singapore

  • If you are having trouble finding maps of the place you are searching, try broader or narrower place names like cities, counties, provinces, regions, or countries

  • On the left menu, filter Content to “maps” to limit your results to this format. Your results should include digital as well as physical maps

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  • Use the Library Location filters to limit your results to physical maps. Koerner holds most maps, however for maps created prior to 1900 you may have to search at RBSC.

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  • To find related maps, click on the Library of Congress Subject Heading links.

Some of the maps in the collection are not in the UBC Library Online Catalogue. This part of the collection can be searched in the wooden card catalogues on Level 2 of Koerner Library, either by location (Area - Subject) or by subject (Subject - Area).

Finding and Browsing Maps at Koerner Library

To find a map at Koerner Library from your library website searching, make note of the call number and location of the item.

The Koerner Library map collection uses two different call number systems. The collection was originally catalogued using the Boggs and Lewis classification system (number followed by letter) but is now being converted to use the Library of Congress system (letter followed by number) to match the rest of UBC Library. Each call number systems groups maps together by geographic location, and cabinets are labelled with these call numbers as well as place names to help you browse.

Maps at Koerner Library are organized into several different cabinet “locations.” If you want to browse maps of Singapore, for instance, you may want to look in each of 4 locations to be comprehensive: Koerner reference thematic, Koerner storage thematic, Koerner reference folded maps, Koerner storage folded maps. The map below shows the different cabinet locations.

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UBC Library Online Map Collections

The UBC Digitization Centre has digitized a number of UBC Library’s collections that include maps and atlases. These digital collections are part of UBC’s Open Collections and are freely accessible by anyone.

To browse all maps in Open Collections:

  • Click “advanced search” below the search bar
  • Click “add limits” on the left, then click the “genre” dropdown menu, and select “maps”

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You can also browse the following map collections on UBC Open Collections

Andrew McCormick Maps and Prints A diverse collection of digitized historical maps and atlases, covering the period from 1503 - 1910.

GVRD Planning Department Land Use Maps Collection of detailed Vancouver land use maps produced by the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver). It includes maps from 1965-1983.

Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa Era One of the world’s largest collections of maps and guidebooks of the Japanese Tokugawa period, ca. 1600-1867. The collection varies in both format and size: items range from small single-sheet maps to more than thirty square feet, and also include a ceramic plate, a woodblock, and maps in scroll format.

Note that the Open Collections viewer uses IIIF for image delivery, meaning that these maps should be compatible with web georeferencing tools that use IIIF urls.