ABOUT THE MAP ROOM
The University Library Map Collection is located on the lower floor of the Science & Engineering Library. It contains more than 160,000 items, including the region's largest and most comprehensive collection of maps and aerial photographs.

Please note that some maps and aerial photos are not available for use at this time. They are being prepared for digitization.

SCOPE OF THE COLLECTION

The collection has general world-wide topographical, nautical, and aeronautical coverage. Most of the collection is contemporary. The coverage of the Monterey Bay region, our primary collection area, is comprehensive. 

By agreement with other campuses of the University, the Santa Cruz campus has primary responsibility for collecting cartographic materials of  Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. This regional emphasis has been the core of the collection since 1966. UCSC has extensive world-wide holdings of earlier material produced by the US Defense Mapping Agency. Maps and reports published by many federal agencies are acquired under the Federal Depository Library Program.

The Map Collection's holdings include contemporary and historic topographic coverage of California (USGS 1:24,000 topos). Coverage is available at a scale of 1:100,000 for the US, and 1:250,000 or larger for the US and most of the rest of the world.

Geologic maps covering California and most of the United States, produced by the USGS, the California Division of Mines, and the Dibblee Foundation are among the Collection's holdings. Dibblee geologic maps are available online for UCSC students, faculty and staff.

Aerial photos are the most frequently used resource of the Map Room. The collection of aerial photos is restricted to the local five-county region and contains more than 100,000 photos. Many flights are now available online as one of the library's Digital Collections.

Atlases are listed in the Melvyl and CRUZCAT online catalogs. Atlases are housed in several locations: inside the Map Room; on oversize shelving outside the Map Room; and in the reference collections and book stacks in both McHenry and the Science & Engineering libraries. The 'Location' information in CRUZCAT and Melvyl shows where each item may be found.

The online catalogs contain entries for most, but not all, of the maps in the Map Room. Please consult Map Room staff for more complete information.

ACCESSIBILITY & CIRCULATION POLICY

Most items in the Map Collection are for library use only and are not to be taken out of the Map Room without permission of the staff.

ENDOWMENTS

The Map Endowment is an endowment established with the cooperation of local geologic and hydrologic consultants. Donations are used solely to increase the Collection's holdings of aerial photographs, technical reports, reference works, and maps related to the five counties in the Monterey Bay Region. Courtesy check-out privileges for aerial photographs and some other items are extended to contributors to the Map Fund ($500 minimum contribution), with the approval of Map Room staff.

The Donald T. and Emily E. Clark Map Endowment is used to enhance the Map Collection by the purchase of items that would not ordinarily be affordable within the Map Room's acquisitions budget. Priority is given to reference material, and to rare or "special opportunity" acquisitions.

The Louis E. Hihn Endowment is used to assist in the cataloging and development of the Frederick A. Hihn Archive, which contains early maps of Santa Cruz County areas mapped for F.A. Hihn, one of the county's early entrepreneurs and land developers.

For information about contributing to the endowments, please contact Map Room staff. Also, donations of maps of the Monterey Bay region are welcome.