This summer (June 2024) the Libraries will be replacing the Classic Catalog and SUMMON with a new library services platform called Primo VE. Read more about this BIG change on the Library Blog. More information will be communicated on the Library’s website as the migration progresses between now and June.
The Collections
The Library's Map Room is the location for cartographic materials in various formats. The collection has over 200,000 sheet maps, 10,000 atlases, 80,000 aerial photos, and has an expanding collection of maps in a digital format. The Map Room also has a collection of fire insurance atlases for Syracuse and New York City, along with a teaching collection of globes and wall maps and has more than 2,000 titles in its reference collection which include gazetteers, place-name guides, geographical dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, directories, and guide-books.
The Map Room has three large worktables for patrons to use. Scans of maps in print or micro-form can be made from the two computers located in the workstation area next to the 3rd floor service desk.
Also use the Virtual Map Room Tour to discover the what kinds of cartographic collections can be found in the Map Room.
Searching for a Map or Atlas in the collection
The maps, atlases and other cartographic materials are cataloged in the Library's online catalog. A member of the staff will be glad to assist you with any questions you may have regarding the collections or finding the materials you need.
Circulation
Most maps can be circulated or checked out at the Maps/Documents Service Desk on the 3rd floor. A valid SU or SUNY-ESF ID is required. Atlases, Reference titles, and aerial photographs do not circulate. Please look for the map of the floor plan of the Map Room when you enter the collection where the various collections are located and a complete list of items that circulate.
The map room is open the same hours as the third floor in Bird Library. Please check the HOURS page on the Libraries homepage.
With the 150th anniversary of Syracuse University in 2020 the University Library's Map Collection has created a series of displays with maps and air photos of campus and its evolution through the past 150 plus years. The display is currently in the main hall of the third floor of Bird Library.
There is also an online display of these maps and air photos depicting the growth of the University from it's beginnings in the Myer's Block downtown to the current footprint of buildings and facilities of Main and South Campuses on "The Hill".
Atlases
Topographic Maps
Thematic Maps
