The Tobin* International Geological Map Collection of the Walter Geology Library consists of more than 47,000 maps, atlases and map texts on geology and related subjects worldwide, but is particularly strong in maps of Texas and select U.S. and foreign areas of geologic interest. With the Map Room of the Perry-Castañeda Library, it serves as a federal map depository for U.S. Geological Survey maps, having an almost complete set of the series maps published by this agency.
(* While our map collection is named for the former firm that provided initial funding for the supporting endowment, we do not hold any "Tobin maps" that are used in the oil and gas exploration industry.)
When you do a more general catalog search for particular places and time periods, you will find books and other publications that may contain maps. In most cases, the descriptive catalog records will indicate the presence of maps in a publication.
Pull the drawer out to its fullest extent, and if the desired map is close to the top of the stack, roll back the upper maps and remove it. If it is close to the bottom of the drawer, particularly if the drawer is heavily loaded, remove the maps on top in small batches, stacking each batch crosswise to the one below, so that when they are refilled, they will be in order. There is a map scanner at located at a computer station and a drafting table located in the map room.
Pointers to print map collections, online resources, and GIS data that are curated at the university, city, and state level.
Search for maps in the library catalog by title, author, or series. Descriptions of the map series are listed in this guide under Series Descriptions and in the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Topographic maps of Texas are located in the map cases in the Southeast corner of the library. Topographic maps are shelved alphabetically by series or quadrangle name. The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection houses topographic maps of the United States (including Texas) and foreign countries. Digitized versions can be found in United States 1:250,000.
USGS Maps are shelved by series in the green, vertical cabinets. Call numbers follow this form: MAP USGS [series abbreviation] [number]
Series |
Abbreviation |
Antarctic Geologic Map | A |
Circum-Pacific Map | CP |
Coal Investigations Map | COAL or C |
Folios of the Geologic Atlas | GF |
Geological Quadrangle Map | GQ |
Geophysical Investigations | GP |
Hydrologic Investigations Atlas | HA |
Hydrologic Unit Maps | HUM |
Land Use and Land Cover Map | L |
Mineral Investigations Resource Map | MR |
Miscellaneous Field Studies Map | MF |
Missouri Basin Study | MB |
Oil and Gas Investigations Charts | OC |
Oil and Gas Investigations Map | OM |
Scientific Investigations Map | I (SIM) |
Topographic | None |
Established in 1980 by Tobin Research of San Antonio, the Tobin Fund provides all materials funds for the Geology Library map collection. The Tobin Fund has permitted the Geology Library to acquire some outstanding map materials and atlases. Investment proceeds from the endowment have also supported student assistants to catalog some of the collection, as well as funded the purchase of equipment, furniture, and supplies for the Map Room.
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