Below are brief descriptions of the online digital map collections searchable and accessible through the OldMapsOnline portal. Nearly all the institutions providing online map collections have a much larger paper map collection available at their respective institutions, but the OldMapsOnline portal will only search and provide direct linkage to the online maps.
During 2012 we will be adding additional collections from around the world. Read more here about how to be one of them:
The participating institutions are:
A Vision of Britain through Time, Historical Map Library:
Featuring mainly British maps this collection divides its map images into types; topographic, boundary and land use. It uses two viewers, one presenting a small number of zoomable mosaics of the whole of Great Britain which can be used as a finding aid for a second viewer that will show entire individual map sheets for map series that are not continuous. It can be accessed directly here:
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/British Library, Map Library:
The British Library's map collection spans the world, but for now Old Maps Online provides access to two online collections: the Ordnance Surveyors' Drawings, made between the 1780s and 1840 during the first detailed survey of Britain, and the Crace Collection of maps of London, charting the development of the city from around 1570 to 1860. More about the British Library digital map collection here: http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/webres/scanned
Cartography Associates, the David Rumsey Map Collection:
Probably the largest free online digital collection of historical topographic maps and images. Although the main focus for the collection is rare 18th and 19th Century North and South American maps it also includes a variety of other historical cartographic materials covering the rest of the world. It is presented through a range of different viewers and can be directly accessed here:
http://www.davidrumsey.com/Moravian Library, Mollova mapová sbírka:
A variety of historical maps depicting the area of the Czech Republic and Europe more widely, dating from the mid 16th Century until the mid 19th Century. This collection is available through a viewer that will show entire individual map sheets and is searched using the same software as OldMapsOnline. Please note this host institution interface is in Czech, it can be directly accessed here:
http://mapy.mzk.cz/hledat/ National Library of Scotland, Maps of Scotland:
Featuring over 43,000 maps, primarily of Scotland (but also some of Great Britain) dating from the early 19th Century until the mid 20th Century. The collection focuses on detailed topographic maps by Ordnance Survey, but also includes bathymetrical charts and town plans. These maps are available through a viewer that will show entire individual map sheets. It can be directly accessed here:
http://maps.nls.uk/New York Public Library, Map Division:
The collection from the map division of the New York Public Library presents well over 5000 maps of
the whole world, but with particular emphasis on North America. They range in date from the late fifteenth century through to modern times. The library has two methods of viewing maps, either the map and catalogue entry or the geographically located map images in Map Warper. Access to the map catalogue is here: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgdivisionbrowseresult.cfm?div_id=hm and to Map Warper here: http://maps.nypl.org/warper/
Retromap.ru:
The largest known online collection of old maps showing Moscow and its region. It exists
purely as a not-for-profit
internet project driven by a committed group of individuals.
Although the original paper maps are in private hands the scanned images have been released into the public domain via Retromap.ru. There are several different viewer options and we connect to the "Map Viewer" part. Please note this host institution interface is in Russian, it can be directly accessed here: http://www.retromap.ru/
