On June 30, 2025, the Library of Congress launched its new online catalog system (LC Catalog), replacing the over-quarter-century-year-old legacy system. The LC Catalog is available to everyone online and is the main access point for patrons to search and discover the collections of all research centers within the Library, including the map collections in the Geography and Map Division. The new interface is user-centered and will simplify search, browse, and discovery for the Library’s 175 million maps, books, periodicals, manuscripts, music, recordings, images, and electronic resources.
To find the new LC Catalog you can simply type catalog.loc.gov into your browser or you can navigate to the catalog from the loc.gov webpage. From loc.gov, look below the large carousel and click on the Library Catalog at the bottom left.
Once in the LC Catalog select Explore the LC Catalog on the right.
Then expand the Format facet and select Cartographic Material under the Format facet to refine your results. This will limit your search results to maps and atlases.
Alternatively, you can select the Genre/Form facet to refine your results. This option is more granular than the Format facet, and can be used to find particular types of cartographic materials. For example, you can select atlases, maps, tourist maps, relief maps, aeronautical charts, road maps, etc. The terms for this facet are from the Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT). LCGFT is a vocabulary used to describe the physical characteristics of the resource, i.e., what the resource is, not what the resource is about. For a full list of the most recently approved LCGFT terms, check the Cataloging and Acquisitions, Library of Congress webpage for LCGFT.
You can also narrow search results by Location (Research Center), Publisher, Language, Subject, and Publication Year. Note that narrowing by Location (Research Center) is very important when searching for materials in a Special Collections Division, such as the Geography and Map Division.
The Library of Congress established a Subject Guide to help users learn how to search and discover in the new LC Catalog. Check the guide to find out about the LC Catalog’s new features and upcoming features.
If you are a Registered Reader and established a borrowing account to request general collection materials in the legacy catalog system, then you’ve likely received an email with the subject line: Activate your account in the new Library of Congress Catalog. The email should provide your name, and username, which didn’t change, and can still be found on your reader’s card. Follow the instructions in the email to activate your account in the new system. If you have issues setting up your new account, please report those directly on the Catalog Feedback page.
Want to learn more tips and tricks to search the LC Catalog for maps and online resources? Join the Geography and Map Division for a virtual orientation focused on how to search the map collections using the new LC Catalog on August 12, 2025, at 3pm ET. Learn more about the virtual orientation and register here.