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Posted by: Meagan Snow
Using materials from the Geography & Map Division's Frederick Doyle Papers, this post explores the role NASA’s Apollo Transforming Printer played in creating maps of the moon from panoramic photographs.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, American History, Celestial Mapping, Geographic Information Science
Posted by: Meagan Snow
North of the Snake River in southeast Washington State sits the Palouse: a region of rolling hills, (somewhat mythical) giant earthworms, and fertile loess soils. This post discusses the unique geology of this region using maps found in the Geography & Map Division.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, American History, Physical Geography
Posted by: Meagan Snow
The Geography & Map Division recently acquired a rare collection of maps showing the locations of television and movie filming locations in Los Angeles, California from the 1980s. This blog post explores the cartographic and cultural value of these exceedingly unique and eminently practical maps of Los Angeles.
Posted in: 21st century cartography, American History, Guest Posts
Posted by: Meagan Snow
Learn more about our Philip Lee Phillips Society Fellow for 2025 Applications are now open for Philip Lee Phillips Society Fellowship at the Library of Congress. Scholars of the history of cartography, Geographic Information Science (GIS), digital humanities, or related fields are encouraged to apply for this fellowship to conduct research that utilizes the collections of the Geography and Map Division.
Posted in: Geography and Map Division
Posted by: Meagan Snow
Learn about the development of the oscillating scan mirror (a key component of Virginia Norwood's multi-spectral scanner), which made Landsat I a success, changing the science of earth observation forever. The development of the oscillating scan mirror is documented in the "Virginia Norwood Papers," a new collection in the Geography & Map Division of the Library of Congress.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, Big Data and Visualization, Geographic Information Science, Physical Geography
Posted by: Meagan Snow
Learn about the early history of the Women's Bureau, including the maps they produced to make the case for establishing standards for women in the workplace.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, American History, Women's History
Posted by: Meagan Snow
Explore the fertile history of America's soil survey maps, which evolved alongside soil science over the course of the 20th century.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, American History, Physical Geography
Posted by: Meagan Snow
This post explores the history of a large spherical globe with only latitude and longitude lines in the collections of the Geography & Map Division.
Posted in: 20th century cartography, American History
Posted by: Meagan Snow
This post spotlights born-digital, georeferenced map series from the MapServer Ethiopia project, which provides modern mapping of Ethiopia at five different scales, across multiple themes.
Posted in: 21st century cartography, African History, Geographic Information Science