Strategies for Planning and Selecting Maps for Exhibits, Displays and Workshops

May 21, 2020 by Danna Bell

What do museums and libraries consider when displaying maps? This post from the Geography and Maps Division blog provides some suggestions.

Using Literary Maps in the Classroom

June 19, 2018 by Cheryl Lederle

Have you ever considered using a literary map with your students? In the May/June 2018 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article features literary maps for the humanities classroom.

Learning Beyond the Original Purpose with Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

November 28, 2017 by Cheryl Lederle

In the November/December 2017 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article features a 1910 map of South San Francisco, San Mateo County, California. The map was created for the unique purpose of documenting estimated fire hazards, and resides in the Sanborn Map Collection, part of an ongoing digitization project at the Library of Congress.

The Mind of the Mapmaker: Purpose and Point of View in Maps

February 26, 2016 by Danna Bell

In the January/February 2016 “Sources and Strategies” article in Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, Cheryl Lederle and I focus on helping students understand cartographers’ purpose through comparing two 16th century maps: Americae sive quartae orbis partis nova et exactissima descriptio by Diego Gutierrez and page 18 of Theatrum orbis terrarium by Abraham Ortelius.

Engaging Students with Primary Source Maps

October 7, 2014 by Cheryl Lederle

One way to engage students with the wealth of maps available from the Library of Congress is to discuss their value as sources of information as well as means to find a location or plan a route.

Maps: More Than Just a Tool for Navigation

December 13, 2012 by Danna Bell

Most students think of maps as wayfinders, resources to help find their way from point “A” to point “B.” However, maps have been created for a variety of different reasons, and studying maps from the Library of Congress can show students how maps can do more than provide directions.