The Maps section houses a cartographic materials collection of over 179,000 maps, 2,000 atlases, 80,000 aerial photographs, a small collection of map-related reference books, as well as digital data. The Maps department is located on the third floor of the Daley Library.

The Library Catalog is the starting point for your maps research. Reference help is available in the Maps section by appointment. Email LIB-MAPS at UIC dot EDU to schedule an appointment. Requests for access to materials may also be made at this email address.

More information is available on our Resources page.

Aerial Photos

The Maps section has one of the most comprehensive and publicly available aerial photograph collections for the City of Chicago and its surrounding metropolitan area. The collection primarily documents the Chicago region in the years from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s.

• Indexes and guides to aerial photos research

Access

Cartographic materials are non-circulating and cannot be checked out. Email LIB-MAPS at UIC dot EDU to request access to materials. Appointments for reference assistance may also be made at this email address.

Requested materials are available for use in the maps section during library hours. Requests for materials are limited to 20 items.

Rare and antiquarian maps must be used the the Special Collections reading room.

• Visiting the Maps section.

Rare and Antiquarian Maps and Atlases

The Special Collections Department at the Daley Library houses selected cartographic materials in both sheet map and atlas format. Nearly all of these are printed rather than manuscript items and were published prior to 1900.