A MASSIVE Collection of Historical Maps Launches Online: 60K Maps Available Today, Collection Will Double in Size By End of 2012

via JISC:

The JISC-funded Old Maps Online, described by its creators as like Google for old maps,  will act as a central repository to a vast collection of maps held by institutions across the globe.  It is the first time that access to such an extensive collection has been made available online.
Paola Marchionni, programme manager at JISC, said: “Maps have great potential to engage not only professional historians but also students and the amateur public. But they have previously been difficult to access because you need so much detail about what you are looking for.
“By customising existing technology Old Maps Online makes it easy for everybody to find and compare maps through time in a highly visual way without the need for specialist knowledge. JISC is supporting a big step towards widening access to and use of these fascinating resources.”
The service, hosted by the university of Portsmouth, launches with over 60,000 maps which will double by the end of the year.
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The site incorporates access to collections at the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the Moravian Library in the Czech Republic and the prestigious David Rumsey Collection in California.
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Other collections to be added later this year include those from Harvard University, the New York Public Library, the National Library of Wales, the Bodleian Library at Oxford and several major European libraries.

Direct to Old Maps Online

Filed under: Libraries, Maps, National Libraries, News, Open Access, Public Libraries