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Geography and Cartography

Collection Policy Statement Index

(Classes G, GA, GB, GF, and Z6001-Z6028)

I. Introduction
II. Scope
III. Collection strengths
IV. Comparison with other major research centers
V. General policy
VI. Collection levels for Geography

I. Introduction

This Collections Policy Statement deals with geography and cartography as a subject rather than a format.

Geographic literature is defined as literature relating to the discipline of geography, including exploration and discovery, general geographic description and analysis, the history of geographic thought, geographic bibliography, historical geography, place-names, regional geography, and the various themes encompassed in the subfields of physical and human geography.

Cartographic literature is broadly defined as literature relating to the discipline of cartography, including cartographic processes (data collection, compilation, design, and painting), aerial photography and remote sensing imagery, geographic information systems, the history of cartography, cartobibliography, and map librarianship (including map collecting and map conservation).

II. Scope

The core materials covered by this statement comprise literature in the form of books, serials, and pamphlets relating to geography as general subjects, and fall into Classes G (excluding subclasses G1000-G9980, Atlases, Globes and Maps), GA, GB, GF, and Z6001-Z6028. These materials are found primarily in the Library's classified collection, supplemented by a Reference Book Collection and Pamphlet File located in the Geography and Map Division controlled by finding aids maintained in the division.

For treatment of cartographic materials in the narrower sense of maps, atlases, globes, charts, etc., see Maps, Atlases, and Remote Sensing Images. For geographic information systems remote sensing imagery, and other electronic media, see Digital Geographic Data and Information Systems.

III. Collection strengths

Although the primary concentration of topics related to geographic and cartographic literature is located in Classes G, GA, GB, GF, and Z, topics related to geography and cartography are scattered widely throughout the Library's collections. When considered in its entirety, however, the Library's body of literature in these two related areas could be considered to be of sufficient breadth and depth to be placed at the high end of the Research level (level 4). The Library does not necessarily attempt to acquire every title and edition, but it acquires most works published in the United States and works issued by the major publishers in foreign countries. In addition, most of the major, as well as many secondary geographic and cartographic periodicals, are regularly added to the collections. The collection of printed literature on geographic topics is further supplemented by rich documentation on travel, exploration and ethnography in the special format collections.

While geographic coverage is worldwide, the major focus is the Americas, the United States, and its component parts. Thematically, coverage is very broad, but the greatest emphasis has traditionally been placed on cartography, the history of cartography, and cartographic bibliography. The latter emphasis is recorded in the Library's ongoing publication, Bibliography of Cartography, and is supplemented in the Geography and Map Division's pamphlet, or "vertical" file of approximately 50 linear feet, consisting of reprints, offprints, conference papers, and other ephemeral literature.

IV. Comparison with other major research centers

Although there has been no systematic survey or comparative analysis of geographic and cartographic literature collections, the Library's holdings in these two areas most likely form the largest collection, offering the most extensive coverage of such material, in the United States. Two other very extensive collections in the United States devoted almost exclusively to geographic literature are found in the American Geographical Society Collection at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and the Library of the National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., which focuses on geographic reference tools, travel books, and popular geographical literature. Other strong collections of geographic and cartographic literature in the United States are found in major research libraries associated with universities with strong geographic and cartographic academic programs, but normally these collections are not as complete in terms of geographic coverage. State, regional, or specialized libraries may have stronger collections for their local geographic areas or for specialized topics (such as the history of exploration) but none has the geographic or thematic breadth of the Library's holdings. Internationally, major collections of geographic and cartographic literature are found in the Royal Geographical Society, which compiles the Imago Mundi bibliography on the history of cartography, and the British Library, both in London; the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, which produces Bibliographia Cartographica, an international compilation of cartographic literature; and the Bibliothèque du Centre de Gèographie de Paris, which is used for the preparation of Francis Bibliographie Gèographique Internationale, the fullest coverage of geographical serials, and the Bibliothèque Nationale, both in Paris.

V. General policy

The Library acquires all major current reference works, monographs, and serials published in the fields of geography in general, mathematical geography, cartography, and physical, human, and regional geography. The Library acquires only basic reference works, monographs, and serials concerning the study and teaching of geography and its subdivisions. However, the Library does acquire all important and an ample selection of the less important, American college-level textbooks on geography. It also acquires foreign textbooks on the geography of the originating country when such textbooks present important information about the country or its view of itself. Field manuals and laboratory manuals in physical geography are not normally acquired.

VI. Collecting levels for Geography

The following list is arranged according to the major subclasses of Classes G, GA, GB, GF, and Z6001-Z6028 of the Library of Congress Classification. The collecting levels are numbered; for a description, see Collecting Levels. In this list, the first number refers to the collections of the U.S. materials, the second to foreign materials, e.g., "5/4" indicates that U.S. materials are to be collected at the Comprehensive level, foreign materials at the Research level.

Geography (General)

Class	Subject	Collecting Level	Comments
G1-G64	Periodicals, serials, societies, congresses, collected works, dictionaries, directories	4
G65-G69	Bibliographies of geographers	4
G70-71	Philosophy, methodology	4
G72-G77	Study and teaching research	3
G78	Museums. Exhibitions	4
G80-G99	History of geography	4
G100.5-110	Toponymy (gazetteers, geographic names and terms, distances, geographical positions)	4		Gazetteers and place name literature are listed as subcategories for each geographical region defined in classes D and F. Gazetteers and place name literature pertaining to the United States and its individual states are collected at the highest end of level 4.
G113-138.5	General Works	3		Includes U.S. college level textbooks
G141	Historical Geography	4		Literature pertaining to the historical geography of individual localities has not been classed consistently, although it is often classed as a subcategory for each geographical region defined in classes D and F as well as various themes within class H. Literature pertaining to the United States and the individual states is collected at the highest level 4.
G142	Aerial geography	4		Related literature pertaining to the use of aerial photography in the process of mapping is classed under TR696 (Photogrammetry), TR810 (Aerial Photography. Photographic Interpretation), and TR713 (Space Photography).
G149-G180	Travel, voyages and travels	4		Travel guides of national scope, level 4. Regional and local guides may be acquired when the information provided cannot be found in national guides.
G200-G336	History of discoveries, explorations and travels	4		Literature pertaining to discovery, exploration and travel of individual localities are classed as subcate- gories for each geographical region defined in classes D and F, and for the U.S. as a whole under E101- E135. Literature pertaining to the U.S. and individual states is collected at the highest end of level 4.
G369-G503	Special voyages and travels	4
G521-G539	Adventures, shipwrecks, buried treasure, etc.	4/3
G540-G570	Seafaring life, ocean, travel, etc.	4/3
G575-G890	Arctic and Antarctic regions	4
G905-G910	Tropics (general)	4
G912-G922	Northern and Southern hemispheres	4
[G1000-G9980]	Atlases, globes, maps		See CPS Maps, Atlases, and Remote Sensing Images.

Mathematical geography

Class	Subject	Collecting Level	Comments
GA1-GA2.5	Periodicals, societies, serials, collections	4
GA3-GA23	History and general works	4
GA51-GA87	Surveys (general)	4	Related materials pertaining to surveying and mapping in specialized disciplines are classed as QB224-QB237 Latitude and Longitude), QB301-QB328 (Geodetic Surveying), TA501- TA616 (Surveying), and UG470- UG474 (Military Surveying, Topography, and Mapping), and VK588-VK597 (Marine Hydrography. Hydrographic Surveying).

Cartography (map-making and works about maps)

Class	Subject	Collecting Level	Comments
GA101-GA102	Periodicals, societies, serials, collections, dictionaries, directories, philosophy, methodology	4
GA103-GA108	General works, treatises, and advanced textbooks	4
GA109	Aerial cartography	4	see G142 above
GA110-GA118	Projection, map scales	4
GA125-GA155	Map drawing, modeling, printing, reading, etc.	4	Related material pertaining to specialized mapping is classed as CC76 (Archaeology. Surveying and Mapping. Aerial Photography), QB65-QB66 (Celestial Atlases and Charts. Astronomical Globes), QB595-QB605 (Lunar and Planetary Maps), QC822 (Geometric Maps), QC878 (Weather Maps), QE36 (Geological Maps), QK63 (Vegetation Mapping), S494 (Agriculture Mapping), SD387 (Forestry Mapping), TL587 (Aeronautical Charts), and TN273 (Mining Maps).
GA190	Museums. Exhibitions	5/4
GA192-GA197.3	Collections of maps, globes, etc.	5/4
GA197.5-GA198	Cartographers	5/4
GA201-GA288	History. General by period, globe-making, globes	5/4
GA300-GA325	History. World maps, general atlases, etc.	5	Works on the history and description of atlases and maps.
GA341-GA1776	History. Maps. By region and country	5/4	For the atlases and maps themselves, see CPS Maps, Atlases, and Remote Sensing Images.

Physical geography

Class	Subject	Collecting Level
GB3-GB5	Congresses, collected works	4
GB11-GB21	History and philosophy	4
GB23-GB26.2	Study and teaching	3
GB51-GB54.5	General works, treatises and advanced textbooks	4
GB111-GB398.7	By region or country	4
GB400-GB649	Geomorphology, landforms, terrain	4
GB651-GB2998	Hydrology, water	4
GB5000-GB5030	Natural disasters	4/3

Oceanography (GC1-GC1581). See Science and Technology: Earth Sciences

Human Geography (Human Ecology, Anthropogeography)

Class	Subject	Collecting Level	Comments
GF1-GF9	Periodicals, congresses, collections	4
GF13-GF23	History and philosophy	4
GF26-GF28	Study and teaching	4
GF31-GF50	General works, treatises, and advanced textbooks	4
GF51-GF95	Environmental influences on man	4
GF500-GF895	By region and country	4	Literature pertaining to the regional geography of individual localities may also be classed within various subcategories for each geographical region defined in classes D and F. Literature pertaining to the U.S. and individual states is collected at the highest end of level 4.
GF101-GF127	Settlements	4	Urban geography of individual cities is classed under respective cities in Classes D and F. Literature pertaining to U.S. cities is collected at the highest end of level 4.

Bibliography

Class	Subject	Collecting Level
Z286.M3	Maps: bookselling and publishing	5/4
Z692.M3	Maps in libraries	5
Z697.M17	Classification of literature on maps	5
Z6001-Z6020	Geography and travels	5/4
Z6021-Z6028	Maps and cartography	5/4

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