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IntroductionThe Historical Collections community page provides access to the catalogs of the federal government repositories for historical documents and records. Geographical record materials are highlighted. Use the Historical Collections links below to identify resources relevant to your research requirements and interests. NARADigital Cartographic Data Holdings in the National Archives
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Content Summary: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the U.S. Government agency that collects, preserves, and maintains federal records and historical materials. This reference report provides information about electronic records containing digital cartographic data in the custody of the Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division of NARA.
Search Hints for Maps and Geographic Materials in the Archival Research Catalog
Content Summary: The Archival Research Catalog (ARC) includes descriptions of records held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) nationwide. ARC contains descriptions of historical maps and cartographic data files as well as documents and photographs related to geography. Keep in mind that ARC currently contains descriptions for 50% of NARA traditional holdings.
Transfer Guidance for Digital Geospatial Data Records
Content Summary: This document is part of the Electronic Records Management (ERM) E-Gov Initiative to improve electronic records management in Federal agencies.
LibrariesLibrary of Congress Map Collections
Content Summary: The Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress holds more than 4.5 million items, of which Map Collections represents only a small fraction, those that have been converted to digital form.The focus of Map Collections is Americana and Cartographic Treasures of the Library of Congress. These images were created from maps and atlases and, in general, are restricted to items that are not covered by copyright protection.Map Collections is organized according to seven major categories. Because a map will be assigned to only one category, unless it is part of more than one core collection, searching Map Collections at this level will provide the most complete results since the indexes for all categories are searched simultaneously.
National Historical Geographic Information System
Content Summary: GIS boundary files and aggregate tabular data are disseminated by the Minnesota Population Center as part of the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) project. The NHGIS is a National Science Foundation-sponsored project (Grant No. BCS0094908) to create a digital spatial-temporal database of available historical US aggregate census materials. The available shapefiles on the NHGIS site represent version 1.0 of historical US files. The boundary files include historical nationwide files for states and counties from 1790-2000. In addition, census tract files are available for 1910-2000 and metropolitan areas from 1950-2000. All available historical aggregate data from 1790-2000 are also accessible through the NHGIS.
SEDAC Long-Term Archive Portal
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Content Summary: The SEDAC Long-Term Archive (LTA) preserves selected SEDAC data and information resources for future access and use. The SEDAC LTA is managed by the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) in collaboration with the Columbia University Libraries.
Geospatial Electronic Records Website
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Content Summary: Welcome to the Geospatial Electronic Records web site, which serves as a portal to resources on managing and preserving geospatial data and related electronic records.
National Geospatial Digital Archive (NGDA)
Content Summary: Concerned that millions of nationally important digital information resources are in danger of being lost or corrupted, the Library of Congress has formed The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP).As partners in the project the university libraries of the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Stanford are leading the formation of the National Geospatial Digital Archive (NGDA), a collecting network for the archiving of geospatial images and data.
Federal Government RepositoriesAerial Photography Field Office Vault Holdings Document
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Content Summary: The Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO) is the primary source of aerial imagery for the United States Department of Agriculture. Over 10,000,000 images are held here. The imagery dates cover the period from 1955 to the present.
Historical Map & Chart Collection of NOAA's Nautical Charts, Hydrographic Surveys, Topographic Surveys, Geodetic Surveys, City Plans, and Civil War Battle Maps Starting from the mid 1700's
Content Summary: The Historical Map and Chart Collection of the Office of Coast Survey contains over 20000 historical maps and charts from the mid 1700s through the late 1900s. These images are available for viewing or download through the image catalog at http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/csdl/ctp/abstract.htmThe Collection includes some of the nation's earliest nautical charts, hydrographic surveys, topographic surveys, geodetic surveys, city plans and Civil War battle maps. The Collection is a rich primary historical archive and a testament to the artistry of copper plate engraving technology of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Notable offerings include maps of Vancouver's explorations, the "Wilkes Atlas" of the U.S. Whistler's Anacapa Island chart, an extensive Civil War collection, a large scale topographic series of Washington, D.C., city plans, the reengraving of the famous 1792 L'Enfant and Ellicott plan for Washington D.C., and many artistic perspective sketches that were once an integral part of hydrographic surveys and published charts.
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