The University Map Library is the primary location housing cartographic and architectural design material at the University of Waterloo.
The University Map Library, sometimes also referred to as the Map Library or UML houses 2 major collections. The cartographic collection includes over 70,000 maps, approximately 40,000 aerial photographs and other remote sensing images, and over 1,500 atlases. The specialized core collection of architectural design material includes more than 4,800 monographs and approximately 40 journals.
The University Map Library is located in the EV1 building, room 246.
Interior view of UML
Hallway outside UML Library in EV1 building
Your tour begins at the Public Services Desk. Staff at this desk will assist you in using the library collection and will answer any questions you may have about the library. At this desk, you can check out, renew, or return materials; place recalls and holds; report a change of address or lost ID card; pay fines and obtain change.
Here you may also request reserve material for courses in the Faculty of Environment. These materials include required course readings, notes and course related cartographic materials. Reserve materials are available for short-term loan and may be accessed through Reserve Lists kept at the Public Services Desk.
Controlled access material may be acquired at this desk. It includes a collection of senior honours undergraduate essays written by students in Geography and Planning.
The eastern part of the UML Library houses the major map collection that includes topographic maps, navigational charts, street plans, and a wide assortment of subject-specific maps covering topics such as geology, soils, vegetation, climate, land use, political boundaries, and history. While the geographical emphasis of the collection is on Canada, particularly southern Ontario, all areas of the world are represented in the collection. The map collection is divided into vertical, horizontal, and folded map locations, and the material in each location has a call number arrangement.
Across from the Public Services Desk is the Aerial Photograph Collection. The area contains aerial photographs, and photomaps, with other remote sensing imagery and indexes to the collection. The primary geographic focus of this collection is the local area, particularly the cities of Waterloo and Kitchener and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. The collection also includes coverage of southern Ontario, parts of central and eastern Ontario, and selected areas across Canada. The images range in date from 1930 to the present and vary in scale.
Public workstations are located east of the Reference Collection. Remote sensing images, atlases, and other cartographic related material in CD-ROM format may be obtained here.
The Map Library has a number of geospatial databases, and current digital orthophotos. Much of this data is used for GIS related classes. Increasingly, students outside of these classes are using geospatial data and images for site studies, presentations and to create maps for projects and theses. This data is available through networked access from two workstations. Maps may be printed on the colour inkjet printer, or downloaded to your own ZIP disk, or burnt to CD. The use of certain data products may be restricted to University of Waterloo faculty, students or staff.
One of the public workstations has networked journal indexes, which identify magazine and periodical articles, technical reports, conference proceedings, etc. on specific topics. Still more indexes can be accessed via the Internet.
In front of the Public Services Desk is the Reference Collection, which includes dictionaries, bibliographies, handbooks, almanacs, and indexes. Reference materials are among the most heavily used titles in the library and may be consulted only in the library. By the Reference Collection is a display of library brochures and publications on various topics to help you use the library well.
Just west of the Reference Collection are the Primo public workstations. Primo is the combined catalogue of the University of Guelph, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University Libraries.
Materials can be accessed by author, title, subject, and call number and by Keyword searches in author, title and subject indexes.
Primo is designed to be user friendly and online help is available at any point by pressing the HELP button. Also, printed guides to Primo are on display near the terminals.
Connect from Home
At the front area housing the books and government publications is the Periodical Collection. The current two years of cartographic journals and Architectural design journals are arranged in call number order. Volumes for earlier years of these journals may be found in the Dana Porter Library. Call numbers for journals may be obtained from Primo.
The southwest section of the Map Library houses the book and Government Publication stacks with an area of oversize material. The area is interspersed with tables and carrels for study, to the west wall of the library.
Publishers' Catalogues for cartographic material are located beside the Catalogue Terminals.
Also in this area are Pamphlet Materials containing tourist information that covers Ontario in particular, but also the rest of Canada, the United States, and many other countries of the world.
This is the end of the University Map Library Tour. We hope that you have found the tour helpful. If you have comments or suggestions to make about this tour or questions about the Map Library, phone the Map Library Public Services Desk at ext. 32795, or stop by and see us.
University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883
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