Historical Map Collections

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UBC Historical Map Collections

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This guide has been developed to assist students and researchers in searching for resources relating to historical maps and atlases in the UBC Library collection.

Visit UBC Rare Books and Special Collections to view maps published prior to 1900. At UBC Rare Books and Special Collections, the main focus of our historical map collection is British Columbia. Our printed and archival holdings include historical maps, charts, engineering and architectural drawings, atlases and globes. Geographical coverage includes maps and charts of pre-1900 British Columbia, North America, the Canadian Arctic and the Pacific Rim, pre-1800 world/hemispheres, and Japanese maps of the Tokugawa era.

To search for maps published after 1900, please visit the UBC Library Map Library.

Photo credit: UBC Library, Rare Books and Special Collections, Andrew McCormick Collection,
mccormick_24

Librarian

UBC Vancouver Katherine Kalsbeek (Rare Books & Special Collections)

Articles

Use the following article indexes and recommended sources to find journal articles and other information on your topic:

Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives (ACMLA) Bulletin
This index includes reviews reviews of books, maps and atlases; and also includes facsimiles of maps.

Historical Map Society of British Columbia database
This is a database of all historical maps covering the area of what is now British Columbia up to joining Confederation in 1871.

British Columbia Geographical Names Information System
A searchable database for BC place names with map information and, in future, origins of names.

Imago Mundi: the international journal for the history of cartography
Imago Mundi is the only English-language scholarly periodical devoted exclusively to the history of pre-modern maps, mapping, and map-related ideas from anywhere in the world. UBC students, staff and faculty have access to the electronic full-text journal articles from 1935 - present

Librarian

UBC Vancouver Katherine Kalsbeek (Rare Books & Special Collections)

Books

Books may be found in the UBC Library catalogue under subject headings, such as:

Vancouver (B.C.)--Historical geography--Maps
Lower Mainland (B.C.)--Historical geography--Maps
Lower Mainland (B.C.)--Discovery & exploration-Maps
British Columbia --Maps --19th. Century

Or names of authors, such as:

Hayes, Derek, 1947-
Macdonald, Bruce, 1948-
Woodward, Frances, 1938

Bibliographies

British Columbia local histories bibliography [online]

Canada's urban past; a bibliography to 1980 and guide to Canadian urban studies

Cartography of British Columbia: A Bibliography of Sources in the University of British Columbia Library [online]

Vancouver Centennial Bibliography : a Project of the Vancouver Historical Society also available Online

Photo credit: UBC Library

Librarian

UBC Vancouver Katherine Kalsbeek (Rare Books & Special Collections)

Websites

British Columbia Archives
This institution holds over 63,000 maps, atlases, and architectural drawings relating to the exploration, discovery, and development of the province of British Columbia.

Canada Heritage Gallery
This site contains historical maps of Canada, including British Columbia and other contextual information relating to the time period.

City of Vancouver Archives
Holdings include over 4,000 maps dating from the 1700s directly related to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

Community Mapping Network (CMN)
This site is a valuable resource for those working with British Columbian maps. It contains an Atlas Gallery, mapbuilder, community mapping case studies, and a community projects directory.

Library and Archives Canada Maps, Plans and Charts database
Since its inception in 1872, the National Archives of Canada has acquired, preserved and commemorated the cartographic heritage of Canada. Today, these holdings include some of the earliest known visual representations of Canada and constitute the largest cartographic description of our country. Researchers have access to these records through a variety of finding aids including the widely consulted "old card catalogue." The database presented here provides access to this catalogue.

Vancouver Public Library Special Collections
This collection contains many historical maps of Vancouver, as well as street maps and fire insurance plans.

Librarian

UBC Vancouver Katherine Kalsbeek (Rare Books & Special Collections)

UBC Historical Map Collections

Following are some general instructions on how to locate maps in Rare Books and Special Collections:

Catalogues

You can search the online UBC Library catalogue by keyword or subject:

It is also necessary to search the card catalogue located at UBC Rare Books and Special Collections to find those maps that are not included in the online catalogue (please ask a librarian or archivist for assistance in doing so).

Fire Insurance Plans

Fire Insurance Plans of British Columbia Cities with Multiple volumes
Fire Insurance Plans consist of detailed maps that show the character of insured buildings, from 1885 to 1968. Cities included in this collection are Burnaby, North Vancouver, Oak Bay, Point Grey, Saanich, South Vancouver, Victoria, West Vancouver, University Endowments Lands and Vancouver.

Ways to find the insurance plans include browsing the PDF Inventory, and also searching the UBC Library catalogue. RBSC's Online guide to Fire Insurance Plans of British Columbia Cities may be of help in your search.

Inventories, Guides & Articles

Cartographic Archives Inventories
This page enables alphabetical browsing of the inventories of the map collections held in the cartographic archives, which also include maps that derive from archival collections. Some inventories relating directly to Vancouver include:

Franco-Canadian (Dominion) Trust Company
Includes maps of Vancouver, in formats of blueprint, manuscript map, architectural plan and printed maps.

Hoffmeister Electric Company
Collection consists of maps of Vancouver and Canada, in various formats and scales.

Vancouver Fire Hall #1
Collection consists of architectural plans regarding BC cities including Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam.

Guides & Articles to RBSC Collections
Consists of a list of guides and articles that have been written for RBSC collections, including many on maps and fire insurance plans relating to Vancouver.

Slides
This online inventory lists many slides of historical maps, fire insurance plans, and surveys relating to Vancouver that are housed in RBSC.

UBC Archives Archival Inventories
The holdings of the University Archives include personal and organizational records of the University, many of which include maps. This inventory allows keyword searching and alphabetical browsing.

Digital Collections

A number of maps from Rare Books and Special Collections have been digitized:

Andrew McCormick map collection

Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa period

Photo credit: UBC Library, Rare Books and Special Collections, G3514.V3 D3 1889

Librarian

UBC Vancouver Katherine Kalsbeek (Rare Books & Special Collections)

Last Modified 10:53 am, Mar 24 2011

The University of British Columbia

Historical Map Collections