World, national, regional, and state atlases are collected. Thematic maps and atlases are acquired according to subject guidelines, emphasis will be given to economic, historical, linguistic, demographic, and transportation maps and atlases. Current editions of road and travel atlases are selectively acquired, as are school maps or atlases and juvenile materials. Atlases are purchased in loose-leaf format whenever possible for ease of maintenance and use. Bound collections of reproductions of antiquarian maps and facsimiles of rare or historical atlases are purchased.
Emphasis is upon the most recent mapping for any area or subject.
Deposit arrangements with various federal, state and local agencies, e.g., the U.S. Geological Survey , the Defense Mapping Agency, the National Ocean Survey, assure comprehensive coverage of selected areas. The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center contains a number of rare maps and atlases, and the Art Department's Slide Library contains many slides of maps primarily historical or thematic in nature. No large scale mapping is kept. Instead, materials are housed in the Benson Latin American Collection. The map collection supports the materials and subjects collected by the Center for American History.