About
The Map and Geospatial Data Collection focuses on the local area and on Canadian material, and currently comprises over 101,000 maps, 1,900 books and atlases, 45,000 air photos, and 1,000s of licensed digital map and image files.
Location & Hours
The Maps & Air Photo Collection is located on the lower level of Stauffer Library. See floor plan for lower level of Stauffer.
Please refer to the Locations & Hours page for Maps & Air Photos hours.
The Collection
The air photo collection emphasizes Kingston and the surrounding southeastern Ontario area but imagery covering other areas of Ontario, Canada and the world is also available.
The library catalogue Omni and Air Photo Holdings (*new* interactive map) include records for all photographs in our collections, and are complemented by paper flight line index maps annotated with our photograph holdings.
The fastest growing part of the collection. Search the Scholars GeoPortal to get an idea of the extent of coverage in this format. The Library is also the Queen's University liaison with Land Information Ontario.
Supplementing a core collection of current and historical Canadian topographic maps are detailed and medium scale topographic maps of many areas in the world, historic and modern city plans, nautical charts of Canadian waterways, soil surveys, past and current census and administrative boundary maps, facsimiles of early maps, and much more. We have an exceptional collection of early mapping of Kingston and the surrounding area, in reproduction or facsimiles.
Books and journals on cartography and related subjects, international, national and regional atlases, thematic atlases, historical atlases in facsimile, cartographic bibliographies and catalogues, and gazetteers are well represented in the Collection. Of special note is the portion of the Collection dedicated to Dr. Richard Ruggles who, in support of teaching and research, began gathering materials pertinent to the study of the history of cartography.
Research Guides
Services
Staff can help you find maps and photographs, use the scanners, and much more. Please refer to the Stauffer Library hours page to see when the collection is open.
The collection can also be visited by appointment. Please contact the Geospatial Data Librarian or book a consultation.
In-house reserve of materials, thematic displays, tours and special instruction sessions relevant to a particular course or research interest can be arranged at any time.
In general, maps, air photos, atlases, and globes do not circulate, except for instructional purposes.
Workstations with GIS and graphics software, a networked 11* x 17* colour scanner, a light table, camera copy stand, and pocket and mirror stereoscopes are amongst the equipment available.