Library of Congress. Map Division

Maps and atlases were among the first items acquired when the Library of Congress was established in 1800. It was not until 1897, however, when the Library of Congress moved into its own building, that a separate Hall of Maps and Charts was created to house the growing collection of 47,000 maps and 1,200 atlases. The division now occupies an area of 90,000 square feet in the Library's James Madison Memorial Building. The area is specifically designed and constructed to accommodate a variety of cartographic collections, library functions, and a professional and technical staff of 38 persons. Annual additions to the Geography and Map Division's collections average 40,000 maps, 2,000 atlases and 2,500 geospatial datasets. Because surveying and mapping are significant government functions and responsibilities, approximately 60 percent of the cartographic materials are received from offical sources. Most private and commercial cartographic works published in the United States are acquired through Copyright or through purchase. Many rare and valuable maps and atlases in the collections have been presented to the division by generous and public-minded citizens.