Preservation and Access for Historic Maps and Atlases from Europe's Exploration and Colonization in the Americas, 1500-1800

FAIN: PW-50528-10

Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Inc. (Boston, MA 02116-2813)
Janet H. Spitz (Project Director: July 2009 to July 2013)

The conservation, cataloging, and digitization of 300 rare maps and 22 atlases published between the late 15th and early 19th centuries documenting Europe's exploration of the New World.

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library (NBLMC/BPL) requests a grant for a three-year project that will conserve, catalog, and digitize approximately 300 rare historic maps and 22 atlases (containing another 1,900 maps) published between the late 15th and early 19th century. The maps and atlases of the project collection encompass rare examples that illustrate Europe's exploration of the New World during the Great Age of Discovery as well as Europe's subsequent settlement of the Americas and its colonial dominance. For humanities scholars and the general public, these maps and atlases are the single most straight forward record of the explorations in the time of their creation. They are essential humanities documents necessary to academic scholarship and curious wonder about the history of the world and will be made available on our website maps.bpl.org.