Welcome

David Rumsey Map Center

Niles Dorn

Laura Krueger

Kristina Larsen

Laura Swenson

Evan Thornberry

Hi everyone, it's a pleasure to welcome you to the David Rumsey Map Center. I'm going to start with an introduction to the Center, providing a brief overview of our activities, as well as how you might connect with us in the future. I'm Evan Thornberry, I am the head curator here at the Center. Although I've only been part of this remarkable team for a few months, I've had the privilege of working alongside our exceptional staff and collaborating with David and others to fulfill our mission. The Map Center consists of five dedicated staff members, and we work together to facilitate the use of historical cartographic materials for teaching, learning, and research. Our ultimate goal is to inspire a sense of spatial curiosity about the world, its peoples, and their histories.

Our Work

Curating and Stewarding Collections
Promoting Engagement
Fostering Exploration

Here at the Center, we're responsible for curating and stewarding Stanford University Library's historical map collections, which in large part consists of the Collections of David Rumsey. We are here to make these collections easily accessible, understandable, and useful. We actively promote engagement with historical maps, whether in their physical form or as digital objects, encouraging their use as valuable data sources. By digitizing and making this material accessible virtually, we accelerate the integration of historical maps into digital and online environments. In that sense, a key part of our mission is to foster and promote exploration through the use of historical materials and modern technology. And I'll note that this isn't always about exploring the geographic phenomena found on maps, but also the story behind the map, or the other things that might be left off the map.

A Center

Classes

Conferences

Exhibitions

Reading Room

Tours

As an interdiciplinary Center, we use this space for a variety of purposes. Educational sessions like class visits or instructional workshops are a regular occurance here at the Center. We aim to provide in-depth learning experiences on various topics. Conferences: We host conferences where experts and enthusiasts can come together to discuss and share knowledge in specific fields. Exhibitions: These exhibitions are often related to our conferences. They may feature displays or projects, including an annual student competition. Reading Room: Our Special Collections Reading Room is open to the public. It's a space where anyone can come and view our unique collections. Tours: We offer guided tours to give visitors a closer look at our facilities and the materials we have. It's a great way to explore what we have to offer.

Essential Takeaways

We're here for you

Our site(s) are a great starting point

Feel free to get in touch

Getting Started Online

davidrumsey.com QR Code 1

searchworks.stanford.edu QR Code 2

Getting Started Online

library.stanford.edu/libraries/david-rumsey-map-center QR Code 1