Mapping the World

Learn about the American Geographical Society Library. The American Geographical Society Library (AGSL) was established in 1978 when the research collections of the American Geographical Society (AGS) moved, and ownership was transferred, to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. By the middle of the 20th century, the AGS had compiled a cartographic collection that held items such as maps, atlases, globes, a library with an internationally focused monograph and serial collection, and a burgeoning photograph and film negative collection. Following World War II, these collections comprised more than 500,000 items. The collections have thrived at UWM and today, the AGSL consists of nearly two million items, including maps, atlases, globes, photographs, monographs, serials and digital geospatial data.